If you have or have not, would you Join the NRA or GOA?
Why?
Which association does more to protect our 2A?

Fire away....

---TM.

JPFO

Oh man, I'm probably going to get it, but I'll answer because to be honest I've always wanted to tell this story in a more public format. I used to guide a couple of high ups in the NRA every year. We were working on doing some official business with the NRA too. This was around 10 years or so ago. I asked them once if they really truly believed we were going to loose our 2A rights and they quite simply said "No." So I asked why they acted as if we were going to loose them at any second and they said "to keep the other side at bay." I asked something like what if they other side is just mouthing off for any and or all of the myriad of reasons that people mouth off about stuff, I wondered aloud if what if the other side is just going to always be mouthing off but we are never, as they had said, actually loose any 2A rights, (at some point I noted that when I was a kid there were no concealed carry allowances, defense of self and home laws even in Texas were very limited, no easy ownership of assault class rifles (a big reason I joined the Army cause I wanted to play with that stuff) etc...basically noting that not only had we not lost 2A rights but that they had greatly expanded even during an age of the other side mouthing off ALOT) and they said "then we wouldn't need to exist." Bingo, I did not renew my NRA membership, did not end up doing business with them (for a number of reasons), and have never worried since about my 2A rights.

So, in short, hell if I know, I'm just telling a story, not saying anyone should say, think, do or anything based off of it, just a story, now I'm going to duck.

Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership?
Or
Just Please FO?

Mickey, you probably will need to duck, but regardless of who agrees or disagrees with your thoughts I do commend your honesty.

I donate to the Second Amendment Foundation. I no longer want anything to do with the NRA.

I joined the NRA in 2000, was promised a baseball cap (being bald, that is what I wanted) and never received it. For my 5 year membership, they sent me piles of garbage I didn't want or need (2 of the same video, 4 silver bullets, stickers, and other promotional goodies, but never the baseball cap), probably 2 reams' worth of paper asking me to extend my membership starting, no kidding, starting within a month of signing up for 5 years, and were always keeping me up to speed with current events such as critical legislation about 3 weeks after it made news and a couple of times after it had been voted on by Congress.

I honestly would not be surprised if they spent 1/2 the money or more that I paid for joining in trying to entice me to extend my membership. When I contacted them and asked that they stop sending me stuff, they politely explained that such matters were outsourced to another company and it might take a while for them to make that happen. It never happened.

I understand that the NRA fights (when convenient) for our rights. I also understand based on my experience with them that they spend a tremendous amount of money, my money, on trying to get me to give them more money.

As it turns out, my membership money doesn't go toward legislative efforts. Apparently, it can't. You have to make other donations to pay for lobbying to fight for our rights. Maybe had I known that to start with, I would have just given them a donation for that purpose and not actually joined. My money would have been better spend.

Confirmed what I thought about the NRA.
Thank you.

Yea lets shut the NRA down who needs them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you kidding??? are you awake!!!!

I don't care what 2nd hand conversation you want to put out there.

Do you watch whats going on??? All the candidates for the democratic party to the person will restrict your rights.

You realize some state have already

NO AR15 or similar military type ( weapons of war) We don't need them
Limit Magazines
Register ammunition
must be 21
Sporting good stores no longer carry fire arms
Banks no longer lending to gun makers
need I go on

We are 5 senate seats away from having our worst nightmare

So someone in the NRA said we won't loose our rights and for that reason we'll stop supporting them.

Can you please let me know who else, in spite of some questions about the leadership in the NRA, can influence the congress and or the senate like the NRA.

Lets shut them down and you'll be using spit balls for hunting and protection in the next 10 years.

No other pro gun lobbying group has the clout of the NRA.If you doubt it, then explain why so many Demonrats are trying to destroy the NRA. My answer is simple, they fear the NRA.

Yes, the NRA sends a lot of mail requesting donations and advertising insurance and such, but no other organization has lobbied for hunters, sport shooters and gun ownership. That’s a very small inconvenience, if you can call it that,
For an organization helping to protect the 2nd Amendment.

OMG Pappybear there is someone awake out there THANK GOD

I'm not going to hurl any rocks, but I will say this:
I agree in many ways we're much better off now (2A wise) than we were years ago. However, how much of that is because of the efforts of the NRA over the years? We will probably never really know where we would be without their efforts, but I suspect we wouldn't be too happy about it. No doubt there are a lot of greedy douchebags in the organization, but I'll take that over the alternative.

Fear is mighty big force.

Nah I’ll keep my money. Don’t have enough to be giving it away

The NRA is a powerhouse politically, doesn't mean the people running it are perfect angels.

Well said. They are not perfect. But as noted, you can tell they are effective but the amount and intensity of attacks they get from the anti's. It's also true that the ranks of outdoors-men/hunters, etc. are decreasing, while the number of urban liberals ontinues to increase. The country is becoming more urban and has moving in a liberal direction for some time.

I can't believe that anyone who has listened to any of the democratic presidential debates can be sanguine about our 2A rights! (Think Beto! And Biden has said he will be in charge of his gun violence agenda!)

I don’t agree 100% with any group I give to but the pros outweigh the cons so I still contribute. Being a consumer without giving back at whatever level I’m comfortable with is not an option for me.

Everyone has their opinion and free will so they can do as they choose. The point has been made that we are losing numbers and the other side is gaining.

Outstanding post. Often times its better for me to just ditto a good post instead of posting my own. I started to highlight or restate some of your comments but its all perfect-worth a reread guys-IMO, as always.

*losing*, not loosing. Thought we had already covered this.

You might not agree with everything the NRA has done or is doing, but its a force to be reckoned with and their root mission is something that the vast majority if not all of people on this forum side with.

I like the NRA because it's the organization the Democrats and liberals hate most, which means its the one that most likely hurts their efforts most. The American Hunter magazine that comes as being a member is a good read as well.

"The enemy of your enemy is your friend"

Two organizations that do a lot for us as hunters and gun enthusiasts.

Hunting-SCI
Guns- NRA

Love, hate, whatever, those two lead the pack significantly