Friends of NRA events...

[Poper]

Has anyone ever been to one of the Friends of NRA events?
Can anyone provide a run-down of what to expect?

My wife and I have been invited and are considering attending out of pure curiosity.

 

[easy]

Just go! There's a lot of like minded people, guns, and more guns! Games for trying to win guns and gear. It's a nice evening with sane people that appreciate this wonderful country, not the loons on the tube.

I won a S&W M&P40 a few years back for a $20, 2 of Clubs. So just go and have fun!

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I always really enjoy going to them!

It is a fund raiser so expect that they will have games, raffles, etc to raise money for the cause.

Like minded people and supporting a good cause; well worth doing in my mind.

 

[basicblur]

I've been to the last two in my area (my first two) and they are enjoyable events.

Food pretty good, get to meet some folks and rub elbows with folks you haven't seen in a while, etc.

I'd recommend visiting the web page for your local event and study it a bit.

At ours, the doors open at 5:30pm and dinner is served at 7:30pm.

Arriving at 5:30 might be a little early, but be sure you allow yourself enough time to browse the displays / stuff being auctioned, etc. well before dinner is served. Don't know how yours will be run, but at ours the folks at the outer edges of hall tables hit the buffet first. My admission ticket also allowed me two beverages of my choice (beer, soft drinks, tea).

I bought a few chances on the wall of guns - they have a wall of guns, and as soon as they sell 50 tickets, they have a drawing - winner gets his choice of firearm on the wall. They repeat until all the firearms are gone.

They have tables around the perimeter with plenty of stuff on display - some are for silent auctions, and others have buckets where you place the number of tickets you want to increase your odds of winning the item on display.

You'll probably have some of the more well heeled folks in your area going a little nuts on the auctions, so unless you're prepared to spend some money for something you just have to have...
BTW - the Dirty Harry framed picture with a few empty shell casings from his gun went for $2,500 or more - somebody really wanted that one!

Last time, when we came in the door, you pad X amount for as many tickets as you could hold in your wingspan (bring a friend with long arms) to deposit in the buckets next to items you are interested in on the display tables.

I'm halfway kicking around buying a table next year - you get tickets / meals for 8 folks, and you get a firearm for buying a table.

One of our local gun shops bought a table last year - he wanted the Daniel Defense rifle they were giving away, and he gave the 8 tickets to folks that have helped him out at his shop over the last year.

https://www.friendsofnra.org/
1. Check out the Events Merchandise link on the page above.
2. You can also check out the table packages (although since this is your first, you're probably not interested in a table?) by bringing up your local event, hit the Buy Tickets link, then check at the bottom of the page to see if they show Table Package Deals for your area.

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

I used to work for a place that hosted banquets. I worked special events and was able to observe a friends of the NRA event. There are raffle tickets everywhere. At the event I was watching there was a huge gun safe up for raffle. The ticket price was $50 but the best part was that only ten people entered the drawing. That's pretty good odds. It seemed like most other folks were more interested in the guns rather than the safe.

 

[basicblur]

My wife and I have been invited and are considering attending out of pure curiosity.

Since you've been "invited", I assume you're going to a specific event.

If not, check the Friends of NRA site to see how many are in your area.

We have at least 3 in my area that I know of - I live in the center, but I could easily attend the other 2 as they're only 50 miles or less in different directions.

I hear the one in our town is bigger / better than one of them, but don't know about the second.

 

[Poper]

Since you've been "invited", I assume you're going to a specific event.

Yes. And it is very close to home. Less than 3 miles, that is.

 

[444]

I find things like this to be worthwhile and a lot of fun. What's not to like ? Food, have a couple drinks, try to win guns, and you BS with people who are into the same things you are.

My local club just set the date for ours in September.

 

[SHOOT1SAM]

As already described.

You'll be able to buy packs of tickets for drawings on guns, raffles, etc.

My wife won a S&W .460 several years ago for $20; I've won a .22 for the same.

