NRA Or Not

[Mot45acp]

OK OK

This was my first time I asked this question on a national (or international level sorry Blair). My only experience with the NRA has been over zealous people harassing me at gun shows i.e. following me from the ticket counter into the actual hall like a hard up sales man trying to pay his power bill, magazine adds. The one that kinda turned me off was one asking to include the NRA in my will. It sounded kinda desperate. Around where I live the general response is "cuz I like guns boy"
One thing that sparked the flame on this was I am interested in starting a shooting range for the working class people around here. A friend of mine told me the NRA helped with this kind of thing, but made it mandatory that all members were also NRA members. A lot of clubs down here require a $200-$500 dollar intiation fee plus $100-$200 quarterly fee. The cheapest I found was $175 intiation and $200 yearly. I would like to start a donation only fee. meaning not $$$ but time and material if you dont have $$ for benches etc. or if you have a tractor or strong back then show up and work.

 

[aerod1]

Mot45acp,
I didn't say we would be disarmed but we certainly wouldn't be enjoying as many gun rights as we are currently.
I do appreciate your willingness to hear our side of this issue. Most here, have expressed my views very eloquently.
Just last year the NRA was instrumental in repealing the, so called, "assault weapons ban" on semi automatic rifles and standard capacity magazines.
The NRA isn't perfect......but neither am I. God knows, I still need some improvements!
Again, I do appreciate your candor. It does appear you are seeking some answers. This is a good place to find answers involving the gun culture. Most people in this forum are good folks. That is the reason it is called "The High Road".

Respectfully,

Jim

 

[GoBrush]

Member here
There are plenty of Pro Gun groups you can join the most important thing is to join ONE. What are you waiting for quit reading this right now and go research one online and JOIN NOW!!!!

You will probably never agree 100% of the time with any political group the bottom line is that our gun rights are being threatened and we need to do ALL we can to preserve them.

I am not a member of Gun Owners of America (GOA) I have friends that are thats another you could check out.

Second Amendment Foundation is another one.

There are dozens. I do recommend joining one with teeth meaning an active lobby group.

Remember UNCLE SAM NEEDS YOU join today like RIGHT NOW.

 

[Mot45acp]

See I Told You

I Told you this was a knowledgable crowd even if i cant spell. I have learned more in the past hour than in 3 years. As far as media outlets all Ive seen is G+A TV and in gun mags is there somewhere else for me to look in?
Thank You
Tom

 

[cavman]

I was a NRA member 10 years ago when I was feeling like a "joiner" and putting my paltry $30 yearly NRA membership in the pot to a group that I think is the best recognized defender of the right to have a gun.

That said, with lawyer fees charging more money per hour than any gun that I may own, I got disillusioned with the money aspect. I spend my money (time and influence) by esposing opinions that I think are in agreement with liberal ideas regarding ownership. So I feel by continually advocating as a "man on the street" the importance of these rights to bear arms ect.ect. I am making the most of it.

However, the club ($100/yr) that I am about to join requires NRA membership. At this time I am 99% confident that I will join, and will willingly fork over the NRA membership fee as a requirement even though the additional $30-35 will be a significant "surcharge".

All said and done, one needs to be an advocate of the ideals of personal responsibilty and do one's best to live them. If there are extra $$ to send to some legal beagles that is an extra bonus.

 

[aerod1]

cavman,

Welcome to THR!

Jim

 

[Justin]

A friend of mine told me the NRA helped with this kind of thing, but made it mandatory that all members were also NRA members.

This is common, if you want the NRA to insure your range, then they want your members to belong. Seems like a fair arrangement.

 

[cracked butt]

Life Member with no regrets.

This is common, if you want the NRA to insure your range, then they want your members to belong. Seems like a fair arrangement.

A lot of the clubs in my area require an NRA Membership.

Other reasons to join-

-Many forms of competitive shoot fall under the auspices of the NRA.
-You get a choice of a handful of really well put together monthly publications- Worth the $35/ year or so just by itself.
-It pisses off hardcore liberals

 

[Kim]

Yes. And I signed up 5 friends and paid their dues the first year. I even signed up my 18 y/0 niece. See -------she takes after her Aunt Kim, she wanted the NRA sticker really bad to put on her truck that she drives to the University to P&$$ off her professors. So of coarse I also bought her a NRA tee shirt and sweat shirt so she could put it in their face in class. She was very happy and proud.

 

[taliv]

i'm a life member of GOA, whose lobbyists faithfully represent my sentiments (no compromise)

i pay annual dues to the NRA so I can shoot in High Power matches.

 

[TrybalRage]

Is the NRA perfect? No.

But when I go over and spend some time reading up on the enemy at the brady camp, stopthenra, center to prevent handgun violence, et cetera, et cetera; I want to vomit. And then I contribute more time and money to a cause I believe in.

The NRA, for all its faults, is the biggest dog on our side.

 

[Lebben-B]

Also a Life Member. Yes, the calls and spam-like emails get annoying. But it's worth it. The influence weilded by the NRA in defending our 2d Amendment rights is vast. Plus they do more than just lobby - they organize shoots and hunter/gun safety classes. They're also very veteran friendly. I'm only 40, but as a kid I remember reading American Rifleman and the stories they published about Viet Nam veterans and praising their accomplishments, one of the few widely read periodicals to do so at the time.

I'm proud of my association with the NRA. In today's politcally charged atmosphere, if you are a gun-owner you must belong to the NRA if you want to continue to be a gun owner.

