--- title: What Gun Control Advocates Should Learn from the NRA description: Igor Volsky, author of "Guns Down," argues that the NRA has crafted a patriotic identity around gun ownership—and its opponents should use the same strategy canonical: https://time.com/5572669/nra-teaches-gun-control-advocates/ author: Joey Lautrup article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-04-19T22:00:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T23:19:32.822Z article:section: Ideas og:title: What Gun Control Advocates Should Learn from the NRA og:description: Activist and author Igor Volsky argues for taking lessons from the gun lobby's success og:url: https://time.com/5572669/nra-teaches-gun-control-advocates/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d18271e3e63aee9/698948a286f68e13536ebb67/nra-gun-control-freedom-second-amendment.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: NRA and Gun Control og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What Gun Control Advocates Should Learn from the NRA twitter:description: Activist and author Igor Volsky argues for taking lessons from the gun lobby's success twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d18271e3e63aee9/698948a286f68e13536ebb67/nra-gun-control-freedom-second-amendment.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What Gun Control Advocates Should Learn from the NRA  by [Joey Lautrup](https://time.com/author/joey-lautrup/)  ## Joey Lautrup Apr 19, 2019 10:00 PM UTC  People hold signs during the March for Our Lives rally on March 24, 2018 in New York City. People hold signs during the March for Our Lives rally on March 24, 2018 in New York City.Spencer Platt—Getty Images  by [Joey Lautrup](https://time.com/author/joey-lautrup/)  ## Joey Lautrup Apr 19, 2019 10:00 PM UTC Igor Volsky may not agree with what [the NRA](http://time.com/5268261/oliver-north-nra-president-iran-contra-scandal/) stands for, but he does believe that gun control advocates can learn a lot from the organization’s tactics. Volsky, author of [_Guns Down: How to Defeat the NRA and Build a Safer Future with Fewer Guns_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1620973197/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time037-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1620973197&linkId=7ad239c2465d00235b883deca3b0aeb6)_,_ argues that the NRA, beyond its funding and lobbying efforts, largely owes its success to its ability to turn gun ownership into a form of patriotism. He suggests that those who disagree with the NRA should not just rebel against this strategy, but use it. “All too often, we use wonky language or stats to explain why we support this law or that,” he says. 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