Someone sell me on the NRA...

[Howard1955]

I don't know if the NRA is an effective organization that slows down the erosion of the 2A, or not.

I do know that I wasn't a member for very long. They were the absolute worst about badgering me for more money. It was nuts.

 

[PiratePast40]

IIRC, they are the ones paying the bill for Paul Clement in the federal BM114 litigation in Portland as well.

Yes, they do help bring the lawsuits but were really late to jump in on M114. Oregon State Shooting Association (OSSA) is the State NRA affiliate. I believe it was only a day or two before the first court session that they even filed. History has shown that if there are five plaintiffs, and the case wins, NRA will be the first to jump in and proclaim how they won the case.

They're not totally worthless. The Bruen case was brought by NRA.

 

[quneur]

Even their magazine is more 'send us money' advertising mailer with a few articles.

 

[CLT65]

So sounds like it's a leadership problem within the organization, and not the organization itself?

Exactly. If they could get rid of LaPierre and his cabal, fire the marketing outfit that everyone hates, and get back to basics, they'd be pretty good.

The NRA is more than just the political leadership though. There's range support and development, safety training, lots of good people doing lots of good things at the lower levels. I think the infrastructure they have is important. It would be a shame to throw the baby out with the bath water because of bad leadership.

You'll find that various people hate the NRA for very different reasons-

Hard-core 2A people hate them because they compromise too much.

"Fudds" hate them because they don't compromise enough.

Leftist gun owners hate them because they align politically with conservatives.

Most of us here just hate the corrupt, self-serving leadership.

 

[Jay Walk]

I just checked their website, did not see anything referencing fighting for our rights.

 

[Diamondback]

I've heard rumors of dissident members having their payments strategically "lost" to reset the 5-year "good standing" clock on voting eligibility. Discount Life means you're paid in full, you have your prereq for all the ranges/insurance co's/etc that require membership AND you're guaranteed a ballot every year unless they find or manufacture pretext to revoke your membership.

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS write in Frank Tait and R.B. "Rocky" Marshall, NEVER support any of the candidates from Wayne's butt-remoras on the Nominating Committee!

 

[Gundolf]

Im a member because my range requires it. I would rather give more money to a less corrupt organization but there are two benefits I can think of
1. Its a lightning rod for the anti's to attack. If they are focused on "defeating the nra" the real organizations (goa, off, etc) can do the actual work
2. It pisses off the antis that the nra exists

 

[Joe13]

... because my membership is coming up for renewal, and I'm wondering why they deserve any more of my money...

Gun Owners of America is who I gave my money to this year.

No more NRA for me.

 

[ktgee]

I dropped NRA years ago. Now, joined back because of the gun club requirement. Joining NRA is the same as ordering a gun magazine subscription and getting a lot of solicitations from junk mail and emailing for support and more money. The same reason why I dropped them years ago.

 

[ktgee]

Even their magazine is more 'send us money' advertising mailer with a few articles.

A few articles are correct. I usually throw them away after 10 minutes of reading and looking at the new guns.

 

[CLRTR999]

So sounds like it's a leadership problem within the organization, and not the organization itself?

As others have mentioned, your dollars would be much better spent and put to much better use by giving them to a gun rights organization that doesn't have all the legal baggage and corruption issues weighing it down. Two excellent alternative choices would be the Second Amendment Foundation and the Gun Owners of America. A lifetime membership in the SAF is only $150. As it is now, most of any donation made to the NRA would go directly to the legal bills incurred by the corrupt, self-serving lowlife that is Wayne LaPierre and his band of rubber-stamping lackeys that he surrounds himself with.

