Greetings!
The ORA is coming up on another year, another legislative session, and another recognition by the Governor of the critical work that the NRA and the ORA does for Oklahoma gun owners. This year Governor Stitt proclaimed April 8th as “ORA Day” which we are always very honored to accept.
At the end of this day, we invite our legislators and other elected officials to a reception to interact and recognize their support of the Second Amendment in Oklahoma. What I love is that both republicans and democrats show up. It indicates that the ORA is doing the job of creating a place where together we are strong. This is critical because we believe that our Foundational Freedoms transcend any party or politician, and just like our mission, these freedoms are what we look to inform our decisions and guide our actions.
But one thing our Founding Fathers cautioned, and is often missing from the conversation on our rights, is the glue that holds it all together; civic virtue. James Madison said, “To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea.” This indicates that our unique form of democracy is not sustained only by a balance of power, but by a people that have the virtue to take action, advocate with respect, build community, and support public officials in a spirit of gratitude. This virtue is absent in our nation and as a result we see distrust, polarization, cronyism, and more.
Many times the word entitlement is thrown around, and I think our civic rights are viewed as something owed to us. A right must include an expectation of work and sacrifice. But I suspect that this sense of entitlement shows up when there is a neglect of our civic virtue – respect and consideration to start, because democracy isn’t only about us, it’s about our nation and our duty to our fellow Americans.
