I don’t buy the “big dog in the room” anymore. They can go back to their original task and leave the fight to GOA, SAF, and others.
Your Thoughts on the NRA Today?
- Thread starter JeffKnox
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Super Trucker
Member
I was offered a jacket in the 90's when I bought the lifetime membership, I told them to keep it and they did. I am now an endowment member but have stopped sending the NRA money, I do send the ILA a yearly check still.
You do realize that the $80 jacket they offered you cost them pennies, right? When they buy them in overseas container quantities from China, the cost is minimal.
They sent me a cheap Chinese knife once.....Tossed it in the trash........Why waste postage to send junk nobody wants??......As I said earlier....Use all monies for what we stand for.
Super Trucker
Member
Ok but the other side is, why are you making them waste postage to annoy you?
If you had just paid the membership, told them to not send any "gifts", went to the members page and checked the do not solicit box they wouldn't have to waste money doing what you should do on your own.
I've not received a call or piece if mail from them since the 90's.
I've posted about this as have others, so it isn't a secret.
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I've been a member since the early '60s and a life member since the '70s. It's been quite a few years since I've received any phone calls / solicitations or junk mail from the NRA.
I agree....
Give us a sizeable donation above what you pay for dues and get this Chinese hunk of **** FREE!!!!
That's exactly what I said about not wanting to be members of organizations because everything changes and usually not for the better. I am very much hoping for a turnaround in the NRA.
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Give us a sizeable donation above what you pay for dues and get this Chinese hunk of **** FREE!!!!
That's exactly what I said about not wanting to be members of organizations because everything changes and usually not for the better. I am very much hoping for a turnaround in the NRA.
1. Yes I'm a current member.
2. Yes I'm currently contributing.
3. I think NRA is still the 800 pound gorilla when lobbying our politicians for gun rights.
5. Integrity, integrity, integrity. The previous NRA administration tainted their message. This allows "the opposition" to more easily ignore us. You MUST fix the integrity issue so that gun owners' voices are head loud and clear!
2. Yes I'm currently contributing.
3. I think NRA is still the 800 pound gorilla when lobbying our politicians for gun rights.
5. Integrity, integrity, integrity. The previous NRA administration tainted their message. This allows "the opposition" to more easily ignore us. You MUST fix the integrity issue so that gun owners' voices are head loud and clear!
If you notice. I am a contribting member here........Money well spent.
pantannojack
US Veteran
I enlisted NRA 40 years ago and have up graded Life Membership many times. In the early years I thirsted for the technical articles as I was new to modern rifle shooting. Later I discovered NRA National Match High Power Rifle game and value the categories, classifications and record keeping. I don't sweat the small stuff. I'm here to stay.
CaptainDoRight
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NRA Today
Jeff, Congratulations on becoming a board member of NRA. Your post is clear evidence that you take the position seriously. I look forward to significant improvement in the NRA (and it has been in need of that for some time).
To answer your questions:
1. Current or past NRA member? Joined in 1955 to participate in the NRA "Safe Hunter" program (I still have the patch). Very active participant in the Junior Marksman program. Dropped membership when I joined the Coast Guard in 1962. Rejoined NRA around 1994 when I retired from the CG. Life Member since 2008.
2. Financially contributing to the NRA now? Retired military pay does not leave much room for extra spending in these days of high prices.
3. NA
4. Why? There is only so much $ to go around, so I have to prioritize. I spent what I might have given to the NRA to become a Life Member of the Second Amendment Foundation because, at the time, the NRA was slipping. The 2AF has become a leader in the cause. I hope the NRA can catch back up. Each organization has a place in the fight, and we should not pitch one against the other.
5. Internal issues?
A. Reduce the Board size. It should be made up only of those dedicated to setting the overall policies of NRA (and ensuring that the "leadership and staff" carries out those policies). Break off those who have other interests and create committees where they can apply their interests and expertise without bogging down the Board.