If you want to get a sense of how bad things really are in the NRA, check out the blog site NRA in Danger; they document the scandals within the NRA better than anyone else on the interwebs. You can sign up for regular email updates from them on their home page. If you want to be sickened, have a look at this post that details the finances of this once-great organization. Rocky Marshall (former board member) estimates that the WLP-incurred corruption has cost the NRA a billion dollars in lost revenue and legal fees:

Rocky Marshall on NRA Finances

He estimates that the corruption has cost NRA nearly a billion (yes, with a b) dollars in lost revenue and legal costs to date, and gives the basis for that calculation. He feels that 2023 will sho…

nraindanger.wordpress.com

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

They just haven't done enough.
I used to think voting in fresh blood would help.. it's a boys club and they live laveshly.. they wage some important lawsuits but they should be partnering with each state and their 2A rights organizations. I don't know if it's them picking and choosing select battles or if they just have poor organization. The NRA could be revamped and revitalized where they can do a bunch of good.
I get that lawsuits are pricey, but they have millions in membership fees. They could partner and split cost with states attempting extreme anti gun legislation. I hear they try.. but again it seems spotty at best.
Instead of spending money on branding, merch/magazines and giveaways their money should be only spent on helping states opening up public ranges (partnered with local 2A orgs), lawsuits, training..etc. things that matter.

I feel like a lot of the donation membership money goes to admin cost. They don't feel as engaged as GOA.

 

[Ura-Ki]

NOPE, not a single penny from me, I dropped them back in the early 2000's and haven't missed them for a single second! I HATE WLP, he has done more to destroy them then any legislators could have dreamed of, and until they fire his arse, I will never even think of sending any money!
EVERY FIGHT in Oregon, they ether NEVER show up, or only a token "Were fightin for ya" but they didn't do jack sh!t, but they sure wanna take the credit!
As for Gun Clubs requiring NRA memberships, That's BULLSH!T, so I don't support them ether! Used to be a CMP membership or Active Duty status was GTG, but i'm not ether now!

 

[Flopsweat]

The NRA are the worst junk mail spammers, right up there with Safeway and Dominoes.

They were the absolute worst about badgering me for more money. It was nuts.

The magic words are "Put me on your Do Not Promote list". I haven't received a phone call, SPAM or junk mail from them in years. And yes, I'm still a member.

 

[Mecha_Arms]

Many ranges require membership, but other than that, it seems like a tough sell these days. Many other orgs involved in the legal side that seem like better places to contribute your money.

 

[Diamondback]

In activist terms, NRA is the halfhearted jabs that keep the other guy distracted while FPC and SAF swing with the haymakers.

 

[LibertyNews]

Not an org that I'm willing to support anymore. Support SAF, FPC, OFF, GOA, groups that are doing real work on the ground. And winning.

At last month's annual meeting, Willis Lee was 1st Vice President, president Charles Cotton was term-limited, and so Lee would have been elected president by the board. That didn't happen, our best guess is that Lee was seen as "unreliable" by NRA's "leadership" — that is, he wasn't 100% blindly loyal, and they expect 100% of a man who might become president.


So, Bylaws & Resolutions Committee suddenly came up with a bylaws amendment that allowed Cotton to serve an additional term. Then the Nominating Committee not only didn't nominate him for president, they didn't nominate him to stay as 1st VP.

Col. Willis Lee on the NRA

At last month’s annual meeting, Willis Lee was 1st Vice President, president Charles Cotton was term-limited, and so Lee would have been elected president by the board. That didn’t happ…

nraindanger.wordpress.com

 

[Flopsweat]

In activist terms, NRA is the halfhearted jabs that keep the other guy distracted while FPC and SAF swing with the haymakers.

The Bruen decision is arguably the most important recent 2A decision. Not that I think much of the top management over there, but they are still delivering from time to time.

 

[thorborg]

Yes, I've seen the big picture, the results of a hundred years evident. Unfortunately I'm no salesman. Too tired to argue. Seek your own truth. you'll find no shortages contrary opinions focused on a single man.

 

[gmerkt]

If they could get rid of LaPierre and his cabal,

The only way he's going away is when he dies. And then one of his deeply embedded tools will replace him. Like in Cuba. Castro dies but never goes away. At some point, accountability of men at the top of the NRA went away. Now it's just a money generating machine for the corrupt few in perpetual management.