Haviland Smith: The NRA, gun ownership and mass shootings

Editor’s note: This commentary is by Haviland Smith, of Williston, who is a retired CIA station chief who served in East and West Europe as well as the Middle East. He learned about guns and hunting in NRA programs in the l930s and ’40s. A lifelong hunter, he has been a life member of the NRA since 1968 and was a member of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board from 1989-1995. His other writings can be seen on rural-ruminations.com.
The National Rifle Association’s basic poli