NRA membership freebies

[TexasPatriot.308]

I been a member of the NRA for over 40 years, sometimes my membership lapses and I rejoin, two years ago my "gift" for rejoining was a cheesy gear bag with the NRA logo on it...the logo was upside down....today got another gift for rejoining.....a cheap baseball cap with just NRA in big yellow letters on it, an American flag on the bag and the tag on the inside says "made in China"......I realize we need the money to fight the gungrabbers...but really, a baseball cap from the NRA made in China? the only reason I pay my dues is to fight the leftist gungrabbers but this just makes me shake my head.

 

[USAF_Vet]

We had a similar thread about this exact same topic some months back. What does an NRA membership cost these days? $25? A quality hat, made in the USA (if such things still even exist) is going to run you what? $20? I'd rather not get any free gear and have all of my money go to fighting the good fight (which is why I make my donations directly to the NRA-ILA) and not be bothered on mass quantities of cheaply made gear. The cheap NRA hat doesn't even fit.

 

[JohnKSa]

Just check the box that says you don't want the free gift.

If you want a nice NRA hat, go here. Your purchase will support the NRA since 100% of profits from any NRAStore purchases "support vital NRA programs".

http://www.nrastore.com/

 

[DoubleMag]

FYI there's a hat in the Sale section ^^^

 

[CajunBass]

I always sign up again at gun shows. I get free admission to the show. They always give us (my wife and I sign up at the same time) a new hat. I just tell them to give the hat to the next kid that goes by.

The kids don't care where it got made.

 

[GBExpat]

Just check the box that says you don't want the free gift. ...

With any groups that I join, given the choice, I choose to not get the "gift" because I do not wish to start my association with some of my financial contribution being wasted on such cheap giveaway crap.

As JohnKSa suggested, if I wish to own/display/wear a LOGOed item, I will buy one from the organization, and in so doing, contribute a bit more.

FWIW.

 

[M-Cameron]

you are actually complaining about the quality of a product you got for free?

 

[GBExpat]

.....a cheap baseball cap with just NRA in big yellow letters on it, an American flag on the bag and the tag on the inside says "made in China"......

OT, somewhat ...

This brings to my mind the memory of when I heard, years ago, that "they" had decided to change the United States Army headgear to a Beret ... and that "they" had ordered the initial million, or so, United States Army Berets ... from ... China.

 

[bannockburn]

That's as good as the baseball caps I saw at a gun show a few years ago. All the different U.S. Armed Forces branches (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force), plus a number of different U.S. military logos...all of them made in Vietnam!

For myself I would forego the inexpensive "Made in China" gifts and just have my donation work more for the job at hand.

 

[giggitygiggity]

It's sort of like getting a $5 Birthday Card with a $20 of cash inside. I would have rather just gotten $25 and no card.

 

[Swing]

I'd rather not get any free gear and have all of my money go to fighting the good fight

^. This.

 

[M-Cameron]

if you dont want the stuff....opt out of receiving it...

i dont see why this is even an issue.....

 

[edknn]

I been a member of the NRA for over 40 years, sometimes my membership lapses and I rejoin, two years ago my "gift" for rejoining was a cheesy gear bag with the NRA logo on it...the logo was upside down....today got another gift for rejoining.....a cheap baseball cap with just NRA in big yellow letters on it, an American flag on the bag and the tag on the inside says "made in China"......I realize we need the money to fight the gungrabbers...but really, a baseball cap from the NRA made in China? the only reason I pay my dues is to fight the leftist gungrabbers but this just makes me shake

 

[edknn]

I been a member of the NRA for over 40 years, sometimes my membership lapses and I rejoin, two years ago my "gift" for rejoining was a cheesy gear bag with the NRA logo on it...the logo was upside down....today got another gift for rejoining.....a cheap baseball cap with just NRA in big yellow letters on it, an American flag on the bag and the tag on the inside says "made in China"......I realize we need the money to fight the gungrabbers...but really, a baseball cap from the NRA made in China? the only reason I pay my dues is to fight the leftist gungrabbers but this just makes me shake my head.

The hat they sent me said made in Chima yes an m instead of an n in China

 

[hso]

I ask them not to send the junk and they send it anyway. Now I'm sure that's a fulfillment center contractor error, but I would hope NRA would have the ability to log that I requested they keep the offshore junk instead of annoying me with it.

 

[C.R.]

I was a N.R.A. member but never did get a hat. I decided not to renew. If they cant keep a promise (Free shooters hat) to a nobody that is jusy paying dues , why would I beleive that they are keeping their word on anything else? I kind of feel all that they are after is money. I bet their board of directors make some darn good wages and live a lavish lifestye that I decided not to support.

