Internet searches for “NRA membership” have reportedly risen “4,900 percent” since the Florida school massacre -- even as Democrats, celebrities and the media denounce the gun lobby.
Weeks of street protests and one-sided town halls attacking the National Rifle Association has only energized gun owners who have long sat on the sideline of this debate.
“The people who understand the benefits of the Second Amendment and their gun rights are now waking up to the fact they are embattled, people are trying to take away their gun rights, and yes indeed their guns,” says Robert Farago, author of The Truth About Guns.
“The push for gun control in this country after the Parkland spree-killing was immense and it's still ongoing,” he says. “And the people who own firearms, who are law abiding and want to protect themselves and their communities, know they have to do something to stop the roll of gun control across the country.”
Farago says more gun laws and restrictions is not the answer to school shootings.
“The government has failed, it failed in Parkland spectacularly,” he says. “The idea they can use that to promote gun control is really laughable to anybody who is using common sense.”
The NRA is not commenting on the surge in membership, only to say it does not have an exact figure.