Why do so many gun owners dislike the NRA?

[rcuhljr]

one thing to keep in mind is that the only organization that will agree with YOUR views 100% of the time will have a very small membership. YOU.

On the plus side we always have delicious cake at the meetings.

 

[dburkhead]

On the plus side we always have delicious cake at the meetings.

And there's always plenty of bacon for me.

 

[danielocean03]

I'm a proud member of the NRA, and plan on continuing said membership. While it's true that it is hard to find a group that will act exactly as you see fit 100% of the time, if you share their core values and interests, being a part of this organization means you and others like you have a say. And with all of the voices the NRA can offer up in defense for our beloved Second Amendment rights, I feel that they are worth being a part of.

However, I too have a paranoid side that wonders from time to time if the NRA is like a "enraged Rev. Jesse Jackson, making money by taking a pretensive stand for blacks by attacking whites he makes out to be racist" in a sense. (I'm not supporting the foolishness of Rev. J. Jackson or his ideas by any means, that is for demonstrative purposes only.) Only instead with the NRA, they would hypothetically make their money by pretending to be fighting the anti-gun regime. But at the end of the day, I believe in the good the NRA has done and will continue to do more than I have ever doubted them, which is more than I can say for Barry Hussein Obama.

 

[hornadylnl]

Why does the NRA endorse demorats for the house and Senate? They endorsed Donnely. Sorry, but isn't a vote for Donnely a vote for Pelosi as speaker of the house? In this instance, a gun hating republican would be better than a gun loving demorat if it means the difference of a repub or a demo pushing the agenda of the house. I don't think Donnely will be able to keep Pelosi from pushing her anti gun legislation.

 

[Prometheus]

Because, of course, when one of the officers says something, you know, without a shadow of a doubt, that he speaks for the entire group, forever and ever, amen.

Negative. If it was just "one" officer, I'd agree.

What we have is a a train of similar thought and repetition from board members to presidents.

The nra has been instrumental in passing the most draconian gun laws of the 20th century.

I'd sooner give money to handgun control inc than to the nra! At least with HCI and the brady bunch they are up front about what they use your money for.

Join an actual pro second amendment group. Join the GOA or JPFO or SAF.

Top three reasons why I don't belong to the nra:

I own 'assault weapons'.
I own 'high capacity magazines'
I support the second amendment

Top three reasons to join the nra:
You only own 'sporting arms'
You support gun control
You believe you have a right to hunt (vs RKBA)

I don't support the nra because they do NOT support my Rights. I want to make this CRYSTAL CLEAR: the nra is about SPORTING AND HUNTING. They have not now, nor have they EVER supported the Second Amendment as it is written.

"The National Rifle Association has been in support of workable, enforceable gun control legislation since its very inception in 1871."

—NRA Executive Vice President Franklin L. Orth
NRA's American Rifleman Magazine, March 1968, P. 22

--"The NRA supported The National Firearms Act of 1934 which taxes and requires registration of such firearms as machine guns, sawed-off rifles and sawed-off shotguns. ... NRA support of Federal gun legislation did not stop with the earlier Dodd bills. It currently backs several Senate and House bills which, through amendment, would put new teeth into the National and Federal Firearms Acts." —American Rifleman, March 1968, P. 22 ]

Some HISTORY on the NRA's support of the 1934, 1968, 1986, 1994 and 2008 Veterans disarmament bills. In my opinion any one who believes the second amendment is about more than duck hunting and also supports the is either ignorant of the nra's past (and current) deeds or an idiot.

 

[melensdad]

Why does the NRA endorse demorats for the house and Senate?

The NRA supports pro-gun candidates. There are many very strong pro-gun Democrats and many anti-gun Republicans. We need pro-gun Democrats to act as a voice of reason inside the Democratic party. I know it sounds odd, but there are pro-gun Dems. And on the GOP side we have Senators who stab us in the back every chance they get, our very own Dick Lugar is an Anti-Gun GOP leader who should be ousted the first chance we have to give him the boot.

 

[CandRFan]

And there's always plenty of bacon for me.

The NRA give you bacon? I've never gotten any bacon!

 

[G McBride]

We must all realize that you can not continue to judge the present organization by mistakes made in the past.

If you participate and make your voice known, the organization will move in the direction mandated by the membership.

If you join the NRA just to get a sticker to put in your back window, you are missing out on a lot by not contacting them and participating.

NRA has a lot of good programs for the youth of this country. They have great young shooters programs and safety programs.

Let's judge the organization as a whole and not just what is in the public eye by the MSM.

 

[Hotdoger]

Why does the NRA endorse demorats for the house and Senate? They endorsed Donnely. Sorry, but isn't a vote for Donnely a vote for Pelosi as speaker of the house? In this instance, a gun hating republican would be better than a gun loving demorat if it means the difference of a repub or a demo pushing the agenda of the house. I don't think Donnely will be able to keep Pelosi from pushing her anti gun legislation.

Thats why I dislike the NRA. They support democrats who inturn support those that HATE gunowners the most!

 

[JBrockman]

Have been a NRA member now for several years and my wife is the county chairperson for Johnson County Friends of NRA program. To be honest I had no idea what the GOA or the JFPO was till I joined up here on Indiana Gun Owners, have heard every Clinton wanna-be politician out there down grade the NRA but not the others so what does that tell you.
It seems to me that the others saw the amount of money the NRA was bringing in for the cause and decided to jump on board,what better way to secure yourself a nice little office job! Not saying that they are not all legitimate but if you were truly concerned about fighting for our freedoms would it not be better to place all your punch into one fist instead of a bunch of little fist?
The National Rifle Association has a track record to be proud of and yes there may have been a bump or two along the way but for the most part they are on the front lines fighting for our freedoms!

