Your Thoughts on the NRA

[ARTiger]

Apologies if this irks the tin foil hat wearing members, but here's how I see it:

NRA = Sensible, well thought out manipulation of the political process by applying immense resources both overtly and behind the scenes to further our cause. Political pros consider the NRA-ILA the MOST effective lobby in the country above even the petro-chemical and drug industries.

GOA, Ron Paul contingent, et al = Petulant children with a we want it all and won't comprimise an inch. On your 18th. birthday you should be able to buy any firearm available, even full auto, NFA items, etc. without background checks, FFL's etc. Result: An all or nothing approach yields nothing. Rant and rave, call it "sticking to principles" etc. but effectively, it's just noise and politicos take it as a fringe group with an extreme viewpoint and not only ignore, but avoid like the plague.

NRA on the other hand is very effective in the real world. They are expert vote counters in house and senate debates, know what levers to pull and how to get done the maximum which realistically we can get at the time. Then they move on and start chipping away again. More of an eat the elephant one bite at a time approach.

Sentimentally, my heart is with the pure 2A viewpoints that firearms should not be restricted generally except with common sense limitations. HOWEVER, I know realistically that the NRA's approach works and has worked for years. My money and support go there versus running really fast on the "no compromise" hamster wheel which sometimes passes up potential wins for RKBA if every single one of our objectives cannot be gained immediately.

I have 3 young children, 2 are "fit-pitchers" the third is a master manipulator (at age 5). Guess which one gets what they want most of the time?
ART

 

[geronimotwo]

i saw one of their adds that seemed to be more pro-nra than pro-gun. that always makes me wonder.

 

[Supertac45]

Upgrade your N.R.A.

I just upgraded my membership from Endowment to Patron level, signed my wife up for Life Membership, and bought 3 annuals for friends yesterday.

 

[gcerbone]

NRA = more good then bad.

They are struggling to be a "mainstream" organization. They are by far the most powerful gun lobby in Washington. It makes sense to support them for that reason if for no other.

 

[Mac45]

Life member.
No, they aren't perfect, and I don't think we should sweep their failings under the rug, but we need to be united, and they're our best bet.

 

[EricTheBarbarian]

this makes them sound pretty bad, but i still think theyre better than the brady bunch on the second amendment.

 

[Chui]

"Chui- I am not trying to pick a fight here. But I have some questions.

Do GOA, JPFO, CCRKBA, have ANY training arms? No. This is a BIGGIE.

Are they as well respected/feared in Washington? No.

So why the heck do we attack the biggest most effective thing we have, just because it isn't perfect?

Look, I personally am an absolutist, but a realist as well.

I have sat and chatted with a fellow THR member who spent a lot of time on the hill. According to this member, the NRA had lobbyists around somewhere most of the time. GOA? They never seemed to have a lobbyist pulling face time anywhere.

So what did I do? I joined and support both.

Until someone comes along with a better idea what else can you/I do?

The counrty isn't ready for a full return to the Constitution yet, much as most on this board would like. Nor is it bad enough for a second civil war. Just look at the election results. As gun owners, we shot ourselves/got shot in the butt, and good. The "CHANGE, regardless of direction" mandate that this country seems to have voted on was an assinine move. Folks are still thinking/voting with hearts instead of heads. Until this changes, we won't get anywhere nationally."

Ben, I understand you on the training issue, but that's not as big a deal as you may assume. The CONSTITUTION is all - not just the 2nd Amendment or the GOP Party Line or fill in the blank.

No, GOA is not as feared because most Gun Owners are far more ignorant than they perceive themselves to be and I do not mean this in a disrespectful manner. If you lose the Constitution - and we are under Martial Law - they will do whatever they damn well please. And what pleases them is what the elitist snobs of the UN decide and write about - you know, the papers that not more than 1 in 10,000 are even remotely interested in? Then, lo and behold, the "liberals" will parrot the contents of the documents and the "moderates" will take only a few (but the linchpins of the concept) and introduce them. The "sheepdipped" NRA will then work in committee with the sponsors to refine the legislation. This is wholly unacceptable.

We KNOW that registration precedes confiscation yet the NRA was a BIG proponent for Insta-Check...

We KNOW that any legislation that infringes upon honest, law-abiding citizens to purchase, trade, sell, keep or carry personal arms is unlawful yet the NRA encourages Congress to enforce the 10,000 "laws" already on the books.

Ben, this is managed competition and not more than 1 out of 20,000 US gunowners seem to be aware of it.

