(Hotair) -- Interestingly, I was mulling over whether to write on this very subject this morning when I caught up with Instapundit and discovered Eric Raymond’s essay at Armed and Dangerous. Raymond joined the National Rifle Association during the holidays despite a long reluctance to do so. Raymond explains that he’s not exactly enamored of the NRA’s political strategies, but that the times call for responsible gun owners to rally together:
So, you might well ask: why am I joining an organization I’m dubious about now, when the gun-rights cause seems to be winning? Popular support for Second Amendment rights is at record highs in the polls, a record seven states now have constitutional carry (no permit requirement), Texas just became the 45th state to legalize open carry last week…why am I joining an organization I’ve characterized as squishy?
I joined because the state-worshiping thugs on the other side are doubling down, and they still own most of the media and the machinery of the Federal government. After decades of pretending that they only wanted soi-disant “common-sense” legislation aimed at specific problems around the edges of gun policy, the Democratic Party is now openly talking of outright gun confiscation. The usual suspects in the national press are obediently amplifying their propaganda.