B. I appreciate the need for constant fund raising (shucks, I am having to deal with ads at the bottom of this forum screen as I type this. Not to mention the ads in the left margin). But the present methods NRA uses leave a lot to be desired. Offering junk incentives is a waste of the money being raised.
C. Get back to making NRA the premier educational organization in the firearms arena (at every level). Youth programs should be a very high priority. Providing some financial help for those wanting to become certified firearms instructors rather than letting those already certified set the cost of classes might make a difference in the number of people willing to become certified.
Jeff, Congratulations on becoming a board member of NRA. Your post is clear evidence that you take the position seriously. I look forward to significant improvement in the NRA (and it has been in need of that for some time).
To answer your questions:
1. Current or past NRA member? Joined in 1955 to participate in the NRA "Safe Hunter" program (I still have the patch). Very active participant in the Junior Marksman program. Dropped membership when I joined the Coast Guard in 1962. Rejoined NRA around 1994 when I retired from the CG. Life Member since 2008.
2. Financially contributing to the NRA now? Retired military pay does not leave much room for extra spending in these days of high prices.
3. NA
4. Why? There is only so much $ to go around, so I have to prioritize. I spent what I might have given to the NRA to become a Life Member of the Second Amendment Foundation because, at the time, the NRA was slipping. The 2AF has become a leader in the cause. I hope the NRA can catch back up. Each organization has a place in the fight, and we should not pitch one against the other.
5. Internal issues?
A. Reduce the Board size. It should be made up only of those dedicated to setting the overall policies of NRA (and ensuring that the "leadership and staff" carries out those policies). Break off those who have other interests and create committees where they can apply their interests and expertise without bogging down the Board.
B. I appreciate the need for constant fund raising (shucks, I am having to deal with ads at the bottom of this forum screen as I type this. Not to mention the ads in the left margin). But the present methods NRA uses leave a lot to be desired. Offering junk incentives is a waste of the money being raised.
C. Get back to making NRA the premier educational organization in the firearms arena (at every level). Youth programs should be a very high priority. Providing some financial help for those wanting to become certified firearms instructors rather than letting those already certified set the cost of classes might make a difference in the number of people willing to become certified.
1) Annual dues paying member for over 35 years (with a couple of short, unintentional lapses)
2) Regular contributor
3) I've always believed the NRA was the 800-pound gorilla in the fight for the 2nd Amendment. Not a perfect organization, but the one that the anti-gun folks always attack. I judge people and organizations as much by their enemies as by their friends. The vitriol that the anti-2nd Amendment crowd has always directed at the NRA has always convinced me that the NRA is worthy of my support. If the antiu-2nd Amendment folks are so united in being against the NRA, that is reason enough to support the NRA IMO - despite any and all flaws the organization may have had.
4) Nothing holding me back from my support for the NRA. The fact that the Association is undergoing reform to address past issues is just one more reason to continue my support.
5) Cronyism. Over the years the Association developed too much of a "good ole' boys" syndrome. IMO, Wayne LaPierre did a LOT of good for the NRA in the early years of his tenure. He helped grow the Association membership to unprecedented levels. However, due to the length of his time at the helm of the organization, the focus eventually became more about maintaining the status quo, rather than gaining new ground in the fight for our rights. It seems to me that, over time, Wayne and the rest of the board were seduced by all the benefits of leading such a large, powerful organization. To the point that the REAL goals and concerns of the grass-roots members became a secondary consideration. Maintaining their status and position within the Association became a higher priority for them.
The old adage that "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts ABSOLUTELY" seems to fit this situation perfectly.
I have always been a stalwart supporter of the NRA, through thick and thin. I am 100% convinced that without the power and influence of the NRA, our 2nd Amendment rights would have been eroded away far more than they have been. The NRA has done more to promote and sustain our 2nd Amendment rights than any other organization in history.
HOWEVER, I think that just like any other large organization, the NRA needed a good "shaking up" of the established order - and a change in leadership. The great American philosopher and author Mark Twain was quoted (or mis-quoted) as saying that "Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason". That principle applies to the NRA as much as it does to any other politically-oriented body or organization.
