This post is not intended to weigh in on either side of the gun control debate. Rather, it is to call out the inexplicable approach the NRA has taken since the school shootings in Newton, Connecticut. The organization, which represents 4 million gun owners – surely all of whom are sickened and heartbroken by the killings – has frozen its Twitter and Facebook accounts and has demurred on every media request for comment. The organization has not even issued a simple media statement expressing the outrage and sympathy of its membership, fully three days since the horror unfolded.
Instead, the NRA has shuttered the windows and disconnected the telephone lines. This head-in-the-sand approach has always produced disastrous results for those who practice it. In a time of tragedy and crisis, when anger abounds and the finger is pointed at you, it is always best to demonstrate your empathy for the victims (presuming you have it). Otherwise you leave it to others to place words in your mouth – and they will not be kind.
Surely there must be someone among the NRA membership who would like the world to know that as a gun owner they too are angry and searching for answers. If the NRA cannot find the courage to speak for them, then who can?