Congress SHOULD NOT FEAR GOA because Congress has assisted in the funding of the NRA. How so? They always mentioned the NRA as if it were the ONLY gun rights group so every soundbite is "NRA, NRA, NRA" so every idiot will spout off as if they know about the NRA; as if the NRA is, oh my, the only game in town supporting the "gun nuts". And this works like a charm because people joined in droves in the early 90s. Members tried to explain Charlton Heston's postions in '68 (while they should have been studying the NRA's position before they paid their membership dues...) as well has his position on citizens and AKMs.

I'm sorry; you're looking at a Trojan Horse. And like Troy before us we, too, shall fall. Read the comments. Speak with your range members. They all sound alike: "It can't happen here"; "the NRA won't allow..."; "the UN will never take my guns"; "Homeland Security wouldn't do that"; "the US gov't wouldn't do that". I'm sick of the superficiality. As long as we skim the surface of everything we will lose as surely as water is wet.

REMEMBER ME. REMEMBER MY STATED POSITIONS. REMEMBER MY PROJECTIONS.

 

[Soybomb]

By the way, the standard annual cost of NRA membership is $35 a year. Of that amount, $25 pays for the magazine subscription. So what remains is $10 a year to staff the NRA and pay the bills. If you don't want a magazine, membership costs $10 a year.

I did not know that. I might sign up now https://membership.nrahq.org/forms/signup.asp

I'm not a huge fan of the NRA and much prefer JPFO as far as ideology, but I also recognize that the mainstream view of them is probably that they're wackadoos and that it will limit their effectiveness.

 

[Linda]

My question to everyone who wants to bitch about the NRA....,when's the last time you sat in the seat next to your state's NRA-ILA liaison in your Statehouse??? Until you've done that, and seen up close and personal what they do, then you have no business complaining about what they do. If you'd get personally involved in the actual political process, you would see that it's a series of "give and take" to get the political process through. We will NEVER get everything we want, all at once. That's just the reality of politics. But not supporting the organizations that are doing the most is just plain ignorant.

:banghead:

I will say one thing, I am the only person in the State of Ohio who can claim to have sat in every single hearing in the Statehouse for our recently passed concealed carry reform bill. I sat and worked hand in hand with John Hohenwarter, our NRA-ILA liaison. If it were not for Buckeye Firearms AND the NRA we would not have gotten our bill passed.

Get involved, and quit complaining about what you don't know about the NRA!

 

[Chui]

LINDA, part of the problem is the "way we do business". One cannot compromise with an entity that wishes you to be disarmed. What in God's name can you compromise on? A slingshot? Oh, how about a musket with a leaded barrel?

I know that the NRA advocates things I do not approve of and I know damned well that no one in their right mind would support registration (of the PERSON now...) which the NRA correctly once advertised was a big step forward for confiscation.

If you cannot see this you are already blind.

 

[beretta9]

I think if some members put as much effort in fighting for our rights as trying to tear down the NRA, our most powerful gun advocate in the U.S. we would be making the Brady bunch shake in their boots.

 

[RNB65]

I am a member of the NRA and will continue to be until the day I die.

 

[Silver Bullet]

The NRA is the only organization that makes a difference.

Recent examples include getting the Senate to not renew the AWB as as add-on to the bill to provide protection to the gun industry, and forcing the city of New Orleans to stop confiscating firearms.

Can your beer do that ?

 

[JohnBT]

"It's called "Managed Competition", folks... You THINK they best represent your interests, but the facts speak for themselves."

They do represent many of my interests. I will add that you have a fascinating way of spinning the facts to suit your agenda. And you obviously do have an agenda.

John

 

[Art Eatman]

Chui--and others--consider this: If you don't have the votes, what do you do?

Until recent years, we--and the NRA--hasn't had the votes. Only votes count. You can holler, "Constitution!" all you want, but only the votes in Congress or in a state capitol count. You can be as hard core as you want to be, but if you don't have the votes you're done for.

The NRA has done a magnificent job of delaying and persuading, these last forty years. Only in the last ten years or so have we been able to begin to change things in the states and in Congress.

That's "begin" to change. Our rights weren't taken in one swell foop. We won't get them back in any sort of "Poof! Your rights are restored!" manner, either.

And, really, if you don't put out the sort of effort that folks like Linda have, you're just blowing smoke about the whole "rights" deal, anyway. If you really and truly believed in your rights, you'd be doing your own lobbying, instead of keyboarding against those who work in your behalf.

Art

 

[camacho]

Amen to everything you said Art. Could not have said it better myself!

