So I am a bit aware of the John Brown Gun Club and Socialist Rifle Association, but I am looking for more information.
Do any comrades here know of or are part of any gun groups for Marxists? Any information could be helpful, including about the two I mentioned. I’ve heard mixed reviews on both and would like it kind of straightened out. Also additional options or what have you would be nice.
I am US based.
Like [@seahorse@midwest.social said, the SRA is a broad anti-capitalist left org. So both on the national boards and within a chapter you might be seeing a random mix of Black Bloc and Red Bloc and the various subsets of both. However it is also not trying to be a political party or a militia. So just keep that part in-mind if you do sign-up. Also I can’t speak towards any chapters other than the one I am a member of. So how it has been for me might not be a 1:1 for the chapter closest to you. As membership being active or not can change things. You might even find that the one closest to you has reading circles/clubs that focus more on Marxist theory to get involved with.
The primary things that the SRA is concerned about is helping comrades on the left learn and teach safety and proper handling of guns. To be a place where folks that are often times harassed by the right-wing gun owners can safely interact. The right has for too long been “the gun folks”, and it isn’t helped that basically the default for most libs has been “the right-wing are crazy gun nuts and bad, so therefore guns and gun owners are bad”. For me I have hated that anytime I bring up being a gun owner with someone I don’t know well (or wasn’t aware I have them) there is utter shock. They may know me enough to be friendly, but then have a mild panic that I am like a secret conservative or something. Often then being confused as to why I think various kinds of guns should be kept legal given mass shootings.
The SRA has been a great starting point for helping me grow as a leftist and is (along with many other leftist gun groups and even some liberals) putting in efforts to “arm the left” by not just allowing the NRA and other right-wingers to have the monopoly on guns and gun rights. You also might be able to learn about other groups via SRA comrades that are more specifically Marxist. It also might be worth seeing which chapter is closest to you and reaching out to them to see if they are down to being asked questions you might have.
I don’t personally know enough about the John Brown Gun Club, but I think they are more about active community defense. So they might be a better option for learning more militia-ish stuff. They are at least another group that is large enough to be in multiple states.