NRA Membership Required for Gun Club Membership

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kcofohio

kcofohio

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I belong to 2 gun clubs. One requires you to have an active NRA membership for each renewal. The other club only encourages for you to support the NRA.
While the latter has mostly a respectable membership. There are a few that don't respect the equipment or property.
At the 1st club, I see more courtesy with minor flaws. Neither have full-time RSOs on hand.
This has led me to believe that it is a good thing for a club to require a paying membership, not exclusively to NRA, but any of gun rights advocates, national or state level, to the club members.

What are your thoughts on having to support a gun right association as a requirement for club membership?
 
Robert said:
My private club requires NRA membership for their insurance. Not a big deal.
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Same here for the same reason.

I don't know about requirements to join a club but if you don't like the rules we have lots of public land. I do think that belonging to an organization at the national/international level keeps active participants informed of events. On the other hand, it is the responsibility of the club/organization members to police themselves and take an active role.
 
My politics are not those of the NRA of the last handful of years. That said, I've had the life memberships plus a couple grades higher for several years. So, if a club form asks for my membership number, I just write in on the line. Quietly.
As to clubs requiring NRA membership, it's pretty common ... and that's their right regardless of whether the purpose stems from insurance costs or just philosophy.
 
If I owned a range you bet I'd require NRA membership, too many noodle brained folks out there love guns but don't know who ensures that right (sort of) against constant attack. Some guys may not like the NRAs inaction at times, me included, but they are the 800 lb gorilla in DC that watches out for threats to the 2A. The NRA is this country's oldest civil rights organization , we should all support them, even if you don't like the current leadership.
 
mokin said:
Same here for the same reason.

I don't know about requirements to join a club but if you don't like the rules we have lots of public land. I do think that belonging to an organization at the national/international level keeps active participants informed of events. On the other hand, it is the responsibility of the club/organization members to police themselves and take an active role.
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Not here in Texas. Here the land is owned by people that pay taxes on it. Not the Federal Government who doesn't.
 
Mark1964 said:
My politics are not those of the NRA of the last handful of years. That said, I've had the life memberships plus a couple grades higher for several years. So, if a club form asks for my membership number, I just write in on the line. Quietly.
As to clubs requiring NRA membership, it's pretty common ... and that's their right regardless of whether the purpose stems from insurance costs or just philosophy.
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That's where I would like to see support or options for other advocates such as Buckeye Firearms, Second Amendment Foundation, etc. also at gun clubs.
 
Obturation said:
If I owned a range you bet I'd require NRA membership, too many noodle brained folks out there love guns but don't know who ensures that right (sort of) against constant attack. Some guys may not like the NRAs inaction at times, me included, but they are the 800 lb gorilla in DC that watches out for threats to the 2A. The NRA is this country's oldest civil rights organization , we should all support them, even if you don't like the current leadership.
Click to expand...

I think you're missing just what is so offensive about the NRA. If we have "rights" or liberties actually, but only because the NRA exists to give them to us, there are plenty of people that would rather not accept those terms. It is not the NRA's inaction or their current leadership that is offensive. It is the idea that we must pay them for our liberty. Insomuch as they are the 800 lb gorilla, our liberties would be better secured if their power, wealth, and influence were diminished. So long as their power, wealth and influence remain outsized, they possess the ability to do great harm through inaction, contrary action, or through corrupt leadership. On the other hand, if they were just another voice in support of the second amendment, they would neither cost much nor be able to do much harm. So long as we acquiesce to the notion of "influence peddling," we will just have to keep paying and paying for our liberties. No thanks.
 
labnoti said:
I think you're missing just what is so offensive about the NRA. If we have "rights" or liberties actually, but only because the NRA exists to give them to us, there are plenty of people that would rather not accept those terms. It is not the NRA's inaction or their current leadership that is offensive. It is the idea that we must pay them for our liberty. Insomuch as they are the 800 lb gorilla, our liberties would be better secured if their power, wealth, and influence were diminished. So long as their power, wealth and influence remain outsized, they possess the ability to do great harm through inaction, contrary action, or through corrupt leadership. On the other hand, if they were just another voice in support of the second amendment, they would neither cost much nor be able to do much harm. So long as we acquiesce to the notion of "influence peddling," we will just have to keep paying and paying for our liberties. No thanks.
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Then pay nothing and pray that someone in the room stands up to defend your liberty. Good luck with that.
I would change a lot about the NRA but I don't have the power. Same reason I choose the political party I do, it's not perfect bit my core fundamentals are mostly represented . if you know how to form a more fair, less expensive and more effective 2A advocate please do, I will support it as well. If not, pick one you can tolerate and join, they will need funds to operate though.
 
Let’s not bash any gun rights organization. That’s the problem with us. We can’t see the forest through the trees because of bias. We are our own worst enemy. Give it a break.

I think having a requirement for an NRA or another pro-2A organization is a good thing for clubs and ranges.
 
Obturation said:
Then pay nothing and pray that someone in the room stands up to defend your liberty.
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What you meant to write is "pay nothing and pray someone else pays." You just want me to pay for my liberty and are convinced that if I don't someone else has to pay for it. My liberty is not merchandise.

