Life time NRA price?

Benefactor Member and bought Life memberships for my kids. Its a donation to fight those who would disarm us and I see it as money well spent.

Yes, there are other great organizations out there and I'm a life member of all that sell life memberships. Support one of those if you prefer, but do SOMETHING.

Think about buying annual memberships (to the one of your choice) as gifts at Christmas or whenever. The swelling of the #'s matters to the politicians. It scares them, and the NRA scares them more than any of the others. Also, with the gift memberships some will continue which helps us all in the long run.

Taking a present day snapshot of the NRA may be one way to judge them. But after being a NRA member for 50 plus years I have witnessed many ups and downs with this organization. In the long run I have no regrets.

To those who think the NRA is not effective I would ask one question. "What other organization do you hear the folks who would like to control firearms complain about in the media?" In my opinion no other organization on our side has the attention of those in power. It appears that the gun control effort has shifted to individual states because of the influence of the NRA at the national level. The deep pocket folks on the side of gun control can get results at the state level for less money than on the national level. We need to support all levels of the fight.

NRA life member since 1967
Benefactor member & Golden Eagle.
Looking forward to Indianapolis.

Casefull said:

I have been a life member since Clinton was elected. I totally disagree with those of you who try to disconnect liberalism from gun control. The NRA is far from perfect but what is? They do a lot more by standing in the gap then any of their critics ever do. Those of you who do not like the NRA being critical of liberals, should get the liberals who you like so much to stop going after our gun rights. Then your arguments that it isnt politically motivated would have some merit.

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Literally every liberal that I know is a gun owner and 2A advocate, myself included. There has been a HUGE increase in LGBTQ+ gun ownership in recent years. If you'd like to see it from our side check out reddit.com/r/liberalgunowners

There are more than us than you probably believe, and we probably have more in common with each other than you probably believe.

To be back on topic, I jumped ship from the NRA years ago because of the constant fear mongering and petitions for donations from them. GOA and SAF get my money now, as they come across as less divisive than the NRA.

Get rid of Chris Cox and the whole "legislative branch" and, maybe, I would be interested in donating more than my annual membership.
I would love to know just how much of the donations are flowing into his pocket, and that group, and getting nothing but, "send us more money" from them.

frogfurr said:

Taking a present day snapshot of the NRA may be one way to judge them. But after being a NRA member for 50 plus years I have witnessed many ups and downs with this organization. In the long run I have no regrets.

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Absolutely. We are not fighting a brief battle but a protracted war that spans decades.

Just look at what has happened in California and many other states that followed. Just like WW2, we must find all available allies and push back with D-Day like counter attack to preserve the Second Amendment. Now is not the time to decrease our donations to pro-2A organizations rather increase to put better/additional pressure on law makers at state and federal levels.

Thankfully, President Trump has nominated and placed two pro-2A justices to the SCOTUS and many pro-2A judges to federal circuit courts. The anti-gun crowd is looking at possibly decades of pro-2A rulings from the courts and have stepped up their attack on 2A. Like what Winston Churchill said, we must fight at all battlegrounds (Presidency, Courts/Legislature at state and federal levels) and never surrender!

What we do today will affect our children and grandchildren's lives and their 2A rights.

So keep donating to pro-2A organizations (If you don't like NRA, donate to another pro-2A organization), support 2A causes, spread the word and vote out anti-2A law makers regardless of party affiliation and vote in pro-2A law makers.

Godspeed.

The NRA is a lobby that buys their wants with money; they grease the elections and votes of the politicals with lots and lots of money - just like every other lobby.
Any wants from any group in this country is purchased with money, the more money available to a cause, the more likely the cause will prevail - it never matters if the cause is right or wrong, good or bad, fair or unfair, etc. - lots of money usually wins any cause.
When money is the driver, no cause is more noble than another, it is just a purchase of a preference, desire, religion, belief, etc. - money is never noble. We want guns and we think that our cause is noble, the anti’s want zero guns and they think that their cause is just as noble, gay rights think that their cause is noble, Muslims think that their cause is noble, the North Vietnamese thought that their cause was noble, the NAACP thinks that their cause is noble, the Communists think that their cause is noble, (blah, blah, blah ad nauseam).
The only cause worth it’s salt is the cause that you believe in so deeply that you are willing to fight for it - give your everything and give your all. Throwing money at a cause will always fall short in the long haul. Look at history, any cause of a deep value has always been a settlement on a battlefield - the rest is just lip service.

Steve S. said:

The NRA is a lobby that buys their wants with money; they grease the elections and votes of the politicals with lots and lots of money - just like every other lobby.
Any wants from any group in this country is purchased with money, the more money available to a cause, the more likely the cause will prevail - it never matters if the cause is right or wrong, good or bad, fair or unfair, etc. - lots of money usually wins any cause.

