Some notes about the NRA.

[thirty-ought-six]

Nothing you are about to read is false, but comes from facts and my own observations and interviews with other people.


1. 1 month into my NRA membership, I received a renewal letter. Odd, my membership is 1 year.

I spoke with my 74 year old neighbor, who said he receives renewal letters 3-5 times a year...

Now, this seems a little unethical, and a google search reveals that many people have received renewal letters long before their membership expires.

If one was not careful, especially an older person, they could end up renewing several times in one year.


2. The NRA often lies or stretches the truth about various gun control issues in order to bolster gun sales.

It seems they use scare tactics quite a bit.

If you notice, the NRA is partnered with several gun manufactures.

A good scare email with impending doom about an upcoming supposed gun bans drives people to go out and purchase more guns.

Here is the body of such an email I received....

Just days ago, Obama's gun-hating bureaucrats at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) announced an imminent BAN on common rifle ammunition used by millions of gun owners LIKE YOU.

The email fails to mention which ammo is getting banned.


The ammo is actually an armor piercing type, or "green tip".


IT IS NOT A COMMON RIFLE AMMUNITION, and it is not used by "millions of gun owners".


3. Constant junk email.


Yes, I receive it a lot. A true "Grass roots organization" would not send you countless emails asking you to sign up for this or that.

Sorry, but defend all you want, a true organization would not participate in such things, many of which are conflicts of interest.

Right now I've been getting 3-5 emails PER DAY from the NRA.

The NRA is a non-profit, herein defined as:

is an organization that uses its surplus revenues to further achieve its purpose or mission

Sending junk mail is not achieving it's purpose or mission.


Now, with that said, some of you might think I hate the NRA.

I don't, but it seems like the NRA has shifted over the past 50 years from a pure grass roots "fighting for your rights" organization into a bloated, bureaucratic business that uses scare tactics and smear campaigns in order to drive membership into itself, and increase sales for gun manufacturers.

 

[FIGHT NIGHT]

I have always been suprised at those tactics also. They call asking for donations and send people DVD's and then bill without asking for authorization to send the DVD's. Then they want to bill you for shipping back the DVD's. Sounds like a pyramid scheme to me.

 

[tuckerdog1]

You can request to be removed from the mailings. I've been a member for about 35 years ( not exactly sure, but that's ballpark ). All I ever get are the magazines.

Tuckerdog1

 

[rcmodel]

Yep!

I called them and opted out of the junk mail & constant phone calls about two years ago, and it worked!!

Still get the 'membership renewal' warnings 9 months before my dues are do though.

rc

 

[TNboy]

The ammo is actually an armor piercing type, or "green tip".


IT IS NOT A COMMON RIFLE AMMUNITION, and it is not used by "millions of gun owners".

It is not armor piercing and it is used by millions of gun owners. If you don't care because you don't use it then you get on a really slippery slope. If they manage to ban this ammo what will be next? By the time that they get around to banning the ammo that you shoot we won't have a leg to stand on.

 

[Vonderek]

Every 'membership' I have...Sam's Club, Costco, AARP, magazine subscriptions, newsletters....all send me renewal notices months before they are due. Everybody does it because the renewal today is worth more than the renewal 3 months from now and most people procrastinate. As far as 'cheating' people, all you have to do is look at your membership card for whatever organization to see when your membership expires. It's no big conspiracy. Or you can go online to find out or if one is unable to do that make a phone call to find out. I understand Seniors are not tech-saavy but they certainly are phone-saavy. As far as the ammo ban, as mentioned it's NOT armor-piercing and it is used by millions of gun owners. It's a classic scheme of gun-banners. If you can't ban the guns, ban the ammunition that is used in those guns. Bottom-line, the NRA does use fear tactics but they are justified. If not for their efforts we all would have lost our rights a generation ago.

 

[Swing]

I've been a member for decades. I haven't had a telephone call from them, since, literally 1998. I have no idea why, though maybe I forgot to update my phone #, but I don't care. Though I hear it is a common complaint.

On two occasions my membership lapsed. Why? Because I received so many blasted renewal notices I got into the habit of tossing them in the "to shred" pile. It was only after missing the magazine for a few months that I found the error and corrected it. If the goal was quicker renewals, it didn't work in this case.

 

[JohnKSa]

1. 1 month into my NRA membership, I received a renewal letter. Odd, my membership is 1 year.

I spoke with my 74 year old neighbor, who said he receives renewal letters 3-5 times a year...

Now, this seems a little unethical, and a google search reveals that many people have received renewal letters long before their membership expires.

