I recently received an invitation to join the National Rifle Association (NRA). I have been considering joining for some time now anyway, so this invitation may seem a fortuitous event. For the last few days, I have been weighing the options in my head and still have not made a decision.

There are many reasons for this indecision. As you may expect, the invitation (which I received, I am sure, because I recently subscribed to Guns & Ammo magazine) included a letter chock full of pro-gun rhetoric, just as inflammatory as the anti-gun version one often hears in the news media.

It also included a "survey" for gun owners. The 13 questions included in this survey are clearly worded in such a way as to evoke the desired response. For instance:

4. Do you think Congress should ban guns based on their appearance?

Even anti-gun folks, I think, would agree that this is stupid (except the ones that think "any banned gun is a good gun," I suppose). However, this is exactly what has happened in the importation ban on "assault weapons." Does a survey worded like this have any real use, except to inflate the beliefs of gun owners in America? No.

Even apart from the hypocrisy of their biased surveys and inflammatory rhetoric (two common complaints of the NRA when talking about the "liberal" media), there are other problems for me to consider when I think of joining the NRA.

The truth is, most politicians supported by the NRA are Republicans. In my experience, a republican is more likely to be racist, against social programs, religious (fundamentalist), anti-environment (by being pro-big-business), and anti-First Amendment. Not all Republicans are necessarily any of these things, but the conservatism of the Republican party tends to appeal to Big Business, something that is completely antithetical to my own beliefs.

The hypocrisy is rampant, especially in the last case. How can a person say that the right to own firearms is an unalienable right given to us by our Constitution, then go on to say that rap records should be banned and flag-burning outlawed? The freedom of expression, guaranteed by the First Amendment, is just as basic a right as that to keep and bear arms. At least the Gores are anti-First and Second Amendments. Consistency, in politics, is to be praised (but not voted for, at least in this case!).

I covered most of the others in my previous essay, so I do not want to repeat them here. The crux of the problem is that if I join the NRA, my money will be supporting politicians with whom I fundamentally disagree on every subject...except gun rights.

On the plus side, the NRA does a great deal of good, contrary to how they are portrayed in much of the media. They put a great deal of emphasis on firearm safety, for instance. They provide training for all ages, sportsmen, and law enforcement.

They wish to hold people responsible for their own actions. This, unfortunately, is an aspect of republicanism with which I can agree. How often do we hear about people who commit murder, or even attempted murder, with a firearm, who get maybe ten years in prison? This is not holding people responsible for their actions. "Only in America," this most litigious of societies, could a gangbanger kill a small child in a drive-by shooting, and have the family sue the gunmaker.

Most importantly, though, is the ability of the NRA to stand up for our firearm rights. No other organization in this country can do it, by fair means or foul. If the NRA does not do it, we will soon be a nation of victims, because the only ones who will have guns will be the criminals. Unfortunately, that will make many gun owners criminals as well. Just as the war on drugs has created millions of criminals who are simply exercising their right to do as they wish, the coming war on guns will make another class of criminals-gun owners who feel that the safety of their families and themselves are more important than obeying some unconstitutional gun laws. This country will have two types of citizens: sheep and inmates.

So, what is my decision? Chances are that I will join the NRA-with a bad taste in my mouth, and a penchant for writing letters to Wayne LaPierre, Puppetmaster (technically, "Executive Vice President"). I think it will be kind of fun to be the most liberal member of a right-wing organization of millions. That is not something that many can claim to be!