Are they doing the job?...NRA, GOA, 2nd Amendment Foundation...

Kapuna

Kapuna

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Don't know about the rest of you, but I've been recently hammered for more money to renew my memberships...phone calls and mail...
Are these groups (NRA, Gun Owners of America, Second Amendment Foundation) really doing their job?
Or am I financing a fancy car, second vacation home, or just sending someone's kid to a fancy college?
Any opinions appreciated....
 
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Considering how the other side complains incessantly about the NRA and its "influence," it at least has their attention. Whether they use their funding wisely, I have no idea. I never hear anything about the other groups you mentioned, except for seeing their ads and getting requests for money.
 
I would like to think that the NRA is doing it's stated job. While I have reservations about their venture into CarryGuard, I fear that much of what is being written in MSM articles about misuse of funds and lavish expense accounts of NRA executives, I fear much is motivated to divide and conquer the membership.

If you have questions about whether they are doing their stated job, or doing it adequately, become a life member with voting privileges and attend an Annual Meeting!
 
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paulh said:
As far as the NRA, become a Life Member and they don't bother you any more
Click to expand...
I agree... however, I've already pushed my NRA membership out to around 2022...
And I've been a member of Gun Owners of America and Second Amendment Foundation for several years....
Perhaps they are our best voices in Washington and the best we can expect to have...
Hope they have bullhorns...
 
Sistema1927 said:
The NRA would be much more capable if more gun owners would belong. Some of us are tired of pulling the wagon for those who can't be bothered, but we will continue to do so.
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I agree. I know several gun owners that don't belong. I keep telling them they need to at least become a member, even if they don't donate anything else.
 
I try to donate as much extra as I can .I love the way the liberals hate the NRA as a group and Wayne LaPierre in particular .They truly hate him call him all kinds of names publicly on TV and the left learning media put it out there .They use secret sources they can't reveal to spread lies and innuendo trying to get us divided.they have used this tactic for years all under the protection of their Constitutionaly protected right of freedom of the press ect.Its funny the good people who are trying to kill one part of the constitution use another to do it .Hipocrites ! Man doing their job? Have you ever seen Mr.Lapierre get wound up in a speach .He is for real and sincere in his love for not only the 2nd A but all of the constitution even the rights the left would use to destroy the man. Yea like Lee says I stand with the NRA and We stand together and may get knocked down on occasion but just like brothers in a street fight we help each other back up and jump right back in and you can believe this is a real fight it's in every crevice of every decision making part of our government from the smallest cross road town right up to Washington itself and there are only two things most politicians want to know how many how much .I look at every dime I send in as one more punch in the fight sometimes it may be a feeble punch as I am not wealthy but at least I know I got it in .Speaking of money does our NRA leadership not deserve to make a decent living ? Should their families and sons and daughters not deserve to have every chance at the American Dream we all want for our families ?Go to your state Capitol in a used wore out pickup and a 50 $ goodwill suite and see how much face time you get with any representative .Look at the opposition they are spending billions and billions and get all sorts of free publicity called news reports and it always looks positive when they spin it to the people . I say we all redouble our efforts and try to give more money ,get more people in the organization ,have membership drives . I for one don't ever want to have to answer the question from my grand kids of (why did you let them take freedom grandpa why didn't you do something ).? To me those words " cold dead fingers " aren't meaningless they mean just what they say .Im asking my family to for go any Christmas presents this year to me and donate to the N.R.A just had that idea so thanks to the OP for bringing this all to often thought out so I could have my rant and get fired up again .Just like Lady Liberty , Freedom and the people who love freedom can not afford to get complacent .Now I've got my morning coffee and y'all done and got my old country boy heart pumping I'm goin to find out who in my neighborhood isn't in the NRA if they own firearms why not .Might even buy me a hair piece so when I get fired up talking I can flip it back just like Wayne would .Man I love him never met him but I read all his books don't get me wrong I like the NRA leadership as a whole but Wayne has been fighting the good fight for so long I feel he is owed some appreciation so I hope darn it he does get a good salary and his kids can go to a "fancy private school" and maybe his wife can drive a big ole gas guzzling SUV to their new vacation home .Wow I sure wish he would build it close to me would t that be something doing a membership drive and knock on his door with a pamphlet .Ok got to go I got got non N.R.A members all around that own guns it's time to see if they want to keep em.
 
