The NRA Lottery

They’re beating on the drums         D A D
For the right just to sell you guns. G D A
Politicians collect their pay.            D A D
They work for the NRA.                   D A D

We dance on eggshells, white or brown.        G C G
When their number’s up, the kids go down. D – A –
Will it be you, will it be me?                             D A D G
It’s the NRA lottery.                                           D A D

They say that’s how it’s got to be:                 G C G
A school in pieces like pottery,                      D – A –
As long as it isn’t theirs,                                  D G D G
All you’re getting is thoughts and prayers  D A D

They get their money, to buy your vote
Just no way to sugar-coat
It’s the land of the free.
It’s the NRA lottery.

The politicians make the laws
It’s like leaving it to Santa Claus
Now it happens twice a day
Some place in the USA.

And as long as it isn’t theirs, 
All you’re getting is thoughts and prayers
It’s the land of the free.
It’s the NRA lottery.

Have you tried reading              G
The second Amendment           F#m
You don’t have to be bleeding  Em
To be independent                      G A

A well regulated militia              G
Does not kill children                 F#m
When will you love them           Em
More than your guns?                A

They’re beating on the drums
For the right just to sell you guns.
Politicians collect their pay
They work for the NRA

We dance on eggshells, white or brown
When their number’s up,  the kids go down
It’s happening twice a day
Some place in the USA.

It’s the land of the free.
It’s the NRA lottery.
It’s the land of the free.
It’s the NRA lottery…. 

©2024 Doug Hendren,  Saragrace Wyckoff

What’s it about? Senseless gun violence in the United States is epitomized by our endless tragedy of school shootings. Commonly used weapons are military assault rifles such as the AR-15, with horrific consequences for their victims.

Gun industry lobbyists and their political allies simply do not tell the truth about the effectiveness of reasonable gun control laws. There is plenty of evidence that states with loose gun laws have more shootings. And as nations like Australia can attest, relatively strict gun control laws can nearly eliminate mass shootings. The American Journal of Surgery calls it “an epidemic of American death,” with 693 mass shootings recorded in 2021. 

The majority of US citizens favor better gun control laws, but this has for decades been obstructed by the NRA, via primarily Republican allies in Congress. When such politicians take money from the NRA, placing industry above their constituents, we should call it what it is — they are, in fact, working for the NRA.

The second amendment to the Constitution specifies a right to bear arms intended to apply to “a well-regulated militia.” No reasonable person can confuse this with wanton slaughter of children in school.

There is nothing “pro-life” about keeping the US from enjoying the freedom of other nations with reasonable gun safety laws. Let’s join the rest of the civilized world!

N.I.H.:  The Looser a State’s Gun Laws, the More Mass Shootings it Has.

Debunking Myths the Gun Lobby Perpetuates Following Mass Shootings

What can Australia’s reaction to a mass shooting teach us about guns and gun control?