Mike

 

[cz75bdneos22]

add me to the list...

like you i share your sentiments....if you care to read some of my post regarding the NRA membership...i just recently joined after fence sitting for too long...i figure its a start for me...i'll decide based on what transpires during my membership if i'll continue to support it...but i gotta give me the oportunity to start somewhere....is it all it can be? maybe no, but i'm willing to take a chance and be proved otherwise. if it don't work for me, then i'm only out $25-35...YMMV try it, it won't hurt you one bit... and welcome to THR too.

 

[strambo]

The NRA was founded in 1871 to promote marksmanship and firearms use and safety after a serious decline in the general American's ability to hit what they were aiming at as witnessed in the Civil War. Promoting the safe, responsible and effective use of firearms is the primary mission of the NRA today. The political stuff came about later and is a secondary (albiet necessary) mission of the NRA.

NRA training programs are great. The NRA LE instructor course I attended was outstanding and the instructors were superb. They truly cared about training instructors the best techniques to help keep LE officers alive. As a result of that experience, I have applied for certification to instruct NRA civilian courses and plan on teaching the NRA Home Firearm Safety course to some folks in January.

Plenty of good reasons to join the NRA that have nothing to do with politics.

 

[IndianaDean]

I echo others who have said the NRA may not be perfect, but without them the 2nd Amendment would probably already be long gone.
I also belong to GOA and the Second Amendment Foundation.

 

[cavman]

Thanks to the two Texas boys for the welcome. Appreciate the warm salutations.

To the thread starter: I hope these words of contribution help you with the broadening of a point of view that you may have been looking for, to help you in discerning what those who feel what the NRA (and, in general, those sources and groups that gather the type of folks that have responded to your inquiry) from those other sources that gather those that may differ and be contrary to.

 

[Matthew748]

Sure I am a member. If you have a couple of bucks lying around there is no reason not to be. I do not agree with them 100% on everything, but I feel that it is important to support them. GOA and Jews for the Preservation of Firearms are great and all, but the NRA is one of the only organizations out there with enough clout to stand toe to toe with the gun grabbers in the political arena and actually make a difference.

 

[Mot45acp]

Pack a Lunch Its Long

There seems to be some inteligent points made here. With Christmas here $$$ is tight. But, once we get over that hump I believe I will purchase a 1 year membership.
Reasons: 1. I wasn't blindly slammed for being a non participant
2. This was my first legitimate inquiry instead of hearsay
3. Only $25 or $35 depending on who you ask(didnt know it
was that cheap)
4. If I feel its not worth the time or $$ I am not out that
much, and I just wont renew

Thank you all for the information. Like I said, I am new to this. My gun "obsession"as my wife calls it as moved to the next level. Meaning it has become more than a "hobby". I am not a wealthy man but I want to do what I can (I can offer a strong back and a will to work). Whoever said that "I was not being part of the solution then I was part of the problem" offended me at first, but after logging off, playing with my kids while my .45 sits ready above the fireplace.(note: its only there when I am home, kids are supervised, and as long as they remain too little to even reach it 24 mos and 3 mos) I realized he was right. I was ecstatic when the AWB went out, but I knew that we weren't out of the woods. The majority of gun owners where I live are gun owners because of hunting. I would say (and I'm guessing) maybe 1 out of 5 gun owners even own a pistol.
I am blessed to live where I can legaly and safely walk out my back door and shoot targets with my RRA L.A.R. with telescoping stock and bayonet lug btw I got from someone on this site(thank you) Which is the reason I chose the house I bought. Do I need a bayonet lug no, but I like to know I have the option. If I lose this I lose more than my 30 rd mags.(maybe Santa will bring me a Beta mag)
I know this was long. But once again thank you THR and co.

p.s. anyone else find it wierd that Rosie O'Donnel's bodyguard has a ccw in NYC

 

[4v50 Gary]

Became a life member. I don't agree with some of their politics, but they are the biggest lobbying group for guns.

 

[losangeles]

I joined the NRA recently. No, they're not perfect. But they are our best representation, as gunowners, in a country where there's a movement afoot to eliminate our rights. Hell, look at San Francisco where there is a ban on handguns. Something like this can happen nationally. It's happened to other countries. The NRA is our best chance to prevent this from happening.

 

[larryf1952]

I've been an annually renewing NRA member since 1978. I usually pay a year or two ahead when they send me an offer...it's easier for me to just keep renewing than it is to come up with a wad of cash for a life membership. I'm certain that without the NRA, we'd be quilting or doing tole painting by now, rather than enjoying our shooting rights in this country. I never get called by the NRA, but when I get something in the mail that I'm not ready to contribute to, I just toss it and don't worry about it. Maybe next time.

The NRA works for ALL gunowners rights, members and non-members alike, and it doesn't sit well for me to hear non-member gunowners attempt to explain their reasons for not joining, when they're riding on the backs and dollars of those who are members of the NRA. Every lawful gunowner should be an NRA member.

 

[Beetle Bailey]

Yeah, I'm a member. No, I don't think the NRA is perfect. Yes, I plan on becoming a life-member some day.

Thing is, it's an easy way to fight back against the gun-haters. I just send a few bucks and tell them not to call me . If someone has done their homework and comes to decide that they don't want to join the NRA, that's fine with me. But just do something to contribute to the RKBA.

 

[natedog]

I'd say it is worth joining.

 

[ReadyontheRight]

1. The NRA teaches safe shooting to police and citizens.
2. The NRA organizes shooting competitions to encourage interest in shooting sports.
3. The NRA is the strongest pro-RKBA organization ever conceived in human history.
4. What is it...$35 freakin' bucks per year? What is your freedom worth?

 

[TomN]

Life member here also. I don't agree with everything they do but I support them because they do a lot right. I just wish they were a little less willing to compromise on some issues. That's why I'm also a member of GOA.