Why Isn't The NRA Bigger?

[rhart]

I quit a couple years ago because I felt they were wasting their money on me. Whats that mean? I would send them the annual membership of 30 bucks, and in return, they would spend 40 on junk mail to my house asking for more money. I actually did the math at the time. I asked them to stop, they didnt, I stopped sending in my membership dues after 30 years off and on membership. There are other ways to support your second amendment rights so its not fair to judge people for not being a member IMO.
Now, I am not bashing the NRA, I think they are great so dont twist my words. Its kinda like someone giving you a hard time for not donating to United Way. They are not the only chariable organization, and they Suck, hard by the way.

 

[bottlemaker]

Did it ever occur to any of you that the NRA is the sharpton/Jackson of gun rights? If they actually accomplished their mission, there'd be a lot of people out of high paying jobs.

I take offence you putting me in the same group as Sharpton & Jackson
because I belong to the NRA you need to wake up and smell the coffee the NRA is the only game in town that's fighting for your right you need to give them a few bucks or some day they will knock on your door and what we have will be gone.
Bob

 

[Leo]

Culturally we are not into maintenance. We want to buy in once and have everything perfect until we grow tired of it. In Europe it is not uncommon to live in a 200 year old building. In America, we abandon 30 year old government buildings that have suffered from lack of maintenance.

I relate that to maintaining our rights. In the case of 2nd Amendment, most of those who say they believe in the Constitution and are willing to occassionally give their opinion seldom invest time or money to maintain it.

I have said before, I am not 100% behind everything the NRA says and does. The fund raising division sometimes annoys me also. I NEVER donate to any of the programs where they sell you something. When I mail $35, that is how much I want to be donated to the NRA, not just what is left over after they pay to mail me a duffle bag or a shelf ornament I really have no use for.

If there was a big player that did a better job, I would support them, but there is not. Even though I am a paid up life member (in the last Century when it cost serious money) I still send money for various projects. I also volunteer as I am able, like working a booth at a friends banquet or teaching a safety class. I encourage the casual gun owner to join the NRA. I help people join in letter writting campaigns.
I am willing to participate in maintaining our 2nd Amendment rights and maintaining the NRA is part of it.

I get pretty aggrivated with people who stand around the range whinning about how the're not going to renew their membership because they are offended by something. SOMEBODY has to meet with the politicians, SOMEBODY has to know and study legal ramifications of various laws, SOMEBODY needs to warn the gun owners what is coming at them, SOMEBODY needs to present well worded reports to the media.

To those who campaign against the NRA, I ask them what they are doing for the maintanence of the 2nd amendment and the good of the sport?

I suggest that you will find very few who actually do work for gun rights and work for the good of the sport that are not NRA members.

Conversely I also suggest that the people who stand around complaining the most do not do anything to maintain second amendment rights or do anything for the good of the sport.

 

[hornadylnl]

I'm a member of the NRA, GOA and SAF. And I call BU11SH1T on that!

And that was coming from a guy who probably thinks the ACLU should be shut down.

 

[hornadylnl]

I take offence you putting me in the same group as Sharpton & Jackson
because I belong to the NRA you need to wake up and smell the coffee the NRA is the only game in town that's fighting for your right you need to give them a few bucks or some day they will knock on your door and what we have will be gone.
Bob

How many 1A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, 7A, 8A, 9A, and 10A organizations do you belong to?

 

[LP1]

Free Riders! Many folks let others pay the dues, write the letters to congress and show up at the protests.

Just like "right to work", so being a free rider must be a good thing.

 

[hornadylnl]

I quit a couple years ago because I felt they were wasting their money on me. Whats that mean? I would send them the annual membership of 30 bucks, and in return, they would spend 40 on junk mail to my house asking for more money. I actually did the math at the time. I asked them to stop, they didnt, I stopped sending in my membership dues after 30 years off and on membership. There are other ways to support your second amendment rights so its not fair to judge people for not being a member IMO.
Now, I am not bashing the NRA, I think they are great so dont twist my words. Its kinda like someone giving you a hard time for not donating to United Way. They are not the only chariable organization, and they Suck, hard by the way.

My dad was a lifetime member and died over 5 years ago. I've been through 2 address changes, none of which I've forwarded to the NRA and I still get mailings in his name at my current address. I've not corresponded in any way to make them believe that he's still alive or has moved yet the mailings still come. Some of the trashy tactics in the mailings would make used car dealers jealous. If they want to waste your membership money mailing **** to my house unsolicited, keep wasting your money.

 

[LANShark42]

And that was coming from a guy who probably thinks the ACLU should be shut down.

WTF?? WHAT in that 15 word post would lead you to THAT conclusion?!?

 

[jcwit]

I quit a couple years ago because I felt they were wasting their money on me. Whats that mean? I would send them the annual membership of 30 bucks, and in return, they would spend 40 on junk mail to my house asking for more money. I actually did the math at the time. I asked them to stop, they didnt, I stopped sending in my membership dues after 30 years off and on membership. There are other ways to support your second amendment rights so its not fair to judge people for not being a member IMO.
Now, I am not bashing the NRA, I think they are great so dont twist my words. Its kinda like someone giving you a hard time for not donating to United Way. They are not the only chariable organization, and they Suck, hard by the way.

