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An interesting article for those involved in the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP), or anyone interested in protecting the 2nd Amendment . . .

April 2, 2007

"Divide and Conquer!"

By Bill Hilts Sr.


Think about it! The gun control crowd’s worst nightmare is the National Rifle Association (NRA). That gun rights organization has a phenomenal success record protecting the sanctity of the Second Amendment and they are getting better at it every day.

But, now those who would like to see the law-abiding citizens of this nation disarmed, have now developed a new plan…”Divide and Conquer!” It is simple! Create a new “sportsmen’s oriented” organization, theoretically designed to protect the rights of gun owners, with the hopes of sucking the lifeblood out of the NRA…it’s millions of members, many of which are members of labor unions.

The labor union chiefs, working with the Democrat party, using the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) to give the movement credibility with sportsmen/conservation groups, are doing just that. Polls have shown that union leaders have learned that about a quarter of their members are affiliated with the NRA and it really bothers them.

Recently, the TRCP accepted some 20 labor unions into their fold and that is where the plan was developed to “Divide and Conquer!”

The TRCP has entered the world of partisan politics and for some reason decided to throw their lot in with the labor unions and Democrat party. They have done a tremendous disservice to the thousands of sportsmen and women who joined with them, because they appeared to have a pretty good agenda, tackling many of the key issues facing the future of hunting, fishing, and conservation in general.

But now, the TRCP leaders have decided to enter the mine-field of partisan politics and get involved with those entities which strongly favor controlling the private ownership of firearms. There is little doubt they have lost direction by helping to create a plan that is designed to neutralize the activities of the NRA to protect the private ownership of firearms in this country.

A personal friend of this writer attended the organizational meeting where it was decided to accept the labor union’s as affiliates of the TRCP. He strongly favored the inclusion of unions into that group, but when discussion began on the creation of a new group to be offered as an “alternative” to the NRA, he spoke in opposition to the idea.

He was in the minority though, and the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) was formed…to offer union members an “alternative” to the NRA. The union leadership, got their “payment” for delivering millions of new members under the umbrella of the TRCP. But, will the devious plan work?

The union leaders claim the NRA is anti-union and deliver that message to their members. If they are, I have never seen it, or heard it, and this writer has been a member of the NRA for about 50 years.

They also claim that the NRA opposes those political candidates that the labor unions endorse for office. Now, that’s a no-brainer. Any candidate that steps up and supports an agenda that would bring gun control to this country is fair game, no matter which party flag he carries. The Democrats were the ones that chose to make gun control a major plank in their platform, locally and nationally.

Chris Cox, head of the NRA-ILA, writes in the April 2007 editions of NRA magazines, the USA is intended …”to lure the political allegiance of gun owning union members away from the NRA and its political agenda.”

Not to be ignored is the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA), which has drawn the support of some key outdoor writers. The AHSA leadership is comprised of a list of anti-gun zealots, who say they are providing sportsmen and women an alternative to the NRA.

The latest venture of the AHSA is to join with New York City Mayor Bloomberg, in his demands that Congress lift privacy protection and allow the BATF to release the personal information of gun owners acquired from the forms processed for the NICS check. Current law protects the privacy of those records.

Where do we go from here? What I’m going to do is to resign my membership in the TRCP and tell them why! Then, if you belong to a labor union, let them know you are staying with the NRA … and make another donation!

A long time ago, my father told me … “Never trust a politician who doesn’t trust you to own a gun!” Great advice and wise words indeed!

William Clunie

It�s always amused me that the 2nd Amendment is the only portion of the Bill of Rights where the states (and even some cities) are allowed to have their own versions and interpretations of it.

Can you imagine the uproar from the news media, civil libertarians, and liberals if this happened with any of the other 10 Amendments?

RickB,
Excellent point! Can't wait to pose that one to them the next time they try and bend the meaning of the second amendment.

William Clunie

Another of my favorites ones is the old one about: �Well, we have to regisiter our cars...why not guns?�

Last time I checked you only have to register cars that are going to be driven on the highway...and when was the last time you heard about about some city or state using car registrations to come and take your cars away from you? And I will guarantee you that cars are used in crime allot more than guns are.

Rick,
Also, driving is a priviledge, the second amendment is a RIGHT.

William Clunie

Unfortunately allot of people don�t see it that way.

The problem I always run into when it comes to voting is that I believe in, and respect, ALL of the amendments equally and most politicians (and voters) like to pick and choose between the ones they like and don�t like.

It�s kind of like �freedom of speech.� Everyone loves it...until someone says something they don�t like.

As far as driving being a �priviledge� I respectfully disagree. In my opinion the one and only reason for vehicle registration and vehicle codes is to generate revenue for cities. If every driver in the USA started obeying all traffic laws tomorrow cities would go broke within six months.

Rick,
What I'm trying to say is that driving isn't a right, and our second amendment is. I agree that our cities live off from traffic ticket revenue. I drive slow and haven't had a ticket in ten years. I love to deny then the joy of taking my hard-earned cash.

William Clunie