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Excellent point which helps to point out the low public approval rating of Congress. Congress is hopelessly corrupt with the votes going to the highest bidder, er , contributor. It is what it is and we must play the system to advance our cause.

Steve S. said:

The only cause worth it’s salt is the cause that you believe in so deeply that you are willing to fight for it - give your everything and give your all. Throwing money at a cause will always fall short in the long haul. Look at history, any cause of a deep value has always been a settlement on a battlefield - the rest is just lip service.

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The anti NRA posts show that some gun owners on THR do not truly believe in the long fight for protecting our gun rights. No one yet has identified what other gun organization should fight the proposed bills I listed that are either in House or in the Senate. Their silence speaks for itself.

Old Ben said it best:

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

"Literally every liberal that I know is a gun owner and 2A advocate, myself included. There has been a HUGE increase in LGBTQ+ gun ownership in recent years. "

Good for the tranny's. I welcome anyone who supports gun rights and basic human rights. I can't understand you supporting politicians who do everything they can to usurp the Second Amendment. Forget the labels conservative and liberal.

seanie! said:

Literally every liberal that I know is a gun owner and 2A advocate, myself included. There has been a HUGE increase in LGBTQ+ gun ownership in recent years. If you'd like to see it from our side check out reddit.com/r/liberalgunowners

There are more than us than you probably believe, and we probably have more in common with each other than you probably believe.

To be back on topic, I jumped ship from the NRA years ago because of the constant fear mongering and petitions for donations from them. GOA and SAF get my money now, as they come across as less divisive than the NRA.

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Your statement sounds good but the fact is you're voting for those who are against the Second Amendment. That is not even arguable if you look at the voting records of Democratic politicians. What you're saying is that the second amendment is not as important to you as all of the free stuff that liberal politicians promise. I.e. it is greed that wins out in men's hearts.

BSA1 said:

The anti NRA posts show that some gun owners on THR do not truly believe in the long fight for protecting our gun rights.

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Amen.

Steve S. said:

We want guns and we think that our cause is noble, the anti’s want zero guns and they think that their cause is just as noble

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No, to be more specific, I WANT the RIGHT to defend my life and lives of my wife and children, which I believe is the noblest cause, to me. To do that effectively, I NEED weapons that are most efficient, which happens to be firearms.

The anti-gun crowd's agenda is to IMPOSE THEIR WILL on the RIGHTS of the MINORITY for self defense/protection guaranteed by the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Taking away guns from single moms/elderly/handicapped people who cannot physically defend themselves from rapists/robbers, that is not a noble cause, to me.

So I will continue to support lobbyists who will support my RIGHTS, which means supporting pro-2A organizations.

-Another thing that the NRA protects is hunting.
Having been in a number of situations where the ability to hunt meant that my family remained alive and healthy, the NRA's defense of this right remains important to me.
I will continue to fund this support.

edwardware said:

Yes, I get it, "per se". Meanwhile, out here in the real world, find us an example of a country reordering itself into increasing socialism that doesn't eventually lead to the sort of disarmament the 2nd Amendment prohibits.

Like it or not Civil and Economic Freedom run together, and fall together.

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Czechoslovakia is a socialist country and lots of people own and carry firearms there. They work on a permit system there much like they do in some states in the US.

BSA1 said:

The anti NRA posts show that some gun owners on THR do not truly believe in the long fight for protecting our gun rights. No one yet has identified what other gun organization should fight the proposed bills I listed that are either in House or in the Senate. Their silence speaks for itself.

Old Ben said it best:

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

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I think you're completely missing the point of those of us that have issues with the NRA. We know they're effective. We know they're the largest gun-rights organization out there, heck they're the largest civil rights group out there. But we also know that the can be better than they are, and the current leadership that insists on dividing rhetoric and partisan politics isn't taking the organization in that direction.

The current fad is to call the NRA a hate organization. If you listen to the tone the NRA uses, I have to admit they certainly tend to use the same language hate organizations do. Up until the last decade there were many Democrat politicians that publicly supported the NRA, got "A" ratings from the NRA, and received funding from the NRA. Now they can't distance themselves fast enough, and if that doesn't tell you that something in the NRA needs to change I don't know what will.

For now, I'll continue to be a member of the NRA. But any extra cash I have will go to GOA, SAF, and my state group.

Casefull said:

Your statement sounds good but the fact is you're voting for those who are against the Second Amendment. That is not even arguable if you look at the voting records of Democratic politicians. What you're saying is that the second amendment is not as important to you as all of the free stuff that liberal politicians promise. I.e. it is greed that wins out in men's hearts.

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You may not realize this, but there are many liberals out who's top issue is the 2nd Amendment, and if they have to they will vote for a Republican to protect their gun rights. Likewise if it came down to it, I'd vote for a Democrat who would uphold the 2nd Amendment over a Republican who would wish to tear it down.