If one was not careful, especially an older person, they could end up renewing several times in one year.

I've had magazines do the same thing to me. You can end up with several years' subscriptions if you're not careful.

I don't necessarily think it's unethical, but I do not like the practice.

The ammo is actually an armor piercing type, or "green tip".


IT IS NOT A COMMON RIFLE AMMUNITION, and it is not used by "millions of gun owners".

I believe you are mistaken. SS109 and M855 are very common loadings in one of the most common centerfire rifle calibers. I don't have hard data to prove that it is used by "millions of gun owners" but it wouldn't surprise me to find that the statement is true.

SS109 and M855 (the two loadings in question) are very commonly used loadings for .223/5.56 rifles due to their availability and generally low price.

The AR-15 (which is most often chambered in the same caliber as the SS109/M855 loadings) is reported to be the most commonly sold rifle in the U.S. with this source indicating that 2 million were sold between 2000 and 2010. They were certainly sold before that and during the last 4 years, so it wouldn't be a stretch to state that there are millions of people in the U.S. who own and shoot AR-15 rifles--most of which are chambered in .223/5.56. Furthermore, there are many other rifle types chambered in .223/5.56 which could also use the SS109/M855 loadings.

It is absolutely a very common type of ammunition and it is not a stretch to believe that there could be millions of gun owners using the two loadings which are threatened.

3. Constant junk email.


Yes, I receive it a lot.

You can opt out of the mailings if you wish.

A true "Grass roots organization" would not send you countless emails asking you to sign up for this or that.
...
Sending junk mail is not achieving it's purpose or mission.

Again, I believe you are mistaken.

A true grass roots organization is heavily dependent on volunteer effort so it must constantly recruit volunteers.

Furthermore, based on information from a previous NRA employee, the mailers bring in a considerable amount of income. Since it takes money to achieve the purpose and mission of the NRA, the mailers are, in fact, helping the NRA to achieve its purpose and mission.

 

[1911 guy]

I'll post my unabashed thoughts about the NRA, in case anybody was wondering. And they are bound to offend both die-hard supporters and detractors alike.

The NRA has one thing going for it. They are the money and numbers lobby in Washington. Lawmakers pay attention because they know the NRA has the membership to affect elections if they mobilize. And those members pay dues which grease the wheels where applicable.

On the flip side, the same NRA compromises too much, wastes too much on mailings and such, relies on ambiguity rather than education, and does use scare tactics often.

But we aught to maintain membership due to reason #1 and try to internally change #2.

 

[12many]

I agree. Don't need so many renewal. I don't know which to ignore. I agree, they use scare tactics. Kinds of Fox Newish or CNNish. I end up having take everything with a grain (or 20) of salt. It is hard for me to use their publications/article to support gun rights to others when behave this way. Still thankful for all they do, which is why I am a member, but much room for improvement. Someone should forward this thread to them, good or bad.

 

[Harvie]

I have been a Member of the NRA since 1971. First, I was an Annual Member; then I chose the Five (5) year Membership. In August of 1977 I became a Life Member, and in 2011 I became an Endowment Member. I do get calls, occasionally. It is not bothersome. And oh, by the way, I don't agree with everything the NRA has done over the years, but would hate to think where we would be, without them. Possibly, we would not be having this communication.

 

[matrem]

Yep, NRA tends to be a bit aggressive with phone calls and mailings, but that's easy to fix.

Here's an idea for you Mr ought-six.

First: Sign up for a life membership.
Then: Request they don't contact you.

 

[Swing]

And oh, by the way, I don't agree with everything the NRA has done over the years, but would hate to think where we would be, without them.

^. Agreed.

 

[JohnKSa]

...wastes too much on mailings...

By all informed accounts, the mailings are a moneymaker for the NRA. They don't waste any money on them, they actually make money using them.

 

[2ifbyC]

I have been a member of the NRA since 1970, life member since 1976, and an endowment member for the last few years. I plan on leaving money to them from my estate. I never had an issue with their mailings and as others have stated, you can opt out of receiving them.

I highly value their efforts at protecting our 2nd Amendment rights. It takes a lot of money to fight the Bloomberg et al anti-gun establishment. I have noticed a constant erosion of our gun rights over the years and that fact should scare everyone in the pro-gun establishment.

 

[ford8nr]

he AR-15 (which is most often chambered in the SS109/M855 caliber) is reported to be the most commonly sold rifle in the U.S.

M855 is NOT a caliber, it is a cartridge spec designation.
5.56 NATO IS the caliber, or .223 if you want to go commercial.

