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.
 
Had it not been for NRA and their "extremist positions," and had it not been for the tremendous signing of new members in the months after the Newtown shooting, we would right now be required to undergo a background check if we bought a gun from our brother, the AR type rifles would be illegal to purchase, and larger than 10 round magazines would be illegal to purchase.

When the Senators and Representatives saw this backlash, they trembled in their boots. New gun control legislation, at least at the Federal level, became, and still is, a non-starter. Look at the onerous legislation in states such as Maryland, New York, etc. That would have happened at the Federal level if not for NRA.

The reason is that politicians fear the wrath of NRA. That is a good thing.

To those who say NRA supports candidates with whom you disagree on other issues, consider this: NRA is a single-issue pressure group. I don't want NRA to have an opinion on global warming, the budget, or any of the other half-dozen hot-button liberal vs. conservative issues. I want my NRA to do two things. Those are to support candidates who are gun-friendly and strike fear into the hearts of anti-gun candidates. They do a pretty good job of that.

Other points: LaPierre and the other top executives at NRA earned their salaries several times over in those months after Newtown. If the constant mailers and telephone calls were not effective fund-raisers, they would quit doing it. I don't like the intrusion either, but I got my name on the do not call list and haven't been bothered. I understand why they do it, though.

Finally, in my opinion, if you are truly a believer in 2nd Amendment rights, whatever your reason for not being a member, it isn't good enough.
 
redlevel, well said and right on the mark! All my best, Joe.
 
I don't believe in every single thing they do, but there is so much weight pulling in the opposite direction, that I thought it important enough to join to help pull back in our direction. Even if just one person like little ol me.
 
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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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I also found that very sad!!!:)
 
The main function of the NRA though is to teach marksmanship.
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I guess I should have been more specific. I should have said the NRA-ILA. Your statement is correct.

When you join the NRA you give them your name, your address and your phone number. In return they send you a magazine and some stickers. Your $35 donation covers that and the mailing that comes about every three month or so asking for donations. The info that you give them goes into a database. If you don't send any additional donations they start calling asking for donations. So the reality is your NRA membership just sets you up for the NRA-ILA fund raising efforts. The NRA's focus now is the ILA and their money raising lobby machine. The NRA is being used as a Judas goat to lead people to support the ILA which is a PAC. If the NRA was a seperate org. I wouldn't have any trouble supporting it, but it isn't. I used to support the NRA until I figured out what they were up to.

If one wants to finance political campaigns thru orgs like the ILA by all means do so. Personally I will do that thru a personal donation to the candidate of my choice and not someone elses. I know where the candidates stand on the issues and if they don't come across for me they don't get my vote again. That simple.
 
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LostintheOzone said:
If one wants to finance political campaigns thru orgs like the ILA by all means do so. Personally I will do that thru a personal donation to the candidate of my choice and not someone elses. I know where the candidates stand on the issues and if they don't come across for me they don't get my vote again. That simple.
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I will certainly do so.

Contributing to a candidate personally is all well and good. I do so myself.

However, NRA/ILA is able to combine the $50 contributions from thousands and thousands of members. My $50 contribution to ILA, combined with similar donations from a few hundred thousand other members, makes it possible for NRA to target specific races. They don't, because of FEC rules, donate much money to candidates' campaign funds. What they can do, thanks to the SCOTUS decision in Citizens United vs. FEC, is to purchase "advocacy ads" on radio and tv, promoting pro-gun candidates, and exposing anti-gun candidates. I would expect these ads to start showing up right here in Georgia, where Michelle Nunn is mounting a serious campaign for the open Senate seat.

What is wrong, in your view, with members of an organization, whether it be NRA, NAACP, ACLU, or the Teamsters Union pooling their money to promote a particular candidate they feel is amicable to their policy positions?

I call it free speech. I call it "peaceable assembly" to "petition the government for a redress of grievances."

One definition of assembly is "the action of gathering together as a group for a common purpose."

I choose to gather together with ever how many millions of NRA members there are to make sure my government follows my wishes to the greatest extent possible.
 
Finally, in my opinion, if you are truly a believer in 2nd Amendment rights, whatever your reason for not being a member, it isn't good enough.
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Estimated 240 to 270 million gun owners in the US. 4.3 million in the NRA.
You are out voted.

I am not a member. I wrote letters frequently to POTUS, uncle Joe, my senators and representatives, my state governor, my state reps, and members of any relevant committee. If I decide to join a group, it is a state level group. I don't donate to HSUS, but will to my local shelter. I wont donate to NRA, but will to local Pheasants Forever. National organizations tend to like high payrolls , high advertising, and take credit for all work, whether involved or not. I like to see my money work.

Membership in NRA is not required of anyone. Freedom of association implies freedom to not associate. This is a good enough reason.
 
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