Sorry if I inadvertantly offended you Q. The point I was trying to make to cornered rat was that I thought that he would be more successful presenting his arguments to individuals rather than a group that was probably hostile to his position.
When one is part of a larger organization, it's not unusual to relinquish part of your individuality to the leadership of that group. As individuals, I would like to think that most people are capable of thinking for themselves. But if an issue that someone doesn't particularly concern themselves with comes up they will often follow the lead of those that they trust. Most Americans will walk into a voting booth and pull the lever on certain issues based not on what they themselves may believe in but for what someone else has advised them to do. Perhaps my use of the term "brainwashed" was too strong, but I don't really see much difference between that and following someone blindly.
I do not recall ever seeing a member of any feminist organizations leadership publicly take a pro-gun stance. I am unaware of any feminist group that supports the 2nd Amendment. I don't know of any that are even neutral on the subject. If any exist, I would appreciate having them pointed out to me.
I don't know if their leaders position on this matter was arrived at after careful evaluation of the facts, or this is simply an example of political back-scratching. If it's the former, then a rational argument could get them to alter their position, If it's the latter, then anyone attempting to change their minds is wasting their time.
The simple fact is that the 2nd Amendment doesn't rank very high, if at all, on the agendas of these groups. They have other priorities. They have historically gotten their support for their concerns from liberal politicians and I don't believe that they are going to risk that relationship over this issue.
As individuals, we may disagree with certain aspects of a groups overall philosophy. I don't support everything about the NRA, but as long as we agree on the primary issues I'll send in my dues. The fact that you consider yourself a liberal feminist and yet take a stance that is not in keeping with their official position is encouraging. Obviously, this is a matter that you cared deeply enough about to make up your own mind. The question is how do we convince more women that they have a greater stake in this issue than they realize?
) the Women in the Outdoors program and inviting them to support it. I mentioned the fact that the program encourages women to become involved in activities that are traditionally seen as "male dominated."