I'm a life member of the NRA. At times they seem to really stand up for us, at other times they seem more interested in just getting along with members of congress. It's frustrating.

I joined GOA out of that frustration, but I do wonder just how effective they, and other pro-gun rights organizations, are in terms of lobbying.

On the local level, here in Virginia, I joined the Virginia Citizens Defense League. They are a local organization, dealing with localities and the Virginia legislature. They have been effective and I think they are incredibly efficient with their limited resources.
 
I have been an annual member for over 50 years. I could have become a life member for $75 back then, so I have contributed much more by being an annual member.

I have seen the Democrats trying to enact gun control for over 50 years. So I have this to say:

WITHOUT THE NRA, ALL OF OUR GUNS WOULD HAVE BEEN CONFISCATED AND DESTROYED!!
 
I'm a Benefactor Member of NRA and Life Member of GOA. I wanted to make sure I was on board while I still made an income where I could afford it.

I gave a Life Membership in the NRA to my honorary nephew (I'm of friend of the family) for his bar mitzvah. It was a pretty good investment. He is now one of the premier firearms law attorneys in Pennsylvania.

My late father bought his Life Membership in the NRA back in the 1950s. Back in the 1980s when NRA was soliciting for contributions to pay off the mortgage on the new headquarters, Pop said, "I sent in a contribution because I felt guilty for living so long." Pop was always good for one-liners like that.
 
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df06 said:
Ask yourself, or ask most anti 2A people, "where would the USA be today if the NRA did not exist the past 20 years".
Now get out your check book.
Click to expand...

Right now Wayne LaPierre can go into Congress and say, "I speak for 5 million DUES PAYING members." That is what gets the attention of politicians. We need to make it possible for him to say, "I speak for 10 million DUES PAYING members."
 
For those of you who missed Lee's post in the "Rules" section of the forum:



This board is Pro NRA.

That is written into our Sticky: Terms of Service:

Quote:
WE ARE PRO NRA
We support The National Rifle Association. We believe The NRA is the biggest and best dog in the fight to protect gun rights and the Second Amendment. You may not believe that, but this board is not your platform for NRA bashing.
In plain terms: NRA bashing is NOT allowed. Take it somewhere else.
That's pretty plain.

Just as-
I do not have to provide a platform for ISIS to tell us how evil America is, and
I do not have to provide a platform for anti-gunners to tell us how evil guns are, and
I do not have to provide a platform for political parties to campaign and espouse their views,
I do not have to provide a platform for bashing the NRA, or even retarding the growth of the NRA.

I'm not telling you can't belong to Gun Owners of America or the Second Amendment Foundation.
Go for it, but don't come here and tell people to forget the NRA and join those organizations.

I provide a platform for two purposes:
Discussion of all things S&W.
Protection of the 2nd Amendment. The NRA is the toughest opponent of the anti gunners.


Obviously, the NRA is losing financial support as various companies disassociate themselves from the NRA.
That will hurt in the coming months, and in the ongoing fight to preserve the 2nd.
I believe we will be facing more encroachments on the 2A, and it takes money to fight that.

We try to help grow membership and we encourage financial support for them.
So, no, I will not be providing a platform for slowing the growth of the NRA.

I have chosen my side, and I'm playing to win. When the fight is over and the smoke clears, we can work toward improving the NRA. That is, if we still have a 2A and there is any need for an NRA.
Now is not the time for NRA members and gun owners to bicker among themselves. The antis will love seeing that. They know a house divided will not stand.
Now is the time to support the NRA, and hope and pray we can preserve the 2A.

If that offends anyone's idea of the 1st Amendment and Freedom of Speech, I'll say again what I said years ago here-

A Note on Freedom of Speech
which says:



Quote:
Originally Posted by handejector
We hear a lot about "MY Freedom of Speech can't be restricted!!!"

Some people seem to be unaware that Freedom of Speech is limited in many ways, every day.
If you are not aware of that, you can test it by walking into any courtroom tomorrow when court is in session and start giving a speech. Ignore the silly judge telling you to be quiet.
Try giving a speech from the balcony in the Senate chamber of your State capital while they are in session. Tell the Security types that you have Freedom of Speech.
Those buildings are owned by 'the people', aren't they?
So, how can they limit your Freedom of Speech?

You can also try it on private property.
Jump onto a table in a restaurant and speak or preach away.
Enter a private clinic and tell them you'll be speaking all day about your views on morality and religion.
Ask local churches if they plan on giving equal time to speakers for a totally different religion, or worshipers of Satan, or Wicca.

Since you believe in Freedom of Speech, do you adhere to the principle in your own home?
Do you allow anyone who rings your doorbell in to speak about political parties or ideologies or religions different from your own beliefs?
If not, are you violating THEIR freedom of speech?

You may be getting it by now-
This board is privately owned property that is made available for free public use within our Rules, Terms of Service (TOS), and guidelines.
Everyone who registers here has agreed to be bound by all of those.
That means we have the right to forbid, limit, or restrict certain topics, crude language as defined by us, and types of behavior.

You have the right not to post here if you disagree with those Rules, TOS, or guidelines.
You have the right to be somewhere else.
We have no desire to limit your freedom of speech otherwise.
Pick any street corner and have at it.
Rent a billboard.
Start your own forum.
Rent radio time.


If any of the above will not work for you, I bid you Godspeed.
 
I've given my thoughts on this before, and I'll do it again. (My wife says I repeat myself all the time, at least this time I remember doing it :) )

Join AT LEAST ONE national gun rights organization and at least one state/local gun rights organization.

Jim Supica said it best. If you are not a member of the NRA, be sure to note it in your will to notify the NRA when you die so they can provide pall bearers, as the NRA has been carrying your butt for years, they might as well finish the job.
 
I used to give more, but College is sucking up any extra right now. The NRA is the big stick...have you ever noticed how Democrats in Red States start pretending like they support the 2nd Amendment in Election Years? That's because of the NRA backed by us. I still get lots of mail and email in spite of being a Benefactor, but that's fine...I like hearing from them.

I think I'm the only Member anywhere in my family, although I'm thinking of bringing my wife and daughter in with Lifetime memberships after school is finished. We really should have closer to 20 Million members.

The 2nd Amendment Foundation is extremely effective, but less publicized. They operate mainly in the Courtroom without much fanfare.
 
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I am a yearly member of the NRA. I dropped them years back when they went (IMHO) too much to the duck hunters and not enough towards the REAL meaning of the 2A. I picked them back up again when they got their mind right. I dropped the CCRKBA (Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms) because I got tired of the INCESSANT barrage of "give us all your money or the world as you know it will come to an end" screaming. I understand that ALL of them need money, but I don't like to be constantly harassed by these requests. I dropped the 2A Foundation for much the same reason. You have the right to pick and choose who to give your money to. I think my favorite non-national group is the Gun Owners of California.
 
In terms of effectiveness, who do the gun control proponents and anti-2nd-Amendment types HATE and call "the enemy they are most proud of"?

THE NRA!

In terms of efficiency the most recent figures I have been able to find (2015) indicate that administration and fundraising accounted for 17.2% of their expenditures. That leaves 82.8% going to support their programs (training, education, etc.).

Nonprofit Explorer - NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA - ProPublica

The NRA Foundation spent NOTHING on fundraising and administration and 100% on their programs. I think their admin & fundraising expenses were included in the totals for the parent NRA organization (above).

Nonprofit Explorer - THE NRA FOUNDATION INC - ProPublica

I couldn't find info on the NRA-ILA, but since they are a political PAC they may not be a nonprofit.

I've also been an annually renewing member for 30+ years and would have contributed a lot less in dues if I had become a life member a long time ago. That is why I DIDN'T become a life member. I'm also paying membership dues for both of my teenage boys AND my wife every year.
 
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