The disturbing world of gun rights activism

Second Amendment

[ad_1]

For British audiences, it can be hard to comprehend the fanaticism of the gun lobby in the US: the devotion to the Second Amendment right to bear arms can approach the pitch of a religious cult. No more so than in No Compromise, a podcast from NPR that investigates “gun rights” movements in the country. These far-right activists believe the Trump administration, Fox News and the National Rifle Association are all too soft on gun laws (joking that NRA stands for “negotiating rights away”), and insist that – as the US constitution states that “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed” – all gun laws are unconstitutional. In fact, the movement’s leaders cite an even higher power, calling unregulated gun ownership “a divine right from God”.

So says Aaron Dorr, who, along with his brothers Ben and Chris, is one of the movement’s most prominent figures. Reporters Lisa Hagan and Chris Haxel investigate a series of pro-gun groups (such as the Missouri Firearms Coalition, Georgia Gun Owners, and the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance), attend rallies, and speak with the Dorr brothers and their supporters. There’s Carolyn Ricker, who watches pro-gun videos while sat at her sewing machine. “It’s like pulling up your hot chocolate and sitting down [with a friend],” she says, and the podcast cuts to the kind of content she is referring to – a rant about “Hollywood left-wing Democrats” who “want to kill babies, eat them for dinner and then choke down one of your AR-15s and steal it from you”.

Hagan and Haxel take such figures seriously. They are sympathetic, well-informed listeners, genuinely curious to discover why and how these Americans became so extreme in their stances. There is much discussion, in episode two, of Facebook’s role in right-wing radicalisation: how the platform pushes videos with “high engagement” (like the Dorrs’) to its users. This is rigorous, thoughtful and arguably necessary reporting, but at times I had the nagging feeling that No Compromise was falling into the same trap: directing attention to a movement that craves it; its well-intentioned scrutiny perversely legitimising a poisonous fringe campaign that thrives on interest, outrage and fear.

No Compromise 
NPR

[ad_2]

Source link

Articles You May Like

Child Shot and Killed in Chicago’s Washington Park
At Least 30 Shot During Weekend In Democrat-Run Chicago
Two Dead, 3 Critical, After Two Groups Have Shootout in Alabama
Tim Walz Drops Special Session After ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban Falls Flat
Florida lawmaker moves to lower gun purchase age as Supreme Court weighs case

21 Comments

  1. 545455 70936Largest lover messages were made to share it with your and gives honour with the bride and groom. Very sound systems facing unnecessary throngs of people should take into account each of our valuable concept of all presenting, which is ones trailer. best man toasts 611617

  2. 61205 228856Hi there! I merely want to give a huge thumbs up for the great data you can have correct here on this post. I will likely be coming once more to your weblog for more soon. 274987

  3. 636975 169551We stumbled more than here coming from a different internet page and thought I might check points out. I like what I see so now im following you. Appear forward to exploring your internet page however once again. 934650

  4. 998363 838285 You produced some decent points there. I looked on the internet for the problem and identified most individuals will go along with together with your web site. 126664

  5. 793071 411812Greetings! This really is my initial comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and let you know I genuinely enjoy reading via your blog posts. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same topics? Thank you so much! 86750

  6. 272129 582097When I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new feedback are added- checkbox and now every time a remark is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there any approach you will be able to remove me from that service? Thanks! 588735

  7. 354417 574978Not long noticed concerning your web internet site and are nonetheless already reading along. I assumed ill leave my initial comment. i do not verify what saying except that Ive enjoyed reading. Nice blog. ill be bookmarking keep visiting this internet internet site genuinely typically. 200862

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *