And we are not just into politics.
It seems that to quite a few people, the letters “N-R-A” have been synonymous with “political activity”, and for good reason. The NRA is the foremost and most effective group that defends our right to keep and bear arms, no question about that. But NRA is a lot more than just a political group, and I think that gets lost in the shuffle a lot of the time.
NRA is more than politics – NRA is a shooting organization. An incomplete list of all the NRA shooting sports runs the gamut from NRA Action Pistol (aka Bianchi Cup), NRA Collegiate Pistol, High Power Rifle, Smallbore rifle, National Police Shooting Championships, and just last three they dipped their toes into the 3-gun world, sanctioning their first “outlaw” 3-gun match.
That’s not all, either. Just look at all the programs that NRA offers, that are completely outside the scope of their political activities! Firearms training, hunter education, gunsmithing classes, youth safety classes, Eddie Eagle, the list goes on and on and on. I am the NRA, because I am so much more than a political activist – I’m a shooter, a competitor, and an activist. Yes, we win in the courts, in the legislative houses across the states; we also win when new shooters come on board, whenever a round goes downrange at an Action Pistol Match.
I’m the NRA, but the NRA is more than just politics.
FTC Disclaimer: NRA has not provided any financial reimbursement or promotional considerations to me for publishing this post. This post is solely my opinion as an individual.
Overall for my political dollar I think the local groups do the serious leg work, and the Second Amendment Foundation is a close second.
But for shooting programs the NRA is amazing, and well worth the cost of a life membership! (I’m almost paid up!)
Hey Caleb, I know your not an employee of theirs as such…but any advice in getting a career with them? I tend to think I have a pretty solid resume for every position within the NRA that I have applied for, but it seems my useless PoliSci degree can’t even get me a political job…
Beyond “know somebody”, I’m not very usefull there.
I have to say the NRA is not as pro-2A as I’d like. Their only focus on civilian RKBA is hunting and target shooting firearms with limited emphasis on knives. I have never seen anything from them supporting any bigger hardware. Juaquin Jackson and Bob Barr managed to get on the NRA Board of Directors. Jackson supports AWB’s and magazine capacity limits. Barr pushed legislation, such as the PATRIOT Act (which presumes to allow the feds to, “sneak and peek,” around your house, potentially compiling a list of what guns or evidence of guns they find).
When the Second Amendment was written, the Founding Fathers had just lived through a revolution against, “the government.” The NRA is way too supportive of police and military. They send out fund raising letters with doomsday language about, “gun grabbing politicians,” but they seem to be unaware of one simple fact. If the Congress (current or future) passes and the President (current or future) signs a bill to ban firearms (or tax and regulate their ownership out of existence) and you don’t turn in your guns, the people who come to collect them won’t be politicians with suits, ties, and plastic smiles. The people who come to collect your guns will be wearing uniforms with American flags on the chests or shoulders. The, “gun grabbers,” will be cops and soldiers, the same people the NRA regards as heroes.
Project Exile, openly and unapologetically supported by the NRA, federalizes crimes that are purely intrastate offenses. Obviously violent crime is an atrocity that needs to be punished severely, but unless it involves the crossing of State lines, it is entirely a State issue.
If you want to support a truly pro-gun organization, GOA is the way to go. They actually oppose AWB’s. http://www.gunowners.org/
How many anti gun laws has GOA gotten repealed? How many pro-gun laws has GOA passed? The answer is “zero”.
If you want to belong to an organization like GOA, that’s great. There is a place for firebreathing rhetoric, and GOA has that market cornered. But as far as legislative accomplishments, they haven’t done anything.
If you want to join an organization that gets stuff and isn’t the NRA, is suggest Alan Gottlieb’s Second Amendment Foundation. SAF brought the Heller suit, the McDonald case, and is actually successful at fighting for our rights.
What has GOA done?
Unfortunately in politics the only thing legislators care about is numbers and NRA has large membership numbers.
It’s tough to fight against magazine capacity limits when you have board members of “the powerful gun lobby” making remarks in favor of 5 round limits: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSGySNLyACE
Then there are board members like Senator Larry “Wide Stance” Craig pushing bans on armor piercing ammo: http://keepandbeararms.com/information/Item.asp?ID=3643 Here in the People’s Republic of New York there are frequent bills that show up in our state legislature that would redefine “armor piercing ammunition” such that it includes any ammunition capable of being used in a pistol or revolver (ahem, Thompson Contender) and capable of penetrating body armor (without regard to the class of armor).
It’s a positive feedback loop: The NRA is widely believed to be a supporter of the Second Amendment (other than just hunting and target shooting). => Gun owners join the NRA. => Politicians listen to the NRA, because they have members. => The NRA is widely believed….
The NRA’s fund raising and membership recruitment benefit from anti-gun politicians and laws. Without anti-gunners, the NRA would be just as irrelevant as Superman would be without Lex Luther. The organization itself has a vested interest in a strong opposition (even if that opposition is its own board members).