It's no accident that the NRA chose Pittsburgh for its 2011 national convention. "Most of our membership is within driving distance," LaPierre explained. NRA members from driving distance New York, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey voted en masse for GOP House candidates last year. Yet a certain mythology surrounds NRA members. They are not necessarily dyed in the wool Republicans; many are fickle, centrist independents or rural Democrats who don't always vote single issues, such as gun rights, but fiercely protect all freedoms which made Republicans appealing in last year's midterms.

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