"Or, are the antis, including responsible gun owners, who appear to be in the vast majority, just not smart enough to take on the gun nuts?"

So how is it "inane" to ask, if "the vast majority" of people who like having guns are sensible people who don't like what the NRA does, why don't they just get back into it and work to turn it round so that it actually reflects the actual wishes and interests of gun owners?