If you've ever had any doubt that the NRA is a conglomeration of perverse wackos, you need only read this.

Compare Dana Milbank's Did lesbians cause hurricanes Irma and Harvey? God knows with this. This yutz's self-serving opinions and incoherent diatribes are all over the map, pushing the envelope. His comments re silencers either are a brilliant parody or indicate complete imbecility — your choice and your camp.

There are definitely some choice wackos in the NRA (eg, Ted Nugent), but the majority are hunters and shooters of a more benign bent and no more belong to a right-wing militia or underground movement than you or I do (... giving each of us the benefit of the doubt).

I took the entire piece as respectable satire.

Same here.

And I took it as neither ... merely as opinionated claptrap with the trappings of self-styled piety.
Meh. Time for more wine ....

Whether you call it parody or satire, I think Dana Milbank does a brilliant job of highlighting the ridiculous fallacies in the NRA position. As a FORMER member of the NRA it is distressing to see how a radical element has used misinformation and fear to gain ascendence in what used to be a sensible and well grounded organization of hunters and sportsmen. I have to wonder if the radical element didn't gain control because too many others like myself saw the direction the NRA was moving and chose to leave rather than fight?

Yeah {sigh} ... gotta grant you that. Still, the greater membership probably holds to the foundation doctrine.

......and hilarious.

I think they'd be more appropriately called "the lesser membership".

I am unconvinced of that. if the sportspersons and hunters are in the majority why don't they vote the extremists out of office unless they are at least in tacit agreement? Their numbers lend political weight to the extremist's positions and their dues support the extremist's cause.

As with many organizations the vast majority don't bother to vote. And as you may have forgotten, eligibility to vote is restricted to life members, benefactors, and members who have been members for 5 consecutive years.