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From listener, G:
You, Miguel, made a flippant comment about people being members of the National Rifle Association, and made it seem like all members were fat old white guys smoking cuban cigars in a dark wood paneled room sitting on leather armchairs thinking up ways to oppress black and brown people.
I want to push back. What has the NRA done for you. I bet your thinking not a thing or nothing good. Ok your right. The NRA has made mistakes as all large political entities will do. Let’s look at what their main goal is, though. Their main goal is to protect the 2 Amendment of the United States Constitution. Now I understand, when it was written it was meant for rich land owning whites but today it is for every American citizen or anyone living in America. Be them black, Brown, purple, green, or blue. It does not matter to the NRA. in fact on of the faces of the NRA is a black man. Now you may say he’s “white washed” but that is up to you to decide.
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Click directly on the beginning of each line to e taken to the links
The FBI definition of terrorism
Justice Department definition of terrorism
US.code.gov definition of terrorism
The NRA Cincinnati Revolt
A history of the evolution of the NRA
NRA-ILA article about Justice Stevens’ dissenting opinion regarding the 2008 Heller case
History of the NRA, from the NRA’s website. Miguel quoted extensively from this article.
Article discussing whether or not the NRA is terrorist organization
Connecticut Governor, Dannel Malloy, stating the NRA is a terrorist organization
The More Perfect podcast episode from which Miguel cited and quoted.
The Backstory podcast episode from which Miguel cited and quoted.
Detailed overview of District of Colombia v. Heller
This is the YouTube video “G” shared in his email:
Miguel Barker-Valdez
Miguel is a Guatemalan-American Mormon living in the Northwest with his family. He is one of the proprietors of the Rational Faiths blog.
All posts by Miguel Barker-Valdez
The U.S. Constitution has more holes than Swiss cheese. Rex Lee, former Dean of BYU Law School, former President of BYU, and former U.S. Solicitor General said in a speech to BYU students that the U.S. Constitution should not be thought of as “inspired”.
Um a lot of “inspired” documents or talks or whatever else have “holes” in it too. In fact the Book of Mormon has several holes and the “editor” Mormon even pointed that fact out saying that if any errors are found they are errors of men. The constitution was written by men. inspired by God, but physically written by men. To say it is not inspired is a fallacy can you name a country that at the time the United States was formed that was not ruled by some kind of power hungry monarch or government. The US need to be a fresh start where the choice of religion was not regulated by the government. All this is only according to my limited knowledge and you list someone with several accolades that can be used to suss the information I’m, if I am, lacking. No, the constitution should not be thought of a hand written document by God Himself but to say it is not inspired is infantile.
Take for example the “family proclamation” that is considered an inspired document, correct. It is inspired but written by men and also has so many hole in it it is like Swiss cheese. I myself am a husband and father but I am in NO position to temporally provide for my family so my wife works. Are we to be damned because we don’t fit the narrative. I think not. As Elder maxwell, I believe it was him anyway, “general authorities give general counsel. You can and should receive revelation regarding specific counsel for your self and your family” all this is paraphrased but the counsel is none the less true to say that EVERYTHING that falls from the lips of the General Authorities applies equally and specifically to 15 million members around the world is ludicrous.
So again, to say something isn’t inspired, which in fact it had to be part because without it the Church as we know it might not exist, is the fault of “man” not understanding how God works with imperfect humans.