 

[JohnKSa]

I actually thought about clarifying that when I wrote it but I thought everyone would understand what I meant especially since I refer to the .223/5.56 as the chambering/caliber and the SS109/M855 as loadings multiple times throughout the post.

"SS109 and M855 are very common loadings in one of the most common centerfire rifle calibers."
"SS109 and M855 (the two loadings in question) are very commonly used loadings for .223/5.56 rifles..."
"...AR-15 rifles--most of which are chambered in .223/5.56..."
"...many other rifle types chambered in .223/5.56 which could also use the SS109/M855 loadings."
"...the two loadings which are threatened."

But you are correct. That one sentence, taken in isolation of the ample context suggests an error. I'll fix it so it reads:

"...which is most often chambered in the caliber of the SS109/M855 loadings..."

 

[barnbwt]

I Have This To Say About Gun Control
Picking up where that (locked) thread left off, eh? I won't accuse you of being a troll; a troll would have gotten bored and gone home by now. What I think is you are in blissful denial about what gun owners are up against. "Guns can't ever be confiscated." "NRA is fear mongering." "NRA is an industry shill." "Common sense etc. etc. etc."

Even after numerous examples and (still) unrefutted arguments.

And now you fall in line to state unequivocably (as though you know it as fact) that M855 is armor piercing. Oddly enough, the only people making such claims are those seeking to illegally ban the round. I take it back; you are sounding like verbattim anti-gun talking points, again. What i don't understand is how you can be so reflexively antigun while maintaining a legitimate enthusiasm for the shooting sports.

The NRA scares the bejeezus out of antis, and therefore they think the org is evil. Same as guns and gunowners. That is all this has ever been. FWIW, the NRA isn't particularly wasteful with its donations (unlike the nearly criminal Red Cross) and more importantly, gets results (at least since Gun Culture 2.0 took them over.) This is why they are hated and feared.

TCB

 

[jmorris]

IT IS NOT A COMMON RIFLE AMMUNITION

It's pretty common ammunition as far as 223/5.56 goes.

It is also less armor piercing than A 180g nosler partition out of a 30-06, so now we need a test that all ammo has to fail to be legal and get rid of most every high power centerfire round of the last 100+ years?

It is just a step. Same thing as closing the machine gun regerstry, making rounds larger than .50 destructive devices, magizines that hold more than 10 rounds, pistol grips etc.

Keep nipping away at rights everyone doesn't have a strong opinion on and you can get around to all of them at some point.
While shotgun guys may not give a flip about anything effecting rifles and pistols they get bent out of shape by things that the rifle/pistol guys don't care about like banning lead for shot shells.

See where this is going? If you use lead you are destroying our environment, if you use anything except lead you are using armor piercing ammunition.

Hope you can hunt with a squirt gun...

 

[jerkface11]

Will someone post a picture of a sectioned m855 bullet and the definition of armor piercing for this guy.

 

[J-Bar]

I have been a member of the NRA since 1970, life member since 1976, and an endowment member for the last few years. I plan on leaving money to them from my estate. I never had an issue with their mailings and as others have stated, you can opt out of receiving them.

I highly value their efforts at protecting our 2nd Amendment rights. It takes a lot of money to fight the Bloomberg et al anti-gun establishment. I have noticed a constant erosion of our gun rights over the years and that fact should scare everyone in the pro-gun establishment.

This.

You got junk mail? Oh, the horror!!

I'm about the same age as your neighbor. We old farts are capable of using a waste basket when we want to. Your worry about the elderly is insulting and condescending.

I have been a Patron Life Member of the NRA for quite a while. I think your list of concerns is petty.

 

[tomrkba]

Buy a life membership and they will leave you alone.

 

[Grumulkin]

I've been a life member of the NRA for about 30 years. I've never received an e-mail from them. The last phone call from them was probably 3 years ago; it has been so long it's hard to remember when.

I would agree that some of their communications could be construed as "scare tactics" but unfortunately there is some truth to them. Some need to have a fire lit under them before they'll do anything. If it wasn't for the NRA we would probably only be shooting bow and arrows or maybe muzzle loaders if we were lucky.

 

[DHJenkins]

The NRA is a fundraising and lobbying organization - of course they're going to use the same (very effective) tactics that the anti-gun lobby uses to raise money.

 

[Saddlebag Preacher]

My deceased veteran dad was a member, I'm 57 and I'm a member. I'm happy with them for what they do. This is still America and you can (at least for now) still support whom you wish. I wouldn't support a group if I was that negative about them.