its that they oppose ANY curbs and controls on firearms. No matter how reasonable and obvious they might be.

The interpretation of the 2nd amendment by the Scalia Court that we have a right to own firearms is, in my opinion, mistaken. The wording of the constitution is clear, it is guaranteeing the right of the States to maintain armed militias. However, the Court has interpreted this to mean all private citizens have the right to own firearms. Still, as a strict constitutionalist, I accept the decision of the Court, even if I believe it is wrong. However, that same Court decision left plenty of wiggle room for the Federal government or the states to pass other regulations to regulate and control firearms, or to fix the jurisdictions where they apply.

In the days of (relatively) very expensive, muzzle loading, single-shot flintlocks, the technical capabilities and lethality of modern weapons and munitions could not possibly have been anticipated. It only makes sense that the law should evolve to reflect this.

But the firearms available to the public today clearly exceed any legitimate needs of sportsmen or self-defense. They are designed to appeal to frightened individuals deliberately indoctrinated to be fearful of tyrannical governments, mass civic unrest or foreign invasions. I can offer no guarantee those calamities will not someday befall us. But I know for a fact the NRA's constituencies have shown themselves incapable of keeping our schools, shopping malls, rock concerts, night clubs and churches safe from attack, so why should I allow them the weapons needed to repel aliens or zombies?

The role of the NRA is no longer that of an organization to promote gun owner's rights, and advise the authorities on how to regulate firearms. It has become a ruthless lobby for an extremely powerful and profitable industry that needs to continuously bring out new products and promote them to more and more people in order to maintain profits. They do this by fostering a climate of fear and anxiety in gun owners so they can be sold more, and progressively more powerful weapons; and by organizing politically so they can force politicians to promote their agenda, no matter who gets killed or maimed. To accomplish this, they have divided the American people politically and culturally so that even a suggestion their policies may be mistaken brings immediate charges of treason, cowardice and appeasement. This has nothing to do with our culture, or our history, or our freedom. Its all about money.

The NRA is no different than the industrial organizations that (among other things) directly or indirectly promote tobacco use, carcinogenic substances, junk food, opioid addiction, unrestricted agricultural chemicals and indirectly, pollution and global warming. Industry should certainly make its problems known to government and fight for its rights and economic good sense and to question overreaching legislation, but these lobbies have used their wealth to squelch any attempt by government, or the press or private groups to question the corporations that make fabulous profits by systematically killing people. They have hijacked an entire political ideology into working for them by labeling anyone who doesn't support their unrestricted pursuit of money at all costs as un-American.

The free market regulates prices and distribution, but it will not protect us from criminal activity. That's why we have a government in the first place. Its to protect us from people like the NRA.

So what will eventually happen? This situation will continue, getting progressively worse, until some final outrage provokes a backlash so extreme that I, who own and enjoy my guns, will be forced to give them up. And the NRA, like the vampires that they are, will simply move on to some other industry or political philosophy where they can suck the blood out of the nation. After all, they don't care about the freedom to bear arms. All they care about is the freedom to sell as many as they can.