Went to one during election time-one of our Congressmen was up for re-election and looked like he'd just bitten a rotten lemon before walking in...the guy who beat him was there too, having himself quite a good time...

Sam

 

[jrmiddleton425]

I have been the ticket sales chairperson for my committee since 2010. As stated, people will be walking around selling any number of raffle tickets, and there are games of chance that let you win more tickets.

There will also be a silent and/or live auction. Expect 20-30 high dollar items. It is very much a typical benefit dinner and auction. At least 50 percent of the money raised in your state, stays in your state to fund NRA Foundation grants.

 

[Poper]

At least 50 percent of the money raised in your state, stays in your state to fund NRA Foundation grants.

I like that.

 

[Sniper66]

Friends of the NRA are like many unheralded American service organizations that raise money for good causes. They get little gratitude or recognition. When is the last time you saw a newspaper report about good works the NRA has done? I was surprised the first time I went and learned about all the good the organization does. I now understand why people at the auction were bidding well above what donated items would have been worth...it's because they know the money goes to a good cause. The auction is fun, the food is good, and the people are, well, my kind of folks...gun people.

 

[hso]

Lots of fun if well run and you'll meet a bunch of enthusiastic 2A supporters. Bring a bunch of cash for fund raising raffles though.

 

[aarondhgraham]

It's pretty much like any other Rubber Chicken dinner,,,

It's pretty much like any other Rubber Chicken dinner,,,
But every one there is a 2A advocate of some ilk.

I invited to and attended my first one last year in Oklahoma City,,,
It was a reasonable enough chicken breast dinner,,,
And they had a decent beer/wine/booze bar.

I sat at a table with a friend and four other random folk,,,
The lady next to me won a very nice rifle,,,
I was one ticket off from a handgun.

So if you have the opportunity,,,
Go there, enjoy a nice meal,,,
And participate in raffles.

Who knows, you might win something nice.

Aarond

.

 

[basicblur]

It was a reasonable enough chicken breast dinner,,,

No doubt this varies widely as it depends on the local organizers and the caterers they choose. We've been lucky in my area - some of the better food I've had at a catered affair.

And they had a decent beer/wine/booze bar.

It appeared that way here, but I don't drink. I usually give my 2 drink tickets to someone at the show.

The lady next to me won a very nice rifle,,,
I was one ticket off from a handgun.

We have a new local gun shop owner (open about 2 years) that attended the dinner in our town last year for the first time (he had been going to the one in a town in the other direction). Both he and his wife mopped up last year - won numerous guns, some on the entrance ticket - I think between the 2 of them, they won betwen 3 and 5 guns (plus a few accessories).

I guess it was beginner's luck as this year they came up empty, although he did buy one of the corporate / sponsor tables (or whatever it's called) and brought home a nice Daniel Defense AR for doing so.

 

[basicblur]

This will be my third Friends of NRA event, and as a thank you for all their good work during the election I decided to buy a table this year.

A bit expensive for this old tightwad, but I'm getting a Daniel Defense DDM4 V11 Tornado for my "donation"!

Had a bit of back and forth with the NRA - I think the rifle they were offering for the table I purchased was a Daniel Defense DDM4A1, but when trying to nail down details, it got confusing.

After numerous e-mail exchanges, they told me they could also offer the DDM4V11 - I have no use for the DDM4A1 as it had a 14.5" barrel with pinned / welded flash hider. I told them I needed a model with a 16" barrel and removable flash hider for use with silencers (and to stay out of SBR territory) and they came thru.

Now if I can just give the 6 tickets I have left away! I sent out my first group e-mail to some friends asking if they wanted a free ticket, and no one replied with the first wave.

I'll give them a few days and work my way down the list, offering them to a second wave of shooters.

Hard to believe someone wouldn't jump on the chance for:
1. A free meal.
2. 2 free beers.
3. A chance to enter numerous drawings with good odds of winning a gun or other stuff.
4.The opportunity to buy chances on numerous guns with pretty darn good odds of winning.