 

[SoCalShooter]

NRA is a good organisation in my opinion. They are a lobby and they do what I cannot always have time to do and that is lobby, thats what I pay them for is to lobby my opinions about guns. Everyone blames the NRA, that is just the organization, basically they are blaming us gun owners who make up the organization.

 

[Soybomb]

Art, I can only speak for myself but I'm not sure the NRA is interested in nibbling back our rights. I see threads like this http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=271290 and think they're more interested in "reasonable compromise" and would be willing to surrender more instead of holding their ground.

 

[Chui]

"Art, I can only speak for myself but I'm not sure the NRA is interested in nibbling back our rights. I see threads like this http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=271290 and think they're more interested in "reasonable compromise" and would be willing to surrender more instead of holding their ground."

But there are precious few who are mature enough to accept this because it requires even greater personal responsibility.

The NRA is widely acknowledged as "the only group that matters" soley because they are constantly being referred to by the opposition - thus creating a false opponent - and opponent who is fine with regulation but NOT in exercising the 2nd Amendment as intended.

We're wrestling with a python here. He can take his time because he's larger, more powerful and WILL wear you down.

This is not a matter of politics, but one of Statesmanship. Anything else is, in fact, allowing Evil to flourish in places it has no right to be.

There's no compromising with a murderer intent on murdering. Likewise, there is no compromise with an elitist system that wants you TOTALLY DISARMED.

History WILL prove me correct - unless we get our collective heads around this and demand a CONSTITUTIONALLY LIMITED REPUBLICAN FORM OF GOV'T.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

I support the NRA 100%. Yes, every organization has its flaws, however I recognize this and am glad to strengthen the best recognized prize fighter for American's firearms rights in this country.

 

[Fburgtx]

NRA Life Member

Politicians all want one of two things: Money or Votes.
When congessional, senate, presidential candidates look at the numbers of votes that are for or against them (based on their gun stance), they look at state rifle association membership numbers and NRA numbers. By joining these organizations, you are in a sense telling these politicians how many votes they can count on having for or against them based on their position on guns. If more of you lazy/grumpy guys would join, we would have way more political power. How many anti-gun presidential candidates would there be if they knew that 20 million (instead of the NRA's current 4 million) voters were going to vote against them based on this one issue.

"But I don't want to spend $25 on a membership" or "I don't like getting letters asking for money". FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!! People fought and died for your rights, and you can't even spare a few bucks or put up with a few solicitations for money??? "From my cold dead fingers" my a**!!! They'll pry them out of your "fingers" while you sit in front of your computer drinking a cold beer, muttering some nonsense on this forum about how you don't agree with every single little thing the NRA does!

Here's a thought. I'm tired of pulling around some you guys' dead weight! Plenty of us contribute to the NRA and our state rifle associations, while some of you go out and blow $1000 on an AR15 or a Kimber 1911 (while at the same time griping about dues that don't cost any more than a box of ammo). Quit complaining and start chipping in!!

 

[Chui]

Then carry on. You will rue your choices shortly. Mark my words.

It will be interesting once the Democrats get in office and the NRA compromises on issues. It will be funny/sad to hear/read "but it would have been worse ifthe NRA wasn't involved." Really? All one had to do was switch your support to the organization that better reflects what the Anti-Federalists intended and write the NRA explaining why you no longer support them.

This is how nations (i.e., peoples) fall.

 

[GoRon]

Life Member here.

I appreciate all the folks for whom "good" isn't good enough and demand "perfect".

Truth be told though for every compromise that the NRA has made they have also been at the forefront of our successes. Looking at the state of CCW across the country I believe our successes have been out pacing our setbacks lately.

In the political arena the process is like the proverbial sausage factory. Not very pretty.

Don't let the perfect become the enemy of the good.

 

[Chad]

I recently became a GOA Life member.
Partly because their ideas and policies suit me better, but mostly because they need my support more than the NRA does.
If we have 2, or more, effective organizations it can only help us in the long run.

Those of you who disparage anyone that doesn't join the NRA, calling them blind and ignorant, do a disservice to all of us who fight for our rights in other ways.

Here we are again, fighting amongst ourselves...

 

[dzimmerm]

I am a NRA member. If you don't want as many mailings you can request that you be put on a restricted mailings list. I did this after receiving a DVD I did not order and subsequent requests for payments for something I did not order.

I think the NRA is a reasonable organization. It is trying its best to represent american gun owners. American gun owners are not a cohesive lot. You have hunters, you have target shooters, you have collectors of all kinds, you have people interested only in self defense, you have others that are mainly interested in pure second ammendment issues. The NRA tries to support all of these groups.

I think they do a fair job, well worth the money spent.

dzimmerm