Question about Gun Rights Groups, and junk mail (NRA, GOA, others...?)

[SirLiftsALatte]

Greetings INGO'ers, I am a long time lurker who became interested in firearms after the Sandy Hook panic. Ever since then I have been a regular reader on this forum and have been trying to learn as much as possible. The shootings in Las Vegas and Florida, and the loud calls for more laws and bans have made me realize yet again that our rights and freedoms are easily lost and should not to be taken for granted.

That realization has me seriously considering joining the NRA. However, I know that they have been under fire from some of us in the gun community because of their statement on bump-fire stocks, and I was considering joining the GOA instead. I'm certainly open to joining more than one organization, so educate me about who is the best, or who I should avoid.

My main question, and the reason why I decided to post before buying is this: I do not want receive anything in the mail from whatever group I join, and I've heard that the NRA can be pretty bad with their letters and solicitations. My reason for preferring no mail is because I live in a less than stellar neighborhood on the east side of Indy, and our postal carriers have not exactly been reliable or consistent lately. It seems that at least once a week, we get a neighbors letter in our mailbox or they get something of ours in their mailbox. My concern is that if a neighbor gets mail with "NRA" plastered all over it, that it will make me a target for burglary/theft, or politically motivated harassment.

So those of you who are members of the NRA, GOA, SAF, or others, what are your experiences with the volume of junk mail? Can you be removed from mailing lists without hassle? Are my reasons/concerns just me being a little paranoid?

 

[bloodandgutsmurphy]

I am going to renew my NRA membership this week or next. I know this has been repeated many times, but they are the biggest organization and have the most weight behind them. Todd Young received millions of dollars from the NRA, without their support there is a chance he may not have won the election. They do this with candidates all over the country on the federal and state level.
Not all of the NRA members are anti-gun. Some of the boards members seem like they are and I am sure they have their fair share of members who only want people to have shotguns, bolt actions, and revolvers. There are also millions of members who have a no compromise policy like many of us here. These are the people who are on the same team as us. I figure the greater our numbers are, the more money the NRA will receive and the greater the voting power will be. With this increased voting power we can vote out the bad board members and replace them with the no compromise people.
I have heard of people receiving mail even though they have signed up for the no mailing list. I would use another address if I could

 

[walt o]

Whats the big deal with the mail ? If you don't want it call and be put on a no mail list .If that does not stop it just through it away with all the other mail you don't want.
Life is full of little inconveniences
A straw Suck It up , a bridge to get over it ,Here's a full cup.with a lid, Now SHUT THE FULLCUP!!! (Say it out loud and you'll get it)

 

[bloodandgutsmurphy]

The OP does not want his neighbors to find out he is a gun owner because that may make him a target for a burglary. The post office mixes up the mail in his area sometimes

 

[wcd]

The OP does not want his neighbors to find out he is a gun owner because that may make him a target for a burglary. The post office mixes up the mail in his area sometimes

Seems like a p.o. box could solve both concerns.

 

[lrdudley]

This doesn't address the OP concerns for mail being delivered to the wrong person, but it is my thoughts on junk mail.
I was in the printing industry for many years. Every bit of junk mail was printed by someone in my industry. It created jobs. Those workers had families, paid taxes, spent their income that helped the economy. If I chose, I read it, or not. But I never took offense at receiving it. I never sent the prepaid envelope back with nasty grams enclosed. I am still trying to think of a viable product that could be made from recycled junk mail.

 

[boosteds13cc]

I get a mag I think it's every month from them and some random mail less and less frequent. Took 3 years for the junk mail to die down

 

[bwframe]

Maybe this is good motivation to pick up a post office box?

Not a bad idea to have bank/CC and other financial stuff or private stuff sent to somewhere other than a box in your front yard?
It also is helpful if there is a move in your future to not have to sign up with all new mailing addresses.