Casefull said:

Your statement sounds good but the fact is you're voting for those who are against the Second Amendment. That is not even arguable if you look at the voting records of Democratic politicians.

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Being antigun has become the established orthodoxy among the Democrats. I don't know why or how this came about, but sadly it's the case today. It wasn't always this way.

Nevertheless, there are degrees of being antigun. It depends largely on the districts from which these Democrats are elected. For example, the orthodoxy among the Democrats is to "ban" "assault weapons." Some would confiscate them immediately with no grandfathering and no compensation. Others would grandfather existing ones. Even among the latter group, there are differences. Some would grandfather only for current owners, while others would allow transfers. These differences could become critical for gun owners.

On the other side, Republicans are generally "pro-gun." But they don't actually do anything to promote gun rights. It's just a matter of taking gun owners for granted, on the theory that "they have nowhere else to go."

Blindly voting Republican actually reduces the clout of gun owners. If the votes of gun owners were truly in play, their interests would be heeded by both parties. The Republicans would do something for guns, and the Democrats would at least lessen their opposition. But what we have now is guns being just another manifestation of political tribalism and polarization. If it comes down to that, the antigun "tribe" will outnumber the pro-gun "tribe." Not good.

I'm currently Patron level. I'll go Benefactor next year when upgrade will be $250. That's how much Life, Endowment and Patron have been in election years. As far as politics, as long as the left villainizes NRA I'm on board. They are somewhat effective and less sleazy than most lobby groups. Joe

I think it's extremely naive to read innocence, good intentions, and "they don't really want things that will turn out bad for the country, it's just an economic system" into socialism, democratic socialism, or any of that nonsense. Extremely naive. It will always end in oppression and fights over toilet paper. And likewise to turn against the NRA, the only entity that is positioned to do battle with the gun control juggernaut, over trivial, can't-see-the-forest-for-the-trees stuff. And while we're at it, never-Trumpers are my least favorite people on American soil, worse in my eyes than the avowed opposition.

seanie! said:

Literally every liberal that I know is a gun owner and 2A advocate, myself included. There has been a HUGE increase in LGBTQ+ gun ownership in recent years. If you'd like to see it from our side check out reddit.com/r/liberalgunowners

There are more than us than you probably believe, and we probably have more in common with each other than you probably believe.

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I started following the liberalgunowners sub on Reddit about 6 months ago. Shhh, don't tell anyone because I'm as far from a liberal as possible, but I like reading the discussions that go on there and it is eye opening how unwelcome they all feel from the gun community as a whole. It shouldn't be that way.

rb288 said:

I would love to know just how much of the donations are flowing into his pocket, and that group, and getting nothing but, "send us more money" from them.

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The NRA financial disclosure forms and IRS Form 990 filings are public records. Read them and weep. Besides the astronomical salaries and bonuses being paid to LaPierre, Cox, and co., lots of money is being funneled to PR, fundraising, and direct-mail firms owned by their friends and relatives. And that's just the publicly-available tip of the iceberg. There's a lot of hidden corruption as well, such as the NRA's dealings with Russia, and the use of the NRA as a conduit for Russian money going into the Trump campaign. (Of course the NRA management skimmed part of that off the top for themselves.) This is a true cesspool.

Like I already posted, if you don't want to donate/support NRA, simply donate/support another pro-2A organization of your choice.

-Both parties are led be people that secretly consider themselves to be aristocrats.
Aristocrats, by and large, disapprove of allowing the common people to be armed unless they are in the service of aristocrats.
Otherwise the common people start getting uppity... .

I6turbo said:

And likewise to turn against the NRA, the only entity that is positioned to do battle with the gun control juggernaut, over trivial, can't-see-the-forest-for-the-trees stuff.

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The NRA becoming increasingly hostile to my way of life by aligning itself solely with a Republican platform is anything but trivial.

I can’t support people who hate me.

AlexanderA said:

Being antigun has become the established orthodoxy among the Democrats. I don't know why or how this came about, but sadly it's the case today.

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Where are these pro-gun Democrats in The House of Representatives?

There are 235 Democrats, 197 Republicans and 0 Independents currently in the House of Representatives. There are 3 vacancies.

If I have my sources are correct the votes are as follows;

H.R. 8 - “Bipartisan Background Checks Bill” passed by a vote of 240 to 190. Eight House Republicans joined all but two Democrats to vote for increased gun control

https://dailycaller.com/2019/02/27/republicans-voted-Democrats-gun-control-bill/

H.R. 1112 - The Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019 passed in a 228-198 vote. Three Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the measure. Seven Democrats opted to buck party lines and vote against the bill.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/432020-house-passes-second-major-gun-bill

CoalTrain49 said:

Czechoslovakia is a socialist country and lots of people own and carry firearms there. They work on a permit system there much like they do in some states in the US.

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It has been the Czech Republic since 1993 and they are a democracy.