Question about joining the NRA

[absolut_beethoven]

New member to this forum, but a long term gun owner.

Convince me why it's in my best interests to join the NRA - i.e. the pros and, if any, cons.

One of my main concerns that has stopped me until now is having my name on a list that is relatively easily accessible to those who might want to disarm me.

 

[lacoochee]

Well you're done now, you might as well join the NRA, .gov knows your internet provider and your address now that you mentioned the word gun in a thread.

Seriously, so what? You buy ammunition don't you? Do you buy it in cash only or do you ever charge it or use a debit card? If you just use cash do you ever go to the same store twice? The clerk might be writing down your license plate....

The whole point of joining the NRA or GOA, is to keep from worrying about the government knowing that you own a gun. If you don't join in the fight and trust me you can make a bigger impact as part of a group, then you will get your guns taken away.

By the way welcome to THR!!! Join us in our endless debates about the right caliber for Zombies, Post Office carry, or whether or not Ron Paul can beat Fred Thompson arm wrestling.

 

[Black Adder LXX]

Because the NRA watches the gubment for us and alerts us when to take action. Kind of like having a BIG SCARY watchdog that's good around your little children.

As far as Big Brother being able to get your information from the NRA. They already have it...

 

[BADUNAME13]

It's not. The NRA are traitors who stab us in the back while taking home 6 figure salries and building multimillion dollar buildings.

GOA, and JPFO.

+1 on... if you are here you are already on 'the lists'

 

[lacoochee]

As you can see there are more extreme opinions on the NRA being to willing to compromise on our rights. I agree they are at time to willing to compromise but like any other organization if you want to change them join them and start pressuring them to be more proactive.

We get along very well here...

 

[aerod1]

Read my sig line.
I feel the NRA is the best most powerful pro gun organization out there. Are they perfect? No. There is some reason all the anti gun politicians hate the NRA and laugh at all the rest.
Protect your gun rights. Join NRA and then if you want to join another pro gun organization do that also.

 

[Pweller]

I'm not trying to cause any trouble here, but I used to belong to the NRA. I recall getting letters from them nearly every week asking for more money - this was around the time of the magazine capacity ban, etc. and so there always seemed to be another 'emergency' where they needed more money.

I ended up throwing all of these weekly letters into the trash. I then realized that, obviously, these continual mailings cost money. With the printing and mailing costs, maybe they were 75 cents per mailing or so, times 52 weeks per year, totals about $39 ... and my annual membership fee was about $30-$40 as I recall.

I realized that all I was doing was funding a junk mail campaign to myself!

Maybe some will argue this is too harsh, but I don't believe that they are utilizing your money very efficiently.

 

[deadin]

I recall getting letters from them nearly every week asking for more money

Just write them and ask to be removed from the mailing list. Worked for me. I don't get any of the beg letters.

 

[camper]

Pweller:

Did you ever contact the NRA and ask them to remove you from their solicitation list(s)? If not, then maybe you should have.

We as individuals can do a lot to influence our elected lawmakers, but the unified arm of the NRA as a national pro-gun organization greatly increases our right to continue to enjoy our rights under 2A.

As for convincing you to join or not to join, just do a search of NRA on this forum and other like forums and you will find many discussions on this subject. Take all the data and make your decision.

 

[aerod1]

NRA actually makes money off all those mailings, therefore I have no problem with it and will actually send them a little extra. It's the least I can do. Yes they send out a lot of so called junk mail but as long as it makes money for the cause, God bless them. Apathy is rampant among gun owners. There is a reported 80 million gun owners in America and only 4 million are supporting any kind of pro gun organization. That's deplorable. Just my thoughts.

 

[AJ Dual]

1. The NRA makes a net profit on every campaign they mail out. If they didn't, they wouldn't do it. It's a case of supreme narcissism to believe the NRA cares about your individual donations, or lack there of. When you're dealing in an organization who's members number in the MILLIONS, it's a pure statistical numbers game. Send out X number of mailings, Y% replies, raise $Z.

2. The NRA isn't just the "one BIG NRA", there is the NRA, the NRA-ILA, and the NRA Victory Fund. By law, the lobby and the PAC that can donate to politicians has to be separate, and they have to maintain their own bank accounts and do their own fund raising.

3. The other groups that do a better job than the NRA of "talking tough" also don't contend with getting dirty up to their armpits actually dealing with the reality of the Congress as it stands, and then go on to do their best. I can't prove it, but I strongly suspect a true accounting of what kind of gun control the NRA has headed off by "selling us out" would be a real eye-opener.

In some instances, I do think the NRA plays it too conservatively, such as the attempted sandbagging of the Parker/D.C. case, but even then, the motives are pure.

I've just recently become a board member of a local state grass-roots RKBA/CCW organization, and in our organization's prior incarnation I was a trusted volunteer and donor. I've been witness to some of the more public shenanigans and made privy to many of the private stories of what goes on in our legislature, and I can only imagine what goes on at the Federal level is only worse.

From what I've learned, I now have a great deal of sympathy for the NRA and what they have to work with. Getting a pro-gun bill passed, a bad one killed, or even just watered down, in the simplest of terms, is a process akin to herding cats as it is. Add to that the betrayals by your "supporters", and the sometimes bitter enemies who can be bought off with the strangest things at the oddest times, and it'll make your head spin.

