To uproot NRA, we must go deeper

The mass shooting in Florida is another tragic reminder that schools have become war zones. Our children lie dead in their classrooms, victims of our refusal to ban assault weapons from civilian use and pass commonsense gun violence prevention laws.

Much of the work New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence does is with our youth through the Student Pledge Against Gun Violence and our Murals to End Gun Violence program. We see firsthand how gun violence is affecting our children. They are frightened, heartbroken and frustrated that adults do so little to keep them safe.

Washington politicians will use this latest shooting to stigmatize those suffering from mental illness. They will ignore the fact that what killed our children was a war tool, designed to kill as many people as quickly as possible. Yes, the AR-15 was in the hands of a young man who was clearly mentally unstable, but a hunting rifle would not have killed this many children. Assault weapons have become the weapon of choice for mass shootings in the U.S. The National Rifle Association worked to rescind the assault weapons ban and pushed for the sale of these guns across America.

In addition, the NRA promotes a racist and insurrectionist agenda. NRA board member Ted Nugent boasts of how he would like to kill undocumented immigrants. NRATV hosts rant against all people of color. The NRA argument that we must heavily arm civilians in order to be ready for a violent takeover of the U.S. government is completely unacceptable and undemocratic.

In recent days, there has been a lot of discussion about unseating elected officials who take money from the NRA. To succeed in uprooting the NRA, we need to go deeper. Going after our elected officials who take its money or buy into NRA intimidation tactics is an important step, but it is not enough.

The NRA has completely infiltrated our country. It has had decades to weave its way into our communities in order to give the impression that its dangerous agenda is normal.

One example is the NRA Foundation Teach Freedom grants. Our schools in New Mexico receive money from the NRA through these grants. The money is to be used to teach Second Amendment history and gun safety. Our schools should not be receiving money from an organization that promotes racism and a violent agenda.

The NRA chooses lobbyists who also lobby for well-meaning organizations. Nonprofits that hire a lobbyist who is also a lobbyist for the NRA should lose our support and our financial donations.

We must stop voting in sheriffs who refuse to support gunviolence-prevention legislation. New Mexico’s sheriffs routinely testify against our gun-violenceprevention bills.

Let’s make certain our school board members and school superintendents in New Mexico are not in any way associated with the NRA. Departments who write First Information Reports for gun-violence-prevention bills need to recuse themselves if they are NRA members.

Nonprofits that work with young people must refuse to hire NRA members. Michael Horanburg is one example. He is not only an NRA member but also a field coordinator for the NRA. (And recently the policy analyst for the Albuquerque City Council.) Horanburg is now the state director of New Mexico Youth and Government. This fantastic organization gives young people the opportunity to get involved in politics. Why is an NRA member and field representative the president of an organization whose mission it is to help young people learn about politics?

Yes, it is time to target the NRA for the frightening, un-American organization it has become.