 

[lilguy]

I joined 43 years ago, became a lifer 8 years later. I'm retired now and just sent the ILA
$500.00. I don't open any letters that I know are asking for money and have asked them not to send them, but to no avail. If you don't like them or think they are wasting our donations watch how the Dems attacked them in the debate. They are 800 lb. beast in the
Room. How many of us are in the fight in DC on a regular basis, and how many just pay lip service and piss on the NRA in net discussions?

 

[GBExpat]

I was a N.R.A. member but never did get a hat. I decided not to renew. If they cant keep a promise (Free shooters hat) to a nobody that is jusy paying dues , why would I beleive that they are keeping their word on anything else? ...

Wow ... the Thread was started by a guy who was bothered by the cheap, Made-in-China, NRA ballcap he received and you tell us you didn't re-up & don't trust them because you didn't get the cheap, Made-in-China, NRA ballcap.

 

[Z1900]

Sometimes they have some pretty good lifetime membership deals.

 

[Schwing]

I joined 43 years ago, became a lifer 8 years later. I'm retired now and just sent the ILA
$500.00. I don't open any letters that I know are asking for money and have asked them not to send them, but to no avail. If you don't like them or think they are wasting our donations watch how the Dems attacked them in the debate. They are 800 lb. beast in the
Room. How many of us are in the fight in DC on a regular basis, and how many just pay lip service and piss on the NRA in net discussions?

I struggle with this sometimes. I support the NRA and am a member but it sure does seem like they have gotten super aggressive about soliciting donations over the last 4 or 5 years. Even as a member and after donating several times, I used to get almost daily calls from them for additional $$ and I get mail from them a few times per month. Requesting politely that I didn't want to receive any more calls or mail didn't help and I'm not about to file a complaint or sue the NRA.

It got so bad I put a block on the 3 or 4 numbers that their calls were coming in on. My membership just came due again and I am really biting my thumbs over renewing.

I don't want to trash them and I certainly want them to keep up the fight but I have to wonder how many folks are turning their backs on the NRA simply over their solicitation tactics.

 

[2ifbyC]

I’m sorry you did not get a hat made in the USA. But a hat or its origin should not be the reason you joined the NRA.

The liberals speak of the NRA as an inanimate object failing to acknowledge that it represents five million plus Americans who believe in the RKBA. The NRA grades the politicians and the vote it embodies is the most powerful means to thwart more gun control laws.

Clinton indicated she will not be silenced by the NRA. Support the NRA and let’s give her a fight she will be sorry to have started. Don’t let it become another line in the sand that we allow to move.

I became a life member of the NRA in the seventies. As my finances improved, I upgraded my membership and am now a Patron member. Yes, they can be pesky but there are ways to prevent continued solicitation. It takes a large war chest to protect your rights and freedom. Think about that the next time you are up for renewal.

 

[Dain Bramage]

I like to donate during the various gun raffles. It combines the idle daydream of a lottery and supporting a good cause. Plus, my inner child likes stickers. And stickers with guns on them just made my inner child squeal.

 

[TimSr]

Keep in mind member dues, by law, cannot be used for lobbying. Your donations to NRA-ILA are for that purpose.

The solicitation practices are nothing new, and go back to the first time I joined in the 80's. I gave a couple of times, and quickly realized they were spending more on sending me solicitations, junk mail, and stickers than what I was giving. They have no idea how much they turn supporters off. I too recognize they are our greatest voice in Washington, and occasionally send small cash donations to NRA-ILA with no return address, but I have no desire to ever get on the membership list again.

They now have a TV show I have caught a few times, and probably 50% of it is running the same comercial over and over, and the rest covers one local news story. It's painful to watch. They could runa half hour of "The Armed Citizen" stories from their magazines and actually get interested viewership but they prefer to use it as an infomercial.

Gun Owners of America is not nearly as large, but also has a big voice, and I much prefer they way they operate.

 

[M-Cameron]

I was a N.R.A. member but never did get a hat. I decided not to renew. If they cant keep a promise (Free shooters hat) to a nobody that is jusy paying dues , why would I beleive that they are keeping their word on anything else? I kind of feel all that they are after is money. I bet their board of directors make some darn good wages and live a lavish lifestye that I decided not to support.

You are that petty that you quit over a cheap hat?.....what's your address, I'll send you one of the dozen or so I have laying around.

If you joined the NRA just for the free crap, you joined for the wrong reasons.

 

[X-Rap]

It's a shame that some shinny trinket is required as motivation to support such an important cause but obviously they like NPR have learned from study of their demographic that constant obnoxious prodding is required to motivate enough people to donate to the cause.
Same goes for Girl Scout, school, cancer, youth athletic funding, they all have something they work so hard to promote and sell but ultimately only get a small percentage on the return of their effort.
I've always tried to just give the scouts, NRA or whatever group is fundraising straight cash and tell them to sell the hat, knife, cookies to someone else.