NRA Or Not

[Mot45acp]

Ok this is my first time with a thread. Are you a member of the NRA? If so why? Do you choose not to be a member? Why?

Me I choose not. Reason: I dont feel I need to pay to join a organization to have a hobby. I agree with a lot they do, but i also disagree with some of the stuff they do. Then there is the $$$ issue they take in a lot of revenue but thier output doesnt justify it (IMHO) so I wonder who is getting all the $$$?
All input even if you disagree with me 100% are apreciated. Heck you may even change my mind.

 

[Justin]

Absolutely.

Not only are they the governing body for more than one form of competitive shooting, they also engage in teaching people proper firearms handling, and lobby on the behalf of all gunowners.

No, they aren't perfect, but every gun owner should be a member of the NRA at the very least.

 

[WT]

I think this subject comes up on THR every 3 months or so.

 

[Mot45acp]

Didnt know

Sorry i didnt know this was a common subject. I havent really dug through the archives. But comments are apreciated. I am addicted to THR it took me months to find a site like this. Not a fan of the other site AR!$.com and TFL never approved or denied me for membership, so I dont visit any more.

 

[slzy]

i have had my doubts why we need a lobby to maintain our rights,but after the Brazil referendum,where the gun grabbers attributed their defeat to the NRA,i am happy and proud to be a life member.

 

[rick_reno]

I'm not a member. On my fixed VA disability (Vietnam vet) I don't have enough money this year to join. I was a member last year, but with gas/etc. prices where they there is no way I can afford it. I assure you, if I had $25 in disposable income I'd be a member in a minute. Sometimes neighbors/friends give me a magazine or two, I read them cover to cover.

 

[jpmc]

Donated $1500 this year and still get 2 or 3 calls a week. This is getting old. Seems like every time someone says they don't like guns, I get an emergency call telling me they need more money. Besides that, I didn't get my magazine for the last 2 months. Thats my whine,and I'm sticking to it.

 

[aerod1]

Yes, I am a PROUD member of the NRA. Is the NRA perfect? No. Neither is my church or my union, but I still give my money. The NRA is the strongest organization in the world protecting the rights of gun owners. I really believe, were it not for the NRA, we would not enjoy our gun rights, as we know them today. The anti gun lobby is a well funded group. We must fight dollars with dollars. Yes, I gladly give money to the NRA and the TSRA (an NRA affiliate)!
Mot45acp,
I obviously disagree with your stance (or lack thereof). IMHO, if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

Respectfully,

Jim

 

[MountainPeak]

The correct answer is, OF COURSE!

 

[TexasRifleman]

I dont feel I need to pay to join a organization to have a hobby.

Some of us don't feel like the Second Amendment is a hobby.

If all shooting and firarms are to you are hobbies, then I feel sorry for you that you don't have a greater understanding of the history and politics of the nation in which you live and how firearms and the Second Amendment relate to that.

So, you just stay out of NRA, and those of us that believe this is all more than a hobby will continue to support and protect YOUR rights. We don't mind, we've been doing it for years anyway.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

I dont feel I need to pay to join a organization to have a hobby

Do you consider the NRA to be a hobby organization, or a Civil Rights organization?

So far as political bang for your buck, the very fact that anti-gunners consider the NRA to be Mother of All Abominations goes a long way towards convincing me. There are other organizations which do good work, which I also support, but the NRA is the major lobbyist for gun rights in the U.S. Every time anti-gun legislation fails, or pro-gun legislation goes through, the newspapers are filled with "it's the NRA's fault" rants. How many folks can even name the lobbying groups that push big money for oil, agriculture, manufacturing? Yet the group who represents gun owners, not the gun industry (which is lobbied by the NSSF), is a household name.

What is it that you find objectionable about the NRA? Does this disinterest have a political component?

It is unfortunate that the NRA has a right-wing reputation. On tons of Democratic Underground discussion boards, you will see people posting "I own several pistols and rifles, but I would never, ever join the NRA." And these aren't necessarily "duck-hunting shotgun" owners either, but pro-2A folks who are ticked that the NRA supports anti-drug, anti-abortion, anti-social welfare politicians.

The NRA has supported pro-gun Democratics, have they not? It's very tricky to not come across as partisan when the vast majority of politicians supporting the 2A are in the Republican party.

I'd be interested to hear the details of your objections to the NRA.

-MV

 

[Lupinus]

Cash has been extremely short so right now my support of my rights is yelling at the tv while I have CSPAN on

But seriously they are a good thing. They may not do all I think they could, heck the ACLU seems to send a lawyer everytime someone gets ticked off about a cross be cool if everytime someone got stuck in court for defending themselves an organization sent them a lawyer too. But they are the good guys and one of the few things standing between you and the gun grabbers.

 

[jeremywills]

The only reason I joined was that Taurus USA provided a free one year membership with my Millenium Pro 9mm handgun purchase, I figured this was a way to check it out, see what if anything it was beneficial to me, after the one year, I may or may not continue with it, for free I figured why not. I have yet to recieve the stuff in the mail so I can not comment on it at this time however. I hope its worth my effort. From what I understand it will be. Anyone willing to help protect my rights is an ally in my book.

 

[Lupinus]

I do hear though that they do ask for extra money....ALOT. But I also hear that you can call them and be put on some sorta list so they wont send you mail as much.

 

[Rembrandt]

2nd Amendment is constantly under assault, you can either help protect it or watch it fade away. While others like to ride in the comfort of the wagon, I choose to help pull the wagon to insure it's there for my grandchildren. LIfe NRA and proud of it.

