Those of us in the firearms community haven't been calling the NRA "Negotiating Rights Away" for nothing. It's mostly older fudds that are still members. Their firearms safety stuff is still legit but for the most part the NRA sucks.
Convincing a portion of the public that one of their rights is too dangerous and it's one they shouldn't exercise seems to have done them a disservice. The 2A is for everyone as well as the rest of the Bill of Rights. It sucks that the current situation is what it had to take for people to realize that police and national guard aren't going to protect them.
Fannie Mae has a commercial out using AI Trump voice because he couldn't record it or something? Very bizarre and Orwellian. Could you imagine the meltdown the MAGA snowflakes would have if Biden had a commercial out like that?
Unfortunately nothing is a guarantee. Even after the birth of this country Benjamin Franklin said we have a democracy if we can keep it. It would be a shame for the American people to not put up a good fight to try and salvage what we've enjoyed and allow these criminals to take everything our grandparents and great grandparents sacrificed so much for.
My experience has been the polar opposite. Everyone I've met at ranges and competitions were very mindful and responsible people that were knowledgeable about the laws and history of the hobby. The most irresponsible gun handling I've ever witnessed was the one year I went to deer camp with a former coworker.
It sure is and their stance is arm yourself and learn how to use it. If you're not willing to defend yourself why would you expect someone else to take on the risk?
They're not magic talismans, you need to actually use them on tyrants. Fire Extinguishers don't ward off fires by just existing.