The NRA will certainly never "defend" liberty with force or through law, which are the only ways it can be defended. Money is a payment, not a defense. The NRA has never defended anyone legally or through force. All it does (with respect to gun rights) is accept payment for influence.
 
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labnoti said:
What you meant to write is "pay nothing and pray someone else pays." You just want me to pay for my liberty and are convinced that if I don't someone else has to pay for it. My liberty is not merchandise.

The NRA will certainly never "defend" liberty with force or through law, which is the only way it can be defended. Money is a payment, not a defense. The NRA has never defended anyone legally or through force. All it does (with respect to gun rights) is accept payment for influence.
Click to expand...

Obturation said:
if you know how to form a more fair, less expensive and more effective 2A advocate please do,
Click to expand...
 
At the gun club that I`m a member of, you must be a member of any pro-2A gun rights organization. There`s a list of "approved" ones I believe but I`ve never checked since I`m an NRA member anyway. I simply put the membership number in the blank and enclose a copy of my NRA card.

I know there are many people who`re not satisfied with the NRA presently and have quit with a, "take that", attitude. I believe that to be a mistake as earlier posts pointed out the fact that the NRA does have more political pull than any other pro-2A organization and thus better able to protect our rights. It takes money to bring and win lawsuits and few of the other organizations have the deep pockets that the NRA does and the vast majority of that money comes from membership dues.

I`m afraid if the NRA fails due to too many people pulling out in a huff, then it`s just a matter of time before we all lose our 2A rights and join the ranks of the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the like. Thus, I`ll renew in December.
 
My club requires NRA membership. I’ve been a life member of the NRA since before the recent controversies. Still happy to be a member of both organizations.
 
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Been a life member for a good bit. My private range asks that question on the member application. If you are not they suggest that you join as the club is an affiliate member and it is our insurance carrier and needs our support. Those that complain should be donating to the NRA-ILA That is the lobbying arm that fights for your rights.
 
Many do this, require membership in NRA. To me? Could care less if one did. Mine does not but Wife and I already belong. I do NOT like everything the NRA does but I don't like everything the law makers I vote for do either. So if I wanted to shoot at some range and my membership had expired I would just pay for another year and figure its part of the cost of using their range. Their range, their rules. Want to shoot there you follow their rules.
 
There is a gun club near me with a good outdoor pistol range. It requires NRA membership. I disapprove of that because I choose to support SAF, and GOA. I will. It be forced to support any organization to have range privileges. So I shoot indoors.
 
The way I remember it at a local club. The NRA helps/ sponsors club projects, berms, women's and kids shooting activities. Having some type of approved ''authority'' in range design is very necessary for insurance purposes. Little things taken for granted such as, the trap house course design throws the clay bird too much towards the left, which would potentially allow even the smallest pellet shot to cover a nearby access road. Another example, the rifle berm is sufficiently / insufficiently high, deep, wide enough to accept all incoming rounds.

Providing guidance on construction, layout even down to suggestions on water drainage and sponsoring shooting events is good enough for me :)

https://www.nrafoundation.org/grants/
 
labnoti said:
If we have "rights" or liberties actually, but only because the NRA exists to give them to us .....
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Lets keep this in proper and realistic perspective.

The NRA - and other pro 2nd Amendment organizations - do not "give" us any rights. These organizations stand in opposition to entities within our government that strive to deprive us of those rights. Getting that straight is extremely important.

My club requires NRA membership and I am not complaining.

And now a word from Captain Obvious : This thread has a very limited life expectancy.
 
I, for one, don't believe there should be lobbyist that are allowed to effect our government decision making. I would like to see it outlawed. But here we are. So it's in our best interest, good or bad, to have someone in our corner with some effectiveness.
 
The are so many reasons why our club decided to require the NRA membership. We did not have this requirement at the beginning. I will not get into all the negatives before this requirement but just say that there is a huge improvement in the years since before and after. And just because we require both the NRA and also the State association does in no way mean that you cannot belong to any other organization. We don't care. But there is a lot of things about running a club that are not mentioned here. Running a club is a lot of work and responsibility. Most people take a club for granted. Just pay some dues come and shoot and go. That is not what our club is about.

We have a great club, run a tight ship and NRA has benefited us in so many ways. It is simple, so easy, to join but there are requirement likes NRA membership and our Safety requirements. And NRA instructors. Hey, this is a private club. We learned the best way to run a good ship. And people love our club. Very family oriented. Don't like the requirements simple go to a public range. Maybe you will like it more. And there is even a course to learn about how NRA will benefit a organization. .

What You Will Learn
  • Organizing Your Club
  • Club Leadership
  • Incorporation
  • Club Finances
  • Marketing and Media
  • NRA Recruiting
  • Insurance
  • Range Development
  • NRA Programs
  • Youth Programs
  • NRA Competitions
  • Grants Online
 
It’s very odd IMO that every 100-150 member club around me requires NRA membership but the largest club in my region with trap and sporting clays leagues, weekly pistol and rifle matches and all of their equipment and facilities are brand new and very well taken care of does not require NRA membership and is actually cheaper than anywhere else. They also have about 1k members too.
 
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