So, you asked for honest opinions, and you got mine. FWIW. I hope that none of my comments or observations will be considered so "political" that it gets me dinged, or banned.
But if it does I guess I'll just have to live with that.
You asked for our honest and unvarnished opinions, and you got it.
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I became a Life member about 40 years ago. I am currently a Benefactor member.
When life eases up a mite, I will send donations to the NRA.
When life eases up a mite, I will send donations to the NRA.
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I don't post - prefer to read listen and learn...
Long time gun owner, Hunter, shooting enthusiast.
EX- nra member!
Turned off & away, long time ago for many of reasons stated by others. NrA is no longer a rifle/hunting assoc. And until they & members get real about gun violence & mass (school) shooting
I won't be supporting the N(o)R(reasonable)A(ss)oociation!
Thank you very much...
Long time gun owner, Hunter, shooting enthusiast.
EX- nra member!
Turned off & away, long time ago for many of reasons stated by others. NrA is no longer a rifle/hunting assoc. And until they & members get real about gun violence & mass (school) shooting
I won't be supporting the N(o)R(reasonable)A(ss)oociation!
Thank you very much...
Please clarify this.
I'm a current and past member and currently an NRA Instructor.
I believe that the NRA is necessary because I think most politicians realize that they can expect push back if they try to pass anti second amendment legislation.
I too am discouraged by the financial abuse but that seems to happen any time people and money are involved.
What I hear from most of my gun friends is that they are the beggingist bunch of folks.
What they do that I don't agree with is when they call to solicit donations and they use a dialer to make it look like a local call like some Nigerian scammer. That's where they lose me.
I believe that the NRA is necessary because I think most politicians realize that they can expect push back if they try to pass anti second amendment legislation.
I too am discouraged by the financial abuse but that seems to happen any time people and money are involved.
What I hear from most of my gun friends is that they are the beggingist bunch of folks.
What they do that I don't agree with is when they call to solicit donations and they use a dialer to make it look like a local call like some Nigerian scammer. That's where they lose me.
BLACKHAWKNJ
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1. Life Member 30+ years.
2. Never gave them my phone number so the only solicitations I get are through the mail.
3. IMHO the NRA's strength in the past was its ability to turn out the vote.
4. In a conversation I had with a Congressman from a Midwestern state 40 years ago he said unlike most other lobbies the NRA was not a "gimme" lobby, it was a "don't".
5. State RKBA organizations are just as important.
6. Years ago a savvy Wall Street lawyer told me the Dark Ugly Secret of American capitalism was that many companies are run for the benefit of their top officers-often the top officer. The same is true of non-profits.
7. There was the "Cincinnati Shootout" in 1977 when NRA members ousted the Old Guard, thought they had gotten to fuddish, brought in Harlan Carter to shake things up.
2. Never gave them my phone number so the only solicitations I get are through the mail.
3. IMHO the NRA's strength in the past was its ability to turn out the vote.
4. In a conversation I had with a Congressman from a Midwestern state 40 years ago he said unlike most other lobbies the NRA was not a "gimme" lobby, it was a "don't".
5. State RKBA organizations are just as important.
6. Years ago a savvy Wall Street lawyer told me the Dark Ugly Secret of American capitalism was that many companies are run for the benefit of their top officers-often the top officer. The same is true of non-profits.
7. There was the "Cincinnati Shootout" in 1977 when NRA members ousted the Old Guard, thought they had gotten to fuddish, brought in Harlan Carter to shake things up.
For the Record...
The NRA was at over 5 million members and almost $400 million a year.
All of the other groups combined might equal about 1/10th of the members and revenue of the NRA right now, at our weakest point in over a decade.
With NRA's steep decline, the increases in other organizations was not nearly equivalent. While NRA lost some 1.5 million members, the other groups gained tens of thousands.
