Non NRA friends

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zzzippper

zzzippper

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What do you say to friends that love their guns and their gun rights but won't pony up $25 to help protect them? Do you just write it off to individual choice? Is it not worth getting into with a friend?

Just like when defending joining the union at work I just say "I don't mind supporting those that protect my rights." and leave it at that. I don't think anything will change their minds.
 
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Not being in NRA doesn't mean nothing being done to protect gun rights. Non members can write to senators, congress men, presidents as well as members. Their are other groups associated with gun rights.

What The NRA's Wayne Lapierre Gets Paid To Defend Guns - Forbes
In 2010 that wasn't enough to cover expenses. In total, they spent $243.5 million, leaving a $15 million shortfall, at least that year, which was cushioned by assets of $37.5 million.

Where did all the money go? About $33 million went to salaries and wages (not including the top brass), $28 million went to advertising and promotions. By far the biggest items were membership outreach: $57 million for membership communications, $24 million for printing and shipping, $16 million for educational programs. Just about $10 million went to the NRA's lobbying arm, the Institute for Legislative Action.
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This is something I feel pretty strongly about.If everyone sat and did nothing we would have lost our guns long ago.I started years ago as a member then to Lifetime and on to Endowment member,I attend Friends of NRA Banquets and take and encourage friends.I have a lot of young cousins and their friends who like to hunt with me,this year the rule will be "show me your membership card or money for me to get you one".Our freedoms are threatened now as never before since 1775.
 
armenius said:
This is something I feel pretty strongly about.If everyone sat and did nothing we would have lost our guns long ago.I started years ago as a member then to Lifetime and on to Endowment member,I attend Friends of NRA Banquets and take and encourage friends.I have a lot of young cousins and their friends who like to hunt with me,this year the rule will be "show me your membership card or money for me to get you one".Our freedoms are threatened now as never before since 1775.
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I choose not to join because of personal reasons. Money has nothing to do with it. Just because someone is not a member doesn't mean they are not a gun supporter. I believe the right to bear arms is right up there at the top.

BUT, the NRA may just support some elected officials that are in direct conflict with other rights that I hold even more dear....(with out getting into religion and politics), THEREFORE I choose not to join... ;)

Same thing with my realtor political action committee (not a member). Of course I want my agenda promoted but not at the expense of other rights I hold closer to my heart, that could be diminished by elected officials.
 
$57 million for membership communications.

This is why I am no longer a member. I suspect a huge portion of that $57 million is for the constant requests for early renewal begining within two or three months after you just joined. Plus all the silly silver bullets, hats, coins, dvds, etc. If they were to stop with all that nonsense I might reconsider.
 
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My take, any organization....any, right down to the local PTA,
is going to have people that don't agree with everything they do. But at the end of the day, they need to see the big picture, and what the organization stands for and has accomplished.
For me, if the NRA had failed decades ago, all our gun safes would be empty, or we would all be criminals. The gun grabbers would have won long ago in their agenda to disarm law abiding citizens.
 
lrb1200 said:
My take, any organization....any, right down to the local PTA,
is going to have people that don't agree with everything they do. But at the end of the day, they need to see the big picture, and what the organization stands for and has accomplished.
For me, if the NRA had failed decades ago, all our gun safes would be empty, or we would all be criminals. The gun grabbers would have won long ago in their agenda to disarm law abiding citizens.
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I do see the bigger picture and have realized that I can't have it both ways...;)
 
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The NRA is a PAC or political action committee which supports political campaigns. PAC's and the money they raise have created a class of politician that no longer cares what the average American cares about. They only care about what the PAC cares about because that's where the money is to fund a campaign. PAC's and the big money that is dumped into them have replaced the non-voting public which is about 50% of eligible voters. Generally the public doesn't like the system of campaign finance but most feel they can't do anything about it so they don't vote. So essentially we have PAC's and big money special interest groups running and ruining the political system because people won't vote. If people would just vote for their interests PAC's and their special interest money would not be the deciding factor in an election. All of that money, no matter if it came from Bloomberg or the NRA, would not be able to defeat a block of voters voting their interests.

I'm not singling out the NRA here other than to point out that they are a PAC. I don't belong to the NRA because of that. I think if people want to change something they don't like they need to become informed voters and vote. That is the way the political system in this country was set up and it worked just fine for 200 years without PAC's.

You really don't need the NRA or any other PAC for that matter but you do need to vote.
 
