NRA

Yes, you should join.

The NRA is one of the most powerful lobbying organizations in Washington, and they're responsible for the vast majority of advances made in the name of gun rights.

The NRA also runs any number of training and safety programs which help to train new shooters.

They also run and administer many competition programs.

On top of that, many shooting clubs and private ranges will require you to be an NRA member, as the NRA is the single largest insurer of shooting ranges in the country.

No organization makes everyone 100% happy.

With that said, the NRA does a great job at protecting our rights. If you decide to join, we offer a discount on a one year membership.

Join here - http://membership.nrahq.org/default.asp?campaignid=XP019625

The NRA has both it's good and bad sides. Overall though I give them support for the reason of they're very good at being loud when it's necessary and preventing knee jerk reactions.

I would go with the NRA is good for gun owners.....Join up if you value your gun rights. Proud Member of NRA since about 1960!

Join the NRA. If you don't like the way they are doing bidness, change from within. Join Gun Owners of America. Join local sportsmen's groups. Write your politicians. Write your local newspaper. Be informed. Fight. If you don't, you're rights will be gone. Sooner than you think. We cannot afford to roll over and we cannot afford to fight amongst ourselves. Lead by example. You represent your beliefs by what you say and do.

GOA's track record is spotty at best.

If you're going to join a gun rights organization that isn't the NRA, I would strongly suggest joining the Second Amendment Foundation, as they have an excellent track record.

If you don't join, you are relying on other NRA members to protect your rights. Be part of the solutiion.

Renewed my membership a couple of weeks ago.
And to show you the importance the day after I sent my check(yes a real check by mail) The local newspaper did on oped cartoon showing some sort of chracter in Mexico as the downtrodden suffering example of guns and some suit wearing white guy as the NRA pushing for less gun control to Congress.
At the end of the day the NRA is the biggest mouth peice we have and I will keep right on supporting them.
In fact if I hit the Lottery this very night I would send them as much as I could that would not place me in a position to get crossways with that other heirachy known as the IRS.

Yes you should join! Contribute what you can to NRA-ILA as often as you can. Vote for candidates who support RKBA and communicate with them. These are the 2 best things you can do to help protect our 2nd Amendment rights.

No other organization does as much to protect your 2nd Amendment rights as the NRA.
The monthly magazine is worth the price of admission.
Join the NRA. You won't regret it.

I agree, join. the magazine is worth it.
And they are the big dog in the pen.
Then, once you are a member, you have the right to complain about how political they are.. in that they support candidates that don's support the second amendment, they think we only need to obey the existing laws (that's how we got gun control in the first place) and they spend most of their money mailing you stuff asking for more money.

Proud Member.

There are other gun rights organizations worthy of your membership or donations. But only the NRA has any real influence; it is the only group both hated and feared by "antis." There are additional benefits as well.

The NRA is well worth joining just to protect your/our gun ownership rights, BUT on top of that you get a decent magazine, $2,500.00 gun loss insurance, and some life insurance. ALL for $25.00 bucks a YEAR!

DM

Yes, join. Yes, you will get a lot of mail from them asking for money, but you will also get a good magazine and help support pro-2A legislation. Toss the jun mail...

As others have said, they are not perfect, but they have the clout to actually make things happen. There are other RKBA groups whose positions I may agree more with, but a lot of people already consider the NRA to be right wing crazies. Hopefully as more good legislation gets passed, National opinion will move more to the point where the NRA can work to repeal some of the worst gun laws like NFA and such.

You should join NRA, SAF, and your state gun rights organization too.

NRA is tbe big dog that politicians look to for voting numbers and whether they are 100% right all the time or not its the group politicians listen to.

SAF is the mean junkyard dog you want on your side in a legal battle.

Your local group has eyes on issues specific to your area.

You really do want to support all 3.

Maybe once in a while the NRA will gore one of my oxen, but it's rare (and I don't mean once cooked ). The Armed Citizen section of any of the three magazines alone is worth the price of entry. Highly recommended.

TexasRifleman said:

You should join NRA, SAF, and your state gun rights organization too.

NRA is tbe big dog that politicians look to for voting numbers and whether they are 100% right all the time or not its the group politicians listen to.

SAF is the mean junkyard dog you want on your side in a legal battle.

Your local group has eyes on issues specific to your area.

You really do want to support all 3.

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Absolutely!!

There is no law that says you can only be a member of one organization. As long as there are anti-gunners causing mischief, we should be supporting ANY and ALL organizations that oppose them.

There is NO good reason for a gun owner NOT to be a member of the NRA. There is NO good reason for a gun owner NOT to send them a few extra bucks every now and then, either.

J-Bar
NRA Patron

We need the NRA and the NRA needs us, so please become a member. Then join all of the other similar organizations (national, state, or local) that you can or care to (including the NRA-ILA, which is separately funded). There is no more effective alternative to preserving our rights (and gaining back what we've lost).

Join

I was an NRA member a long time, before becoming a Life Member~!

[Please read my signature line]

I'm another long-time NRA guy. Joined in 1964; moved on up to Endowment when they did a Good-Deal offer. Life member in several other pro-gun groups.

As to lobbying influence in Congress, the NRA is said to be second only to AARP.

From what I've seen--and I worked for several years way too closely with political stuff in Austin--those who gripe about the NRA generally do not understand the bottom line of politics: When the votes are against you, the best you can hope for is a compromise.

The NRA has a very broad mission, from hunting and sporting programs to general RKBA education to firearms safety to RKBA advocacy. It's not unlikely that an organization that broad will fail to keep all of the shooting community happy all of the time. It's equally unlikely that they will do all things as well as smaller, more focused groups of like-minded individuals. But having said all of that, no other group can claim the successes that the NRA can claim in terms of helping keep firearms and the RKBA respectable within our culture.

I am an NRA member, and I am a member of smaller more mission-focused RKBA advocacy groups. Both are important, but I always recommend that folk start defending their firearms by joining the NRA. Nobody else is fighting on all fronts, legislative *and* non-legislative.

I spent 30 years as an annual member, always making sure to send in my renewal year after year.

Last year I finally became a Life Member.

Along the way, I've been an NRA Certified Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor, Range Safety Officer, and have enjoyed participating in many NRA events.

NRA membership is what you make it, but I say -YES!