 

[antsi]

Reason: I dont feel I need to pay to join a organization to have a hobby.

Firearms ownership is an important freedom, not just a hobby. There are people actively working to take away that freedom. Even if it's just a hobby to you, recognize that it is something that you could lose.

Then there is the $$$ issue they take in a lot of revenue but thier output doesnt justify it (IMHO) so I wonder who is getting all the $$$?

$35 per year is pretty extravagant, I have to admit
Heck, you could almost get a subscription to a good gun magazine for that money.
Oh, wait. I forgot. You do get a subscription to a good gun magazine for your NRA dues, plus a whole lot more.
Political action is expensive. The opposition is spending millions to take away your guns, Mot45acp.
That is not to mention all the youth activities, instructor certification, competitions, and all the billion and one other things the NRA does to support the shooting sports.

I agree with a lot they do, but i also disagree with some of the stuff they do.

What exactly do you disagree with? Whatever it is, are you sure you're really informed on what the NRA did on that issue? Or are you just buying a bunch of anti-NRA propaganda?

Bottom line: the NRA is working to preserve your gun rights, whether you support them or not. Your choice is between being a contributor to something that benefits you, or being a freeloader.

 

[Mot45acp]

response

Aerod your input is apreciated (spell check) correct me if i misquote (dunno how to use the quote feature) You believe that if it werent for the NRA we would be disarmed? I am interested in this I havent heard it put like this before. Could you elaborate please. I do understand the fighting dollars with dollars. That makes a lot of cents
For those who are vetrans to the gun thing, please bear with me I am fairly new to the political aspect of it as well as other areas and uneducated in the subject. I have only been doing this for 3 years or so. The people here seem to be decent knowlegable (might wanna spell check that one too)freedom loving Americans. That is the reason I started this thread, to obtain information.
Thank You
Tom

 

[FPrice]

Me I choose not. Reason: I dont feel I need to pay to join a organization to have a hobby. I agree with a lot they do, but i also disagree with some of the stuff they do. Then there is the $$$ issue they take in a lot of revenue but thier output doesnt justify it (IMHO) so I wonder who is getting all the $$$?

The short answer is that your "hobby" is still under constant attack by those who feel that you and I and about 80,000,000 other gun owners are too irresponsible to participate in said "hobby" and that our "toys" should be taken away from us. I consider owning firearms much more than just a hobby. It is a right that a free man/woman has and only a dictator who is afraid of his subjects would try to take away.

 

[MountainPeak]

Donated $1500 this year and still get 2 or 3 calls a week. This is getting old. Seems like every time someone says they don't like guns, I get an emergency call telling me they need more money. Besides that, I didn't get my magazine for the last 2 months. Thats my whine,and I'm sticking to it.

Thanks for your donations. Make it $1525 and they will leave you alone. Seriously, I'm told you can contact them and stop calls. My stock answer to those that whine about letters/phone calls, and state it as reason NOT to belong to the NRA is this: How tough is it to say "no thanks" to a call and hang up, or "throw" a letter in the trash? I wonder what our Founding Fathers would think about the TERRIBLE inconvenience you are being subjected to? I guess SCARIFICE means something different today.

 

[Shel]

I am not a member of the NRA... but I am planning on signing up pretty soon. As soon as I get my car insurance paid and my checking account recovered from it.

 

[lowracer]

I'll join any organization that p***es off the Brady Bunch.

 

[antsi]

You believe that if it werent for the NRA we would be disarmed? I am interested in this I havent heard it put like this before. Could you elaborate please.

Oh, sure. They aren't trying to take our guns away. They just want to make sure that all guns are registered and all gun owners are licensed... Just like in England... oh, wait. They DID take away the English people's guns, didn't they?

It doesn't necessarily have to be the NRA to protect our gun owner rights. It could be any large national organization with millions of members, a powerful political lobbying operation, teams of highly specialized lawyers, years of legislative experience, multiple media outlets to get the message out, and a high public profile. Let's see... what organizations fit that description?

 

[adaman04]

Life Member here. Why do I trust the NRA to use my money to help me keep my guns? Cause hell, ain't nobody else gonna do it. I love gun legislation, it makes us so much safer and I sleep great at night knowing I don't need that 9mm on my nightstand. But, I think I'll keep it there just the same.

 

[Trip20]

Mot, take a trip to the NRA Headquarters in Fairfax, VA. You'll understand that your money would be well spent.

Me I choose not. Reason: I dont feel I need to pay to join a organization to have a hobby.

Joining the NRA by paying membership dues, does not mean your doing so "to have a hobby." I agree, having a hobby does not mandate joining any organization. I find it difficult to believe you feel the only reason people join the NRA is because of a "hobby."

However, if you care about the Second Amendment you owe it to yourself to join. You might not agree with every position taken by the organization, but the fact remains that every segment of popular society is positioned to be primarily anti-gun, and without the NRA and its efforts things would be much worse for gun-rights people than they are now.

If you like guns and want to keep them, join the NRA, it's that simple. If you need more convincing than that… Well, then I don’t know what to tell ya. Instead, I’ll ask you a question:

What do you do to help preserve 2A rights?

Of course you can always sit back and enjoy your 2A rights at the expense of people like me, and organizations like the NRA.

 

[Gunpacker]

Yes NRA!!!

Without the NRA, today you would not be able to be a hobby shooter, or have a firearm for any reason, including protection for your family. Just think how effective peta, and other anti gun groups would be without any effective voice of reason. The Second Amendment would have been relegated to the dustbin as out of date, not related to modern life, and meant for the national guard anyway. Wake up and join if you value your rights to own a firearm or believe that the Constitution is important.