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dougb1946 said:
Not being in NRA doesn't mean nothing being done to protect gun rights. Non members can write to senators, congress men, presidents as well as members.
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They could write their congressman, but they don't. I agree with zzzippper on this one.

LostintheOzone said:
The NRA is a PAC or political action committee which supports political campaigns.
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No, this is completely wrong. The NRA has two divisions; the NRA and the NRA-ILA. The NRA-ILA is indeed designed and works as a PAC and lobbyists.

The main function of the NRA though is to teach marksmanship. In 1871 several leaders recognized that the Civil War was only won through sheer numbers; the North had more. Had the South been better organized and had more numbers, the North didn't stand a chance. Why? Because the marksmanship of Northern troops was so poor. Thus, the NRA was founded to ensure that the populace of the US had at least an opportunity to learn how to shoot. The idea was that if the militia were ever needed, they wouldn't be starting from zero learning to shoot.

The US is still the most free society in the world. As such, I support anyone's decision to not join the NRA. However, if the only reason you're not joining is due to politics, think again and see all the other benefits the NRA gives us.

I'm an NRA member and yet I don't support the NRA-ILA with donations. All my donations go to the NRA.
 
I am amazed at the number of posters on this very thread who are not NRA Members. Name one organization who has lobbied harder for our gun rights and been more effective in quickly mobilizing public opinion and the resulting pressure on the various state and federal congresses. Another poster above compared it to joining a union which also amazes me because those organizations typically{not always, but most of the time} support and try to elect the anti-gun/anti-gun rights politicians. I would guess that not all hold our freedoms at the same high level and are willing to put other thoughts/things ahead. Not wanting to start a fight or cause trouble, just my 2 cents. That thought and a couple of bucks will buy you coffee in most places.
 
Joe Kent said:
I am amazed at the number of posters on this very thread who are not NRA Members. Name one organization who has lobbied harder for our gun rights and been more effective in quickly mobilizing public opinion and the resulting pressure on the various state and federal congresses. Another poster above compared it to joining a union which also amazes me because those organizations typically{not always, but most of the time} support and try to elect the anti-gun/anti-gun rights politicians. I would guess that not all hold our freedoms at the same high level and are willing to put other thoughts/things ahead. Not wanting to start a fight or cause trouble, just my 2 cents. That thought and a couple of bucks will buy you coffee in most places.
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I'm also not looking to start a fight or cause a problem but along the same lines look how many people here have hundreds of posts but won't contribute to this site. Someone awhile back was giving away a free membership if he could get 10 people to sign on. He struggled for quite awhile just to get ten sign ups with thousands of people using this site.
 
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Jim1392 said:
I'm also not looking to start a fight or cause a problem but along the same lines look how many people here have hundreds of posts but won't contribute to this site. Someone awhile back was giving away a free membership if he could get 10 people to sign on. He struggled for quite awhile just to get ten sign ups with thousands of people using this site.
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Good point...However I would like to become a low level paid member....Fixed income but A could afford a bronze membership and would consider it well worth the cost. When I inquired I was informed that paid membership was trough pay-pal...I dropped pay-pal years ago..I understand that you can pay trough pay-pal even tough you are not a PP member..How????? Maybe a post that explains it to a old guy in old time words how to do it...Or better yet why can't we just pay by CC on the site......Or how can we just send a M.O. directly to the site...I don't care about doing away with the adds. they don't bother me. However I do think the forum is worth a donation, well worth it...I find the forum worth the cost..I enjoy and have really found the info from members very informative. Nice people and a fair site...Actually the same reason I still belong to the NRA even though I wonder sometimes about what it cost the NRA for all the direct sales...I do understand the NRA's job has become more evolved due to the concealed carry issue. In the old days that wasn't even a consideration......
 
zzzippper said:
What do you say to friends that love their guns and their gun rights but won't pony up $25 to help protect them? Do you just write it off to individual choice? Is it not worth getting into with a friend?

Just like when defending joining the union at work I just say "I don't mind supporting those that protect my rights." and leave it at that. I don't think anything will change their minds.
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I haven't been a member of the NRA in years. We only have one common cause, and I rarely agree with their aims and methods. I also don't donate to the United Way, since despite the oft-stated claim that all the money stays local, it all doesn't, and I don't agree with many of the charities the United Way. If I want to support a specific entity or cause, I give them money, or time or both, and speak for myself.
 
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I'm not a member of the NRA, because I disagree with their extremist positions.
 
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