The NRA and Newtown

In this article I would like to examine the response to a tragedy, by a national organization, at a local level. Much has been made of the national blowback and consequent discussion regarding the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that occurred in Newtown, CT on December 14th. Further, much has been made of the NRA’s involvement in that discussion. As an organization centered in large part around the protection of gun rights in America, the NRA’s involvement in the national politicization of the tragedy is hardly a surprise. Included on the homepage of the NRA’s official website is the self-description “We’re proud defenders of history’s patriots and diligent protectors of the second amendment.” Once it was clear that this tragedy was going to lead to a discussion regarding gun laws in America-and it was made clear pretty immediately-the NRA seamlessly occupied that seat at the other end of the table. The Sandy Hook Shootings however-as with any shooting- had domestic relevance to go along with its national relevance.

That is why events like the Sandy Hook shooting put an organization like the NRA in a far more interesting, and difficult position. Day-to-day the NRA is promoting second amendment rights in an attempt to combat gun control. This is the back and forth on the issue of gun violence, which has in many ways become a social issue, or social disease in this country. In the wake of a tragedy like this, the NRA needs to continue to push it’s agenda. However, as with any

event similar to this, there is a local element. The event is very real, and even though there is a tendency to politicize an event like this on a national level, the local despair is primary and immediate. How did the NRA contend with this sensitivity, while still driving their message?

Well first it is important to understand a little bit about Newtown, Connecticut. It could of course be argued that a tragedy this horrific supplants regular politics. Still, it is worth nothing that Fairfield County-which includes the small town of Newtown- is moderately democratic. The county voted in favor of Barack Obama over Mitt Romney by just over ten points in the 2012 election.1 Newtown itself votes democratic, but not overwhelmingly so. It’s congressional representative is democratic, but the position has been held by a republican 10 of the last 22 years. It is just under 92% white, and has a median household income of just over 106,000, putting the Newtown median in the highest quintile of American households.2 3 In many ways, Newtown does not fit the gun ownership profile. Americans are 11% more likely to own a gun(legally) if they did not attend college (over 57% of Newtown residents completed a Bachelors Degree or higher)4, and 13% more likely to own a gun if they are a Republican or lean right, than if they are a Democrat or lean left.5 Additionally, the people who chose to settle in Newtown were generally accepting some of the strictest state gun laws in America. The Brady campaign to prevent gun violence, ranked Connecticut as the fifth best state in America on the basis of gun laws (pre-Sandy Hook).6 So while it is true that America is the gun country, and that the majority of americans-regardless of party affiliation or demographics- do support the second amendment 7, Newtown residents did not fit the profile of the staunch NRA supporter even pre- sandy hook.

Therefore the NRA was walking a tightrope in the wake of this tragedy. How do you support your cause, while still being sensitive to the victims and the affected community? The first move was overt silence. The shooting took place on Friday, the 14th. From that Friday through the afternoon of Tuesday the NRA issued “no comment” to all media outlets, deactivated it’s Facebook page, and went silent on twitter.8. It was a clear acknowledgment of a precarious nature of the position the NRA was in. Following a national disaster, the most common reaction from both noteworthy figures and organizations, as well as citizens all over is immediate support. Following the Tucson shootings involving Gabrielle Giffords, the NRA responded with this nondescript response a little more than 24 hours after the shooting. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this senseless tragedy, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and their families during this difficult time."9 Following the Virginia Tech school shootings, the NRA released a similar statement almost immediately, "The National Rifle Association joins the entire country in expressing our deepest condolences to the families of Virginia Tech University and everyone else affected by this horrible tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families. We will not have further comment until all the facts are known."10 Sandy Hook prompted radio silence however until this statement on the 18th, “The National Rifle Association of America is made up of four million moms and dads, sons and daughters -- and we were shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the news of the horrific and senseless murders in Newtown. Out of respect for the families, and as a matter of common decency, we have given time for mourning, prayer and a full investigation of the facts before commenting. The NRA is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again,"11

The delicate nature of the NRA’s response proved to be short lived however, as that Friday, one week after the shooting, the NRA’s Vice president Wayne LaPierre participated in a press conference where he emphatically stated that "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," and called on congress to “put armed police officers in every single school in this nation.” LaPierre also blamed Video Games and the Media for playing a role in the event in a 31minute speech linked below:

The response to the response of the NRA was highly negative. Former chair of the republican party Michael Steele referred to it as “very haunting and very disturbing that our country now that are talking about arming our teachers and our principals in classrooms”, despite being a self proclaimed “...supporter of the Second Amendment and a supporter of the NRA.”12 The response from Connecticut was even more negative, with Chris Murphy-Newtown’s elected representative- referring to the press conference as “tone-deaf”, and Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut saying that “The NRA today in its approach will be irrelevant.”13 Additionally, Nelba Marquez-Greene, the mother of one of the sandy hook victims criticized LaPierre for “espousing hatred before Ana [daughter] had even been laid to rest.”14 This disgust-beginning at a local level and expanding- became fairly universal. According to a PPP poll 48 percent of Americans viewed the NRA in a positive light prior to the press conference, while 41 percent

viewed it negatively. Following the press conference just 42 percent of Americans still viewed it favorably, with 45 looking at it in a negative light.15 A large ten point shift in just three weeks.