No one can fill the vacuum if NRA leaves the arena.
The NRA was at over 5 million members and almost $400 million a year.
All of the other groups combined might equal about 1/10th of the members and revenue of the NRA right now, at our weakest point in over a decade.
With NRA's steep decline, the increases in other organizations was not nearly equivalent. While NRA lost some 1.5 million members, the other groups gained tens of thousands.
No one can fill the vacuum if NRA leaves the arena.
" NrA is no longer a rifle/hunting association"
It's too bad that you thought its purpose was just rifle/hunting, whatever that is supposed to mean. It was established for the protection of our gun rights, not just hunting.
Even with its faults, it is the only Gun Rights Organization that has enough clout to fight antigun legislation, and I still support it.
I became a Life Member in 1973 and am currently a Benefactor Member.
When we finally go the way of the UK and other gun restrictive countries, you'll have plenty of time to sit around and complain about Chinese give away products and excess mailings.
It's too bad that you thought its purpose was just rifle/hunting, whatever that is supposed to mean. It was established for the protection of our gun rights, not just hunting.
Even with its faults, it is the only Gun Rights Organization that has enough clout to fight antigun legislation, and I still support it.
I became a Life Member in 1973 and am currently a Benefactor Member.
When we finally go the way of the UK and other gun restrictive countries, you'll have plenty of time to sit around and complain about Chinese give away products and excess mailings.
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Giving benefit of the doubt to NRA
First, thank you for asking.
I had been increasingly dismayed at what the NRA had become, bloated, sending multiple notices per year that my membership must be renewed (at one point, I realized I was paid up for four years in advance!), and using cheap Chinese-made junk as incentives (I donated and paid membership to the NRA to protect our firearms rights, not to buy junk).
Then came LaPierre's financial embezzlement (whether that met the criminal statute's definition or not, the use of our dues for personal benefit is obscene) with the board's support. I stopped paying dues.
With the finalization of the lawsuit and its results, I again became a dues paying member. I'm willing to give the NRA the benefit of the doubt that it is repairing the damage done, is clearly overseeing the use of our dues in both lobbying and through litigation to protect our civil rights.
I don't have to agree with everything the NRA does and we'll never have a perfect NRA because people operate an organization and organizational entropy always derails the organization from its mission.
What matters is NEVER AGAIN ALLOWING THE NRA TO BECOME SO DERAILED THAT MEMBERS QUESTION OR LEAVE THE ORGANIZATION DUE TO UNPUNISHED, IMMORAL, AND ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR BY ITS OFFICERS.
And please, stop the Chinese-made junk. It cheapens the membership application.
First, thank you for asking.
I had been increasingly dismayed at what the NRA had become, bloated, sending multiple notices per year that my membership must be renewed (at one point, I realized I was paid up for four years in advance!), and using cheap Chinese-made junk as incentives (I donated and paid membership to the NRA to protect our firearms rights, not to buy junk).
Then came LaPierre's financial embezzlement (whether that met the criminal statute's definition or not, the use of our dues for personal benefit is obscene) with the board's support. I stopped paying dues.
With the finalization of the lawsuit and its results, I again became a dues paying member. I'm willing to give the NRA the benefit of the doubt that it is repairing the damage done, is clearly overseeing the use of our dues in both lobbying and through litigation to protect our civil rights.
I don't have to agree with everything the NRA does and we'll never have a perfect NRA because people operate an organization and organizational entropy always derails the organization from its mission.
What matters is NEVER AGAIN ALLOWING THE NRA TO BECOME SO DERAILED THAT MEMBERS QUESTION OR LEAVE THE ORGANIZATION DUE TO UNPUNISHED, IMMORAL, AND ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR BY ITS OFFICERS.
And please, stop the Chinese-made junk. It cheapens the membership application.
As to "Chinese Junk" just decline it or give it to someone who can use it.
Our membership shouldn't be based on the quality of swag.
Our membership shouldn't be based on the quality of swag.
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