So you're unable to dial an 800 number on the back of your membership card to stop all the fundraising mailings.

OK, I guess I understand that, maybe?

Check a little deeper and you may find that the fund raisers are done by seperate companies with the NRA getting a small percentage of the funds raised.

Thats OK, there are many of us able to drag you along.

 

[LarryC]

I'm a member of the NRA, GOA and SAF. And I call BU11SH1T on that!

What you said!

 

[hornadylnl]

WTF?? WHAT in that 15 word post would lead you to THAT conclusion?!?

Not you, the guy you responded to.

 

[LarryC]

My dad was a lifetime member and died over 5 years ago. I've been through 2 address changes, none of which I've forwarded to the NRA and I still get mailings in his name at my current address. I've not corresponded in any way to make them believe that he's still alive or has moved yet the mailings still come. Some of the trashy tactics in the mailings would make used car dealers jealous. If they want to waste your membership money mailing **** to my house unsolicited, keep wasting your money.

All you have to do is call them and they (people sending the mailings with cease and desist). Many of the mailings are not sent by the NRA, but by separate organizations that, in turn pay the NRA a portion of their proceeds. In my opinion there is NO other organization that has helped Gun owners to keep what we have of our RIGHTS. It is the largest group of US that speaks for us, I doubt anyone agrees with everything they say... but they do great work. And I don't agree with everything ANY organization says or does.

 

[jcwit]

Wonder if those who drop their membership because of all the mailings feel the same way about all the mailings that they get from HWI or ACE Hardware, and go elsewhere to shop. Or about all that junk in Sundays paper?

That whole idea is nothing more than rationalizing an excuse to not join or discontinue membership.

 

[spec4]

They have the attention of the liberals. Robyn Kelly, newly elected socialist in Illinois is being quoted on the radio that because she was elected, the NRA will no longer be able to "hold us hostage".
The libs fear and hate the NRA, that's enough for me.

 

[HoughMade]

"Why Isn't The NRA Bigger?"

- heredity
- circulation problems
- worried about something
- poor nutrition
- tired
- distracted

....hey, there could be numerous reasons, just be understanding.

BTW- no time to read the other posts....this NRA, are those his initials?

 

[Tinner666]

Culturally we are not into maintenance. We want to buy in once and have everything perfect until we grow tired of it. In Europe it is not uncommon to live in a 200 year old building. In America, we abandon 30 year old government buildings that have suffered from lack of maintenance.

I relate that to maintaining our rights. In the case of 2nd Amendment, most of those who say they believe in the Constitution and are willing to occassionally give their opinion seldom invest time or money to maintain it.

I have said before, I am not 100% behind everything the NRA says and does. The fund raising division sometimes annoys me also. I NEVER donate to any of the programs where they sell you something. When I mail $35, that is how much I want to be donated to the NRA, not just what is left over after they pay to mail me a duffle bag or a shelf ornament I really have no use for.

If there was a big player that did a better job, I would support them, but there is not. Even though I am a paid up life member (in the last Century when it cost serious money) I still send money for various projects. I also volunteer as I am able, like working a booth at a friends banquet or teaching a safety class. I encourage the casusal gun owner to join the NRA. I help people join in letter writting campaigns.
I am willing to participate in maintaining our 2nd Amendment rights and maintaining the NRA is part of it.

I get pretty aggrivated with people who stand around the range whinning about how the're not going to renew their membership because they are offended by something. SOMEBODY has to meet with the politicians, SOMEBODY has to know and study legal ramifications of various laws, SOMEBODY needs to warn the gun owners what is coming at them, SOMEBODY needs to present well worded reports to the media.

To those who campaign against the NRA, I ask them what they are doing for the maintanence of the 2nd amendment and the good of the sport?

I suggest that you will find very few who actually do work for gun rights and work for the good of the sport that are not NRA members.

Conversely I also suggest that the people who stand around complaining the most do not do anything to maintain second amendment rights or do anything for the good of the sport.

I wish I could have said it that well. You nay-sayers should at least contact the NRA-ILA and send them money to help fight our battles for us even if you don't join the NRA. The NRA is the Elephant Gov cannot ignore. Get off yer duffs and help! Quit bellyaching and help make something happen.
If it wasn't for the NRA, you'd all be fussing about how your knitting needles are now being regulated after some idiot poked his own eye out with one.

 

[SERparacord]

I'm a member of the NRA, GOA and SAF. And I call BU11SH1T on that!

That is your right. Someone else fought for that too.

 

[HoughMade]

New to the forum don't what you mean by 1a 2a 3a ?

Amendments to the Constitution.

 

[farmingirish]

I support the NRA because they are defending the second amendment which I believe in. I like guns, but love freedom. There are things I think are imperfect with the NRA, but we live in an imperfect world. I wish that people would be more motivated and realize what is at stake here, but if they do not, I must do what I can, so I write my congressmen again.

 

[popsmoke]

I don't join because they don't represent my interests anymore. Also, the way Wayne LaPierre has been handling interviews is disappointing at best.

I don't feel comfortable paying a large sum of money to have my interests underrepresented and compromised on. And I don't want to pay someone to see him fumble through interviews I could have done better myself.

If they changed their areas of focus to all gun owners and carry rights, and elected a new spokesman, I would probably join. Until then... I just see them as a blight with their hands out.