The precariousness that the NRA seemingly acknowledged with their silence, could not be healed by time. There was a confluence waiting to happen. No matter how long it waited to speak, the NRA could not afford to sit this issue out. Their pro-gun over all stance was going to be at odds with the national temperature regardless of when or in what manner a statement was made, and a stand was taken. The outrage did not stop there however. A few months later the NRA came under fire once again for making “robo calls” to Newtown residents urging people to tell their state legislators to oppose gun control proposals. “‘It's ridiculous and insensitive,’Newtown resident Dan O'Donnell told Hartford-area NBC affiliate WVIT-TV, one of several media organizations to report about the robocalls. ‘I can't believe an organization would be so focused on the rights of gun owners with no consideration for the losses this town suffered.’"16 Protests over the robo calls were even held at an NRA outpost 3 miles from Sandy Hook Elementary.: http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=9044623

In spite of all of this, the clues to the NRA’s recent success in lobbying against new proposed gun laws may be included in a long time slogan of NRA supporters, “Guns don't kill people, people kill people.” Through even limited analysis of the NRA’s actions following the Sandy Hook Massacre, it is pretty obvious that the organization did not improve its standing with

its response to the event. Yet, everything the organization swears to protect, is as healthy as ever. Because Americans, at the end of the day, truly believe in that slogan. In a country where the number of gun related deaths has not been lower than 30,000 in any year since 2004 17, one must believe that it is the person, and not the gun that is responsible for those deaths. The people of America believe there is something about American people, our history, our culture, our struggles, our nature, that causes us to be violent. The truth is that despite the growing skepticism about the NRA and their tactics, Americans still agree with their basic message. A CNN poll conducted less than a month after the Sandy Hook Massacre asked participants what they thought was the primary cause of gun violence in America. 37% thought it was the “way parents raise their kids”, 37% blamed “Popular culture” while only 23% believed it was “ the availability of guns”.18 Further, in a fox news poll conducted in late april, when asked which was more important: “protecting the constitutional right of citizens to own guns or protecting citizens from gun violence?" 53% of people said the right to own guns, while only 42% said protecting citizens from gun violence.19 In pairing those two responses (both post Sandy Hook) it is easy to see why at the end of the day, in their fight to protect the second amendment, the NRA is fighting a winning battle, even if they must sacrifice their likability to do so. The way I see it, even if the NRA becomes highly unlikeable in the process, by simply inserting their agenda into the discussion time and time again, they are reinforcing the belief system already in place for most Americans. That is their affect, that is their goal, that is what they are there for, and it makes complete sense when you look at their actions following the Sandy Hook Massacre.


Endnotes:


1. http://www.politico.com/2012-election/results/president/connecticut/
2. www.connecticut-demographics.com/newtown-demographics
3. http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RS20811_20121113.pdf
4. http://www.city-data.com/city/Newtown-Connecticut.html
5. http://www.gallup.com/poll/150353/self-reported-gun-ownership-highest-1993.aspx
6. http://bradycampaign.me/sites/default/files/2011_Brady_Campaign_State_Scorecard_Rankings.pdf
7. www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=120984&page=1#
8. www.cnn.com/2012/12/18/politics/nra-silence-regrouping
9. www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-geiger/staggering-nra-hypocrisy-_b_807099.html
10. http://voices.yahoo.com/virginia-tech-shootings-spark-debate-over-gun-306141.html
11. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2251762/NRA-condemned-astonishing-response-
Sandy-Hook-massacre-calling-schools-arm-themselves.html
12. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2251762/NRA-condemned-astonishing-response-Sandy-Hook-massacre-calling-schools-arm-themselves.html
13. http://www.npr.org/2012/12/22/167833089/democrats-slam-nras-response-to-school-shooting
14. http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Sandy-Hook-Victim-Newtown-Wayne-LaPierre-
NRA-Marquez-Greene-198855711.html
15. http://www.businessinsider.com/nra-approval-ratings-press-conference-gun-control-video-games-media-2013-1
16. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/25/newtown-residents-upset-about-nra-robocalls/2016993/
17. http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/united-states
18. http://www.pollingreport.com/guns.htm
19. http://www.pollingreport.com/guns.htm