 

[BE Mike]

I'm not a joiner, but I'm a proud life member of the NRA. I'll answer the question as to why the NRA endorses Democrats, as well as, Republicans. They support candidates solely on their stance on the gun issue. They are not political and I'm happy about that. I wouldn't want them to be. As others have stated, there are plenty of anti-gun Republicans out there. There are plenty of everyday Hoosiers who are gun owners who are dyed-in-the-wool Democrats. I don't understand it, but it is so.

I'm old enough to remember what things were like before the passage of the 1968 Gun Control Act. There were far fewer restrictions than today. Guns were bought and sold regularly through the mail.

The NRA runs with the big dogs. They are the ones who have kept our rights alive. I don't agree with some of what they espouse, but that is no reason to withhold my support. "Let me make this perfectly clear." I won't support anybody involved with guns who is not an NRA member. If I know a gun shop or gun business doesn't support the NRA, they won't get any of my business.

Now to the op's original topic. The biggest complaint I hear about the NRA is the volume of mail they produce. I don't like it either. I made a phone call and my mail from the NRA has been greatly reduced. It took several weeks, but it is down to a trickle. The fact of the matter, however, is that the mailings produce money for the organization. I have heard that about one out of every three letters sent, results in money sent in to the NRA. The funds they use for the mailings are from the interest on their endowment.

 

[jsn_mooney]

I wish they'd spend OUR money better than constantly sending me stuff in the mail that more often than not gets tossed.

 

[Jay]

The Veterans Disarmament Act ..... knee jerk label applied by those who have not read it........ key work in HR 2640 is ADJUDICATED.

I have debated this on other forums, and will not do it again here. This is my opinion formed because I have been diagnosed with PTSD, I'm service connected for PTSD, and NOBODY has approached me about firearms from the VA. I also happen to work for the VA, and I KNOW FOR A FACT that there is NO policy in writing to quiz any Veteran about firearms unless the Vet brings it up, or family brings it up, or unless there is a negative history related to firearms.

And that's all I have to say about that.

 

[MilitaryArms]

We must all realize that you can not continue to judge the present organization by mistakes made in the past.

Mistakes it made in the past? What, you mean like last year?

 

[hornadylnl]

I understand some dem congressman are pro gun. Let's play this scenario out. You have a 48 seat dem senate, a 48 seat repub senate and 3 independants. The Senate comes down to your vote. The anti gun republican that will put a pro gun repub as the senate majority leader or the pro gun demo who will put anti gun Harry Reid as the senate majority leader. Adjust the numbers for the house and you have the same thing. Which will be more likely to affect pro or negative 2nd amendment legislation, an anti local politician with a pro gun leader or a pro local politician with an anti leader? This isn't rocket science. Your pro gun local demo could propose a pro gun piece of legislation and Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi will never let it see the light of day. It won't take either one of them very long to get their pro gun demo in line if they ever want to rise to any power in the demorat party.

The nra is much like labor unions. They constantly stir up fear among their members to keep them in line. Tell your members that those evil salary guys are all just sitting around thinking of ways to screw you over. They perpetuate the problem to justify their own existance. Now I'm not saying that we'd be better off without the NRA but they need fixed and now.

I'm a member of the Patriot Guard Riders. The same thing is already happening with them. They started out as a ground swell organization of people who love America and have an immeasureable amount of respect. Now enter in the need to become 501c3 or whatever to raise money and now we have all kinds of rules and regulations to follow. After awhile, the business of it takes over and everyone forgets what the true core of the organization is all about.

 

[VN Vet]

I will always support the NRA. I just upgraded my Life Membership to an Endowment Membership and paid for a Life Membership for my Nephew. I am very happy to have done so. We're not perfect, nor are we for every gun owner, but I believe the NRA is the best defense of the 2nd we have today.

 

[mbrand619]

here! here! I agree. Quit sending me all the crap, save the money that the nra spends on it and the postage to help them on capital hill

 

[MarkR]

I'm also a supporter, and believe that they are the primary defenders of the 2nd Amendment. Most common reasons I hear:

1) Too much spent on marketing and fundraising, when those funds could be spent on other efforts (i.e. Lobbying), but that's the nature of the beast.
2) They're more active at the national level than the state level, so some of the things they do are not as "visible". Also - some states have weak NRA representation.
3) The "compromise issue" already mentioned.
and last
4) They're often viewed as money hungry, or just a money machine using 2nd Amend issue as the means.

Still, of any pro-gun or pro-2nd Amendment person that is critical of the NRA, can you name an organization that does a better job?

 

[melensdad]

1) Too much spent on marketing and fundraising, when those funds could be spent on other efforts (i.e. Lobbying), but that's the nature of the beast.
. . .
4) They're often viewed as money hungry, or just a money machine using 2nd Amend issue as the means.

Just to clarify.

The NRA cannot legally spend ANY money raised from dues for ANY lobbying efforts. Therefore it must raise money for the NRA's ILA division and only that money is legally useable for direct lobbying efforts.

 

[Prometheus]

Mistakes it made in the past? What, you mean like last year?

For us old schoolers: BURN!

For the kdis and their new terminology-