The Unintended Effect

A columnist named Robert Norman recently wrote an article entitled “I bought my first gun because of the CNN Town hall,” that quickly went viral online and sparked tv interviews and conversation across America. The column was a great read, but I think most would be surprised to know that he wasn’t the only one. There were thousands and thousands more just like him. Not only did gun sales increase again, but NRA memberships skyrocketed. According to sources, the NRA has gained approximately 500,000 new members since the Parkland shooting.

This is the single biggest increase since the shooting in Newtown Connecticut where the gun lobby group gained 100,000 within just a few weeks. At $30 a year for the lowest tier, that is a hell of a lot of money.

Of course, maybe not all joined or purchased their new weapons because of the CNN town hall like Norman, but maybe to was because of the bill the democrats introduced last week that would ban over 150 different guns if passed. Maybe it was the fact that Twitter chose to only verify and promote the survivors of the shooting that were vehemently opposed to the NRA and even banned one who was a proponent.

-One of these Marjory Stoneman Douglas students is pro #2A -One of these Marjory Stoneman Douglas students is still not verified pic.twitter.com/hUWlAofckm — Chet Cannon (@Chet_Cannon) March 3, 2018

Maybe it was the constant fear tactics of the media surrounding the AR-15, a gun that has been sold to the public for 60 years and was only involved in 6 of the previous 96 mass shootings.

Maybe it was all of the above.

Nonetheless we saw corporations like Hertz, Delta Airlines, United Airlines and Simply Safe all abandon the NRA, while hundreds of thousands of freedom-loving Americans decided to replace them. To protect their right to bear arms. You know, the one that shall not be infringed?

Tonight, I joined the NRA. It was $30 and came with a free gift to choose from – I chose the pocketknife. A small sacrifice for a big deal; our Constitution. pic.twitter.com/SsSZx9Tv82 — Educating Liberals (@Education4Libs) February 26, 2018

I'm not a "join the club" kind of guy but thanks to MSM (in particular CNN), #BoycottNRA & companies who turned their backs on #NRA members, I'm now one of the NRAs newest members.

Shout out to the Loesch clan for their tireless work. @DLoesch @ChrisLoesch#TweetYourNRAMembership pic.twitter.com/cyXuTJkXay — Frank Basher (@FrankBasher) February 24, 2018

Membership revenue seems to always spike following mass shootings and after national discussions about gun control and gun rights. For instance, a 2007 spike came in the year that a gunman murdered 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech using several hand guns. And in 2013, membership revenue increased by 63 percent over the previous year, following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in late 2012.

But this time, the media railed harder against the NRA than any other time in history, and this triggered a massive response from Americans. Thousands of those responses were even lifetime memberships.

I just took a personal stand for my freedom by joining NRA! You should too! https://t.co/K4usHvo8Wp Part of my gift to my beautiful teacher wife. #TweetYourNRAMembership — Frederick Adam Koch (@FrederickAdamK3) February 25, 2018