NRA Sorry for Being Normal About 'Open Carry'

The National Rifle Association, not known for its clear-eyed positions on gun issues, called weird 'Open Carry' activists weird on Friday. Now the NRA is backtracking on 'Open Carry' and apologizing for its comments, because after all, it's the NRA. What exactly did you expect from the organization that advocated against background check laws supported by 90 percent of Americans?

To refresh you, last Friday the NRA posted an open, anonymous letter encouraging 'Open Carry' activists ordering Chipotle and heading into Chili's with long guns on their backs to stop it because that is truly terrifying and actually not all that good for gun owners as a whole.

Using guns merely to draw attention to yourself in public not only defies common sense, it shows a lack of consideration and manners. That's not the Texas way. And that's certainly not the NRA way.

Seems perhaps progressive for the NRA, but not altogether an unusual position. The Internet was all like, "Good job, NRA!" And that's about when the NRA realized it had made the wrong move.

The executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action, Chris Cox, told the organization's in-house NRA News on Tuesday that the organization's unusually reasonable response to the totally bizarre movement was an accident.

It's a distraction. There was some confusion, we apologize, again, for any confusion that that post caused.

Confusion, eh? More like anger from the NRA's most die-hard supporters. Open Carry Texas supporters freaked out about the statement (it's since been removed, but it's quoted by The Huffington Post here).

If they do not retract their disgusting and disrespectful comments, OCT will have no choice but to withdraw its full support of the NRA and establish relationships with other gun rights organizations that fight for ALL gun rights, instead of just paying them lip service the way the NRA appears to be doing.

The NRA ultimately pinned the incident on a staff person (or perhaps now a former staff person) who penned the post, according to Talking Points Memo. Sad, since for a second there it seemed like the NRA might even be taking a sorta-kinda middle ground on the gun issue.

Um, don't take your giant long guns to Chipotle.