Dude, I'm 30 years old. I have no living memory of this supposed NRA golden age. I don't care what they did in the past, I care what they're doing now, and how badly they're doing it.
I completely understand this position. I'm also in my 30s and I had no use for the NRA or exposure to it in my youth outside of a two day basic Hunter's Ed safety course when I was 12. Which may have been the most boring thing I ever sat through to be completely honest.
The great thing is that like you and me, most of the younger generation of gun owners seem to be much more staunch in their support of the second amendment than some of the older folks. Gun owners under 40 seem to be more "no compromise" types. I'm not sure why that is, but I am glad to see it and I think it's a powerful opportunity to push back against the erosion of gun rights. Young blood must stay active and get involved to make this happen.
Like TriggerTime mentioned, how can we expect anything to change if we're not willing to get involved, get active, and push for stronger resistance to new gun laws? If we write off the NRA completely then we're left with an organization full of grampas and Fudds. (No offense to some of you older guys.)
Yes there are other gun rights groups. Yes they deserve our support too. But the NRA is still the 800 lb. Gorilla in the room. It's the organization the anti-gunner vilify. It's the organization that carries the most weight in DC. It's the organization helping drive youth shooting sports to expose kids to marksmanship.
Yes it needs an overhaul. Yes it needs to get leaner and spend money more strategically. Yes it needs to be more aggressive to push against new gun laws. But it's tough to make that happen when the public perception (and likely the reality) is that a majority of members are 60+ year old white guys.
Gun rights are under attack. The anti-gunners will never stop. Writing off the NRA, in my opinion, is a big mistake.