 

[Crittersdad]

Question about Gun Rights Groups, and junk mail

I have been an NRA member for many years I would recommend joining the NRA.
As for your mail problem rent a P.O.Box

 

[SirLiftsALatte]

I am going to renew my NRA membership this week or next. I know this has been repeated many times, but they are the biggest organization and have the most weight behind them. Todd Young received millions of dollars from the NRA, without their support there is a chance he may not have won the election. They do this with candidates all over the country on the federal and state level.
Not all of the NRA members are anti-gun. Some of the boards members seem like they are and I am sure they have their fair share of members who only want people to have shotguns, bolt actions, and revolvers. There are also millions of members who have a no compromise policy like many of us here. These are the people who are on the same team as us. I figure the greater our numbers are, the more money the NRA will receive and the greater the voting power will be. With this increased voting power we can vote out the bad board members and replace them with the no compromise people.
I have heard of people receiving mail even though they have signed up for the no mailing list. I would use another address if I could

I've been subscribed to MAC on youtube for years, and at first I agreed with his opinion about their stance on the bump-fire issue. After some thought and reading, I think they were trying to play politics until the media storm blew over. The bolded is still true, and they are taking an awful lot of flak from the left for us right now. That doesn't mean that I won't join GOA at some point soon though.

Whats the big deal with the mail ? If you don't want it call and be put on a no mail list .If that does not stop it just through it away with all the other mail you don't want.
Life is full of little inconveniences
A straw Suck It up , a bridge to get over it ,Here's a full cup.with a lid, Now SHUT THE FULLCUP!!! (Say it out loud and you'll get it)

Hard to disagree with any of that. Just to be clear, it's not the inconvenience that the junk mail causes that is the issue, it's the (perceived?) security risk. When you have people like Michael Moore saying that the NRA is worse than ISIS, it seems that it might be good to be under the radar if that line of thinking catches on. My neighborhood is presumably deep blue, if demographic trends are to be trusted.

The OP does not want his neighbors to find out he is a gun owner because that may make him a target for a burglary. The post office mixes up the mail in his area sometimes

I knew I should have put a TLDR in!

Seems like a p.o. box could solve both concerns.

Good idea. I guess I'll have to do some price checking, and weigh that against how much I'm actually concerned about a letter being delivered to the wrong address...

I get a mag I think it's every month from them and some random mail less and less frequent. Took 3 years for the junk mail to die down

3 years!?! Geez. Hope that no-mailing list actually works.



Mulitquote? I'm never going to get to 50....

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Don't join NAGR! They seem to be petty opportunists, out for themselves.

I just upgraded my membership to the NRA even though I was disappointed with their tact on the bump stock thing. The mail stuff never bothered me but if I were in your shoes and had a reasonable concern of your mail getting sent to others, I could see your concern. You can opt out of the mailings from them, as I've been told. That's what I'd do.

 

[lonehoosier]

Whats the big deal with the mail ? If you don't want it call and be put on a no mail list .If that does not stop it just through it away with all the other mail you don't want.
Life is full of little inconveniences
A straw Suck It up , a bridge to get over it ,Here's a full cup.with a lid, Now SHUT THE FULLCUP!!! (Say it out loud and you'll get it)

WOW!!! I quoted the OP’s for you just in case you missed it and if you want to address it.

My main question, and the reason why I decided to post before buying is this: I do not want receive anything in the mail from whatever group I join, and I've heard that the NRA can be pretty bad with their letters and solicitations. My reason for preferring no mail is because I live in a less than stellar neighborhood on the east side of Indy, and our postal carriers have not exactly been reliable or consistent lately. It seems that at least once a week, we get a neighbors letter in our mailbox or they get something of ours in their mailbox. My concern is that if a neighbor gets mail with "NRA" plastered all over it, that it will make me a target for burglary/theft, or politically motivated harassment.

To the OP, there’s not much at first you can do about it. I know there’s away to get off the junk mail list but you are still going to get renewals from them with a envelope that has NRA all over it. Could you use another address such as a friend or family that is already a NRA member that does not have the same concerns as you?

 

[churchmouse]

Whats the big deal with the mail ? If you don't want it call and be put on a no mail list .If that does not stop it just through it away with all the other mail you don't want.
Life is full of little inconveniences
A straw Suck It up , a bridge to get over it ,Here's a full cup.with a lid, Now SHUT THE FULLCUP!!! (Say it out loud and you'll get it)

Walt....a bit harsh yes. Did you not read his concerns and they are real. Also do not come back with the move response. Some of us can not get out as is so often mentioned in these threads.
Some of the harsh we give new/recent posters is a bit raw. I am getting tired of it. Seriously. Now....here is "Your" straw sir.

