Side by side, but definitely not arm in arm, supporters of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and Newtown Action Alliance (NAA) lined Mile Hill Road in front of NSSF headquarters Tuesday afternoon, January 20. Approximately 100 people gathered there, nearly evenly divided between factions, responding to a call put out last week by NAA to rally on the first day of the SHOT (Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade) Show in Las Vegas, sponsored by NSSF.

NAA is a local organization “dedicated to reversing the escalating gun violence epidemic in this nation through the introduction of smarter, safer gun laws and broader cultural change,” according to its website. The NSSF website identifies the company as “the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports.”

While the winter sun cast its setting rays through the chilly air, both sides raised signs supporting their views on gun control issues. Few voices were raised, however, during the civil, one-hour protest.

Rusty Shackleford of Sandy Hook was among the early arrivals of NSSF supporters. “I’m absolutely here to support the NSSF,” Mr Shackleford said, adding that he and a number of others present had taken time off from work that afternoon to do so.

“As law-abiding gun owners, we should be able to own a gun without being demonized,” he said, by groups like MDA (Moms Demand Action) and the NAA. Gun owners do not feel comfortable admitting they have guns, he said, due to what he said was “demonizing” information put out by gun control advocates.

Another protestor, who preferred not to be identified, agreed with Mr Shackleford, saying that he, too, had taken time off from work, “Because it is that important” to show support for NSSF.

“Beep If You Love Guns and Ammo” read one sign carried by the NSSF contingent, eliciting honks from about one out of every six vehicles passing by.

The first to arrive in support of the NAA was Bill Vollmer, shaking his head as he viewed the opposition.

“I’m for gun control,” Mr Vollmer said. “I’m a Vietnam vet, and I’m for smart guns, and common sense laws. And,” he added, “my wife is a kindergarten teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary.”

“I believe in our children’s rights to live over someone’s right to own an assault weapon,” said Vanessa Alward of Redding, as more NAA followers arrived.

The late afternoon rally on Tuesday was designed to coincide with the opening day of the SHOT Show, “to expose the gun industry’s shameful record of selling military-style assault rifles that are routinely used in mass shootings, while at the same time it opposes gun safety laws and policies,” according to the e-mail invitation to the rally. The 4:15 pm time, said NAA President Po Murray, was set to accommodate the arrival of teachers from Sandy Hook School who wished to participate.

NSSF issued a media statement regarding the 2015 SHOT Show. Many of the programs and services exhibited at the show, according to this statement, “are related to the safety of the public and the industry’s customers. Through gun safety programs such as Project ChildSafe, the firearms industry has distributed more than 100 million firearms safety kits and gunlocks. We would note that both accidents and intentional misuses of firearms are at record lows.

“The anti-gun organization’s ongoing strategy is to attempt to falsely demonize America’s firearms industry. We are proud of our many firearms safety initiatives, such as our ‘Own It? Respect It. Secure It.’ campaign, which has been adopted by more than 800 companies in our industry, and our ‘Don’t Lie for the Other Guy’ program, working with law enforcement and retailers to help deter illegal acquisition of firearms. Our FixNICS initiative is succeeding in getting more states to report all appropriate records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check system. We will continue to advocate what works to help prevent the misuse of firearms while standing up for the rights of law-abiding customers. And recent public opinion polls are supportive of our approach.”

As the crowd of supporters grew, Ms Murray arrived, striding through the opponents to set up a portable podium on the grassy public area at the corner of Queen Street and Mile Hill Road. In the background, NSSF headquarters loomed. Also in attendance were invited speakers Abbey Clements, a second grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School and head of the Sandy Hook School Educators for Gun Sense; Ron Pinciaro, president of Connecticut Against Gun Violence (CAGV); and Andy Pelosi, head of GunFreeKids.org.

Mostly Respectful

Even while rubbing elbows, there was little interaction between the two factions. A few quiet conversations appeared to be trading views, but overall there was a mostly respectful and stubborn silence between NAA and NSSF supporters, before and during the speeches. Only a scattering of “Boos” greeted speakers.

Ms Murray was the first to take the podium, thanking NAA supporters for attending.