All in all, I think the NRA does the best job it can. And if you don't like it, as a member, you can vote for a board you think will do better. Check which other RKBA org's have open governance like that.

It's a short list.

 

[RobTzu]

There is power in numbers. The alerts are nice, it is impossible to keep up on everything I care about, gun control is the major issue but I have others. I just do not have the time to surf the net all day looking for dragons to slay. If the NRA had the power of the AARP would be talking about the M-60 vs the MG-34..
A group that has millions of members that will vote the way the HQ tells them to is scary to politicians. See what happens to politicians who show a hint of taking one red cent from a Grandma's Social Security check. That is they power we could have if we all joined the NRA.

 

[Fburgtx]

Yes, the NRA sends junk mail asking for additional donations. I send some money in when I can.

Look, if every gun owner was a member of the NRA, they wouldn't have to constantly raise money. Politicians would look at a membership number of 80 million and that would be all the lobbying that would be necessary.

Tolerating a little junk mail shouldn't be considered that huge of a sacrifice to protect one of your freedoms guaranteed by the bill of rights. I hear alot of big talk from gun owners about what they'd do if the government came after their guns. Well, guess what?? The government has been doing it for years and many of these same guys can't even cough up $25 a year to help prevent it. If they can't sacrifice $25 bucks and tolerate a little junk mail, I doubt they would be willing to risk their LIVES for the same rights.

Generations before me have risked (and given) their lives to help preserve freedom. The least I can do is sacrifice $25 and an extra donation now and then to the NRA or a pro-gun candidate (and tolerate a little junk mail)......

 

[SoCalShooter]

I support the NRA and GOA. Just like your main weapon its always good to have a backup. Both have good and bad attributes.

 

[aerod1]

AJ Dual,
That you have painted a very good picture of how the NRA really does help.
Thanks, now move to Texas. We need more of your kind down here.

 

[ezypikns]

There's nothing better than the NRA...

to protect our 2nd Ammendment Rights. However if you join, be prepared for an unending barrage of requests for more money. I wonder if they might have more money for fighting the good fight if weren't constantly sending out mailings to their members. Just my 2 cents.

 

[aerod1]

Ho hum :banghead:

 

[glockman19]

beethovenm,

First Welcome to THR.

NRA sends a lot of junk mail always pining for $$$. but they do offer grat insurance for your firearms.

Also feels good to support an organization that supports the 2nd.

 

[BADUNAME13]

As you can see there are more extreme opinions on the NRA being to willing to compromise on our rights.

Compromise is where BOTH sides give in. NOT where one side gives in, and gives in, and gives in.

I asked repeadly to be taken off the 'give us money' mailing lists.
I wasn't. When I started putting 'Stop selling us out and I'll give you money' on the letters and mailing it back to them a few times they stopped.

Check next time there is an 'antigun bill' you'll find that the NRA endources them fairly frequently...
Now I ask you, what kind of a message is that?

(Rant over)

 

[RNB65]

You should join the NRA even if you disagree with some of their political policies and practices because there is strength in numbers and the NRA is the largest pro-gun organization in the U.S. Once you're a member, feel free to rant and rave to the NRA leadership over anything you disagree with. Also, remember that the NRA is more than just a political lobbying organization, they provide firearms safety and shooting instruction classes around the country.

Of course, joining the NRA doesn't prevent you from joining other pro-gun groups as well. Basic memberships are usually pretty cheap, so feel free to join several.

 

[absolut_beethoven]

Thanks for all the interesting replies and for the warm welcome.

Of course by now the government do know who I am and what guns I own - a Walther P99QA for the record - still, as most of us know they don't usually share info too well. So the NRA membership list makes it a whole lot easier for them.

But all in all I do think that the pros far out weigh the cons.

Thanks once again for clarifying things.

 

[rangerruck]

the nra, and the Texas rifle shooters are about the two best. The nra has power, and lots of it, because the idiots on the hill know, this is not your typical lobbyist group, that the nra actually has millions of members, who vote. Oh sure, there are lobbyist groups out there, funded by George Soros, North korea, and other foreign, and fringe groups. But how many voters do they have?
NRA people vote, and the Georgetown Rats know this, and they know when the nra is mobilizing against them. Charleton heston was still cognizant , he single handedly slapped down Clinton, and when His puppet ran for president, the nra made sure the public knew where Gores mouth, and votes went to diff kissing places, and they are a big reason why the Standard Oil baby lost.
Lastly , the nra was the biggest reason why , the Clinton gun grab went down in flames, after 10 years, and why many states started going ahead with both conceal carry , and with Castle Doctrine.

 

[Havegunjoe]

I am a long time NRA member and recommend joining. It is one of the only ways to, over the long term, work to protect your 2A rights. You might also consider Gun Owners of America. Now neither organization does everything I want but they sure do a lot of things that I do. Nothing is perfect but they are about as close as you are going to get when it comes to 2A.

 

[AndyC]

I'm a foreigner - I joined. Any group the antis loathe is something worth joining, IMO. I may join JFPO next.

 

[Blackfork]

Put your MONEY where your MOUTH is.

Either join the fight, or be quiet about it. Please don't freeload. We are in a fight for human freedom. Are you in or are you just going to stand around and talk?

Or another way to think about it: Put your money where your heart is.