 

[MadMan66]

Don't join NAGR! They seem to be petty opportunists, out for themselves.

I'll agree with this statement. NAGR is one I won't join. As for the NRA, GOA, and SAF, I have joined all three. Each has its pros and cons, but I feel between the 3 of them my money has the most opportunity to do good for the 2A. They all will send you junk mail in the form of asking for more donations, but I get the least frequent from SAF, then GOA, and the most from NRA. Hope that helps!

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I'll agree with this statement. NAGR is one I won't join. As for the NRA, GOA, and SAF, I have joined all three. Each has its pros and cons, but I feel between the 3 of them my money has the most opportunity to do good for the 2A. They all will send you junk mail in the form of asking for more donations, but I get the least frequent from SAF, then GOA, and the most from NRA. Hope that helps!

In all fairness, I don't get that much junk mail from the NRA any more. I used to but over time, it dwindled to where what ever still comes in is hardly a burden at all. I've never requested to be put on their no-mail list either.

 

[SirLiftsALatte]

Don't join NAGR! They seem to be petty opportunists, out for themselves.

I just upgraded my membership to the NRA even though I was disappointed with their tact on the bump stock thing. The mail stuff never bothered me but if I were in your shoes and had a reasonable concern of your mail getting sent to others, I could see your concern. You can opt out of the mailings from them, as I've been told. That's what I'd do.

Thanks, this is the kind of info I am looking for. Who to avoid is just as important as who to join IMO.

To the OP, there’s not much at first you can do about it. I know there’s away to get off the junk mail list but you are still going to get renewals from them with a envelope that has NRA all over it. Could you use another address such as a friend or family that is already a NRA member that does not have the same concerns as you?

I will ask around a bit, but my best option may be to get a PO box, or just take my chances. I'll wait a little bit to see if the mailmen can get their act together. We haven't had a consistent regular lately which I think is the cause of most of the issues.

Walt....a bit harsh yes. Did you not read his concerns and they are real. Also do not come back with the move response. Some of us can not get out as is so often mentioned in these threads.
Some of the harsh we give new/recent posters is a bit raw. I am getting tired of it. Seriously. Now....here is "Your" straw sir.

Eh, I figured I needed to put on my big boy pants asking a somewhat trivial question, and I was expecting at least one comment like that.
I'm currently a poor-ish college student, so a significant upgrade in neighborhood is at least a couple years away when I can get graduated and my career going.

I'll agree with this statement. NAGR is one I won't join. As for the NRA, GOA, and SAF, I have joined all three. Each has its pros and cons, but I feel between the 3 of them my money has the most opportunity to do good for the 2A. They all will send you junk mail in the form of asking for more donations, but I get the least frequent from SAF, then GOA, and the most from NRA. Hope that helps!

Very helpful, thank you!

Are there any state level organizations I should look at? It's incredible to me that we have to worry about protecting the 2A with R's controlling all three branches...

 

[churchmouse]

Good response sir.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Thanks, this is the kind of info I am looking for. Who to avoid is just as important as who to join IMO.

 

[LarryC]

I have a rather opposite view of the possibility of being robbed due to my membership in the NRA, I have had NRA member decals on my home windows for many years, and an INGO decal on my vehicle. I feel most criminals would rather rob a home without firearms (kind of like a gun free zone for almost all mass shootings) than one that is protected with firearms.

As to which organizations to join, although the GOA does support most all of my ideals, in reality they currently do not have the political clout to affect the lawmakers or elections with the power of the NRA.

As a pragmatist, I don't write in political candidates that share my ideals if they have no chance of winning. I would rather vote for the person that is closest to my position that does have a good chance of winning.

In my opinion if a person is only going to join and support one pro gun organization the NRA is the only choice, If they have the resources to support more than one then by all means join the NRA and GOA. I have heard of other pro gun organizations but feel anyone joining them is just going to "feel good" but the organizations do not have the membership or clout to aid our cause.