“The NSSF has the opportunity to become a responsible trade association,” said Ms Murray. The locally based trade association “has not been a good neighbor to the Sandy Hook community,” she said, and has filed lawsuits against the states of Colorado and Connecticut to repeal gun laws passed post-12/14. NSSF continues to market weapons in military style, Ms Murray noted.

“The bottom line is that Bushmaster and other semiautomatic weapons are designed to kill large numbers of people efficiently,” she said. She cited the cost of gun violence in the United States as being “as much as $174 billion.”

“Those of us living in Newtown are acutely aware of the results of gun violence,” said Ms Murray, ending her comments by urging all entities with holdings in the gun industry to divest themselves of those interests.

“We would like to see NSSF become a responsible trade association by supporting expanded background checks to keep guns away from dangerous people, stop its aggressive marketing of the assault weapons, stop marketing guns for children and work with us in a responsible and collaborative way to end gun violence,” she said in an e-mail to The Newtown Bee, Wednesday morning, repeating words spoken Tuesday afternoon.

“I stand here today in absolute disbelief,” began Abbey Clements, looking out over the mixed group. It has been 25 months since the mass murder at the school where she teaches, Ms Clements said, “And NSSF and its members continue to oppose common sense laws.”

Ms Clements encouraged a close look at holdings and to divest of any based in the gun industry. “We don’t want money funding the gun lobby,” she said. On Wednesday, January 21, Ms Clements clarified to The Newtown Bee, “The Sandy Hook School Educators for Gun Sense, with the support of the American Federation of Teachers, is inquiring into whether or not the CT Teachers’ Retirement System has investments in the gun industry. If not, we will applaud them and recognize our retirement plan as a model for investments that aren’t helping fund gun industry. If so, we will push for divestment. We also encourage individuals to look into their own retirement plans and divest if their investments are helping fund the gun lobby.”

Sandy Hook School teachers Lynn Monahan, first grade, and Janet Vollmer, kindergarten, also spoke, reading a statement from American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.

“Too many innocent lives have been lost because we don’t have common sense and proper gun safety measures in place,” read Ms Monahan. “We have seen gun violence claim the precious lives of children and compromise our sense of security in our schools and our communities across the country. More than 90 school shootings have occurred since the one at Sandy Hook. And guns in the hands of a mad man just contributed to the assassination of two wonderful police officers in Brooklyn and the killer’s former girlfriend in Baltimore. Enough is enough.”

Ms Vollmer picked up from there, reading Ms Weingarten’s words, “Today, I stand in solidarity with this group of courageous educators from Sandy Hook as they join with other advocates to prevent future gun violence. To that end, we support the divestment from gun manufacturers by teacher pension funds in New York City, Chicago, and California. Pension funds have the power to act and align the investment of our member’s deferred wages with our values. As fiduciaries, these pension funds have fulfilled their duty to members and beneficiaries.”

Why Not Make Guns Safer?

CAVG President Ron Pinciaro asked, “Why would a trade association not endorse ways to make their product safer?” Other industries, including the auto industry, said Mr Pinciaro, must do so and comply with government regulations. The NSSF should be sitting down at a table, asking how its industry can help, he said. Where to next? he asked of NSSF. The association must find ways to reduce the 30,000 gun deaths that occur in the United States each year, and there must be a willingness from the NSSF to convince their industry to reduce gun deaths in this country.

What the NSSF should be saying, Mr Pinciaro said, speaking over a background noise of NSSF supporters’ voices, is “We have to listen to our community… We have to show our neighbors our hearts are with them. We have to say, ‘We, too, are Newtown.’”

Andy Pelosi was the last to address the crowd. The firearms industry continues to spend millions targeting young people, he said, noting that assault weapons are “a powerful step up from target rifles.” Aggressive marketing of such firearms to younger people must stop, Mr Pelosi urged.

Nearly 7,000 children in the United States are brought to emergency rooms annually, suffering injuries from firearms. Of those, he said, 3,000 die before they get the help they need.

“American children have a significantly greater risk of being killed by firearms than other countries,” Mr Pelosi pointed out. If the gun industry cannot voluntarily change, he said finally, “it becomes necessary to resort to legislation.”

As dusk settled in, the two groups mingled at the edge of the road once again, waving signs at passing trucks and cars, each side hoping to remind passersby of the diverse opinions surrounding gun laws, even within the borders of Newtown.