One of the more contentious topics here on TTAG concerns the NRA, its mouthpiece, Wayne Lapierre and some of the positions it takes (or doesn’t) on various issues. I’m not here to try to defend all that the NRA does (or doesn’t do). I don’t always agree with how they conduct business and certainly concede that the scare tactics they sometimes use to drum up donations don’t sit well with me. I’m also aware that other organizations such as the Second Amendment Foundation often do a lot more for gun rights in certain cases and that the uncompromising views that they hold on Second Amendment rights more often resonate with hard line gun owners than some of the compromised positions that the NRA has taken over the years. All that said . . .
It’s important to remember that the NRA is by far the largest of the gun rights groups, boasting something on the order of 5 million members. The Second Amendment Foundation claims 1/7 of that as of last July (I’m sure they’re bigger now, but still small compared to the NRA). The SAF has been in existence for nearly 40 years, but few people outside of the gun movement have ever heard of it. A few years ago, before I purchased my first gun, I had heard of the NRA, but none of the other gun rights groups. The NRA is frequently cited by anti-gun zealots, but the SAF or other groups rarely get a mention.
What got me thinking along these lines was the speech that Wayne gave last Friday at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo. He mentioned the NRA’s membership of 5 million members and frankly, that seemed small to me. According to the National Institute of Justice, as of 2009, there were over 310 million firearms owned by Americans. Certainly that number has grown over the past three years, but let’s use that as a starting point.
Assuming the average household owns 10 guns (a big assumption I know, but I’m trying to make a point here), that works out to at least 31 million households with guns. Assume further an average of two people who are into firearms in each household and we wind up with about 62 million people who care about guns in one way or another. With the population of the U.S. hovering a little north of 300 million, it’s easy to see why the gun control lobby is starting to realize that they may have awakened a sleeping giant.
Politicians and the gun control lobby fear the NRA with good reason. And this is with only 5 million members. What would happen if the NRA grew to 30 million or even 60 million members? I suspect that we’d see a lot fewer politicians on the national, state, and local levels who want to mess with Americans’ gun rights.
So this, then, is my argument for joining the NRA — even if you don’t always agree with them. The mere existence of millions of acknowledged gun owners who care enough about their rights to join an organization that most of the time is pushing for expansions of those rights sends a powerful message. Why wouldn’t you? Go ahead and join the SAF, too, but join the NRA first.
At $35 a year, it’s a small price to pay for the amplification of the pro gun message that the NRA could project with significantly swelled ranks. Think of it this way as well – the more members who join, the more powerful the organization becomes. The more powerful it is, the less it has to compromise any Second Amendment principles to get the job done.
I’m not saying you need to give the NRA one dime more than the annual membership fee if you don’t like something they’re doing. All that I’m asking is that we create an organization of sufficient size that its mere existence serves as a deterrent to politicians who think that they “know better.”
Go ahead and hate Wayne. Complain about the compromises the NRA makes. Say and do whatever you feel like doing, but remember the strength that comes with numbers. As citizens in the U.S., we have great disagreements with each other about all kinds of things, but none of our enemies attack us because they know that we’ll quickly come together to form a united front against our opponents. As gun owners, I concede that we have our internal squabbles, but now is the time to come together against the outside forces who wish to take our rights away.
Join the NRA. Then — by all means — please go back to bitching about them.
Honestly, if you can swing a life membership, it’s a fairly good way to get the pain over and done with. I skipped out on an extra pistol, but right about now the cause needs that cash far more than I needed a tenth pistol.
I took out a life membership at a video store back in the ’80s. If they ever get back in business, I’m set.
I re-up annually, always considering the possibility I may one day choose to tell them to FOAD. Everybody should send whatever they can to the SAF.
Fact is-these two deserve each other far more than this country deserve either of the two. Since they both are of the mind that the European Firearm platform is the best, they should take themselves there, and walk together unarmed, hand in hand, and rely on the “pros” when the proverbial hits the fan. 10 to 1 being victimized will give them a new perspective……..no wait, they need not worry………pro bodyguards will protect them. The Elite will never see things through anything other than elite eyes……..
Didn’t Obama smoke pot? But, but, I saw a picture of him with a shotgun. Who gave it to him? Something must be done!
The liberal machine makes every effort to destroy those they consider threats. Think Sarah Palin. Notice that as Marco Rubio moved to center stage in the Republican party they have begun to destroy him as well. Now think of which gun rights group the left vilifies. Not GOA or SAF. I don’t think they see these great groups to be much of a threat. But they are going full court press on the NRA. The left sees the NRA as the group to be fought against. I don’t like how the NRA does everything either. But I will support the organization the the left sees as the biggest threat.
I’d rather give an anonymous donation than get on their suffocating mailing list.
Yeah, the daily (sometimes multiples in a day) emails trying to scare me into donating more money are getting a bit irritating. I joined recently, because I wanted a membership at a local range that only takes NRA members. But, I agree that this is the one largest organization that we gun owners should have a voice in. But I’m not gonna stop bitchin’ about their scare tactics either!
ACORN used numbers to get their way, it’s about membership whether you are trying to get politicians to spend money or protect rights. The other side has large groups they take for granted with 90% compliance rates, it’s about time we start working together even if that means the NRA is our group
Absolutely right, especially the point about large numbers. Yeah, they bug me too with the scare tactics sometimes but lately they don’t seem so far fetched! By all means join, upgrade and donate. Power in numbers is the only thing the grabbers understand.
B.S. This is the same logic that keeps people, year after year, voting for republicans – because they feel doing otherwise would be worse.
I’d rather put my support behind the SAF, and GOA (actual civil rights organizations) and help grow them into the size and influence of the NRA.
Unlike a singe vote in the ballot box, we can split our money any way we want. Majority of my my donations will likely continue to go to SAF, but I’ve been considering the minimum entry bid for NRA.
Giving $35 isn’t much to boost the largest gun rights group in the world, and have a voice within the orginization.
Mr. Wardlaw,
That is exactly the kind of thinking which fractures gun owners and makes them more easily controlled. The SAF, FPC, GOA, etc. are all good groups. None are perfect. However, the NRA is the biggest. At 5 million members, they are vilified and hated by the antis. They have a lot of clout. Think what they could do at a 30-50 million membership level. LaPierre is flippin’ old, and he won’t be at the helm forever.
All of this fracturing is assine. Love Magpul, hate Magpul, love LEOs, hate LEOs, etc. I welcome disagreement, but our greatest measure of strength lies in unity. If every TTAG reader joined the NRA, it would make an appreciable difference. Much more so than writing senators and individual votes. I’m an an NRA/FPC/GOA/SAF member, vote pro-2A, and call and email my representatives regularly. And people on TTAG still think I’m a gun grabber. I’ve been called worse on the side of the road, but I won’t allow it to change who I am.
Just join the damn NRA – they are a big thorn in the side of the Antis. Join them because Feinstein hates them. Join because the media has nothing nice to say. Join them even though the FPC and SAF are probably better organizations. Join because they are a prime indication of “being a gun nut. “Put some money where you mouth is, and make the antis sh!t themselves. It’s $35 dollars that are (reasonably) well spent. That’s roughly the price of a box of 5.56 rounds, because so many people voted for Obama and Feinstein.
I pretty much agree with the entire article. I never felt compelled to join, until recent developments & just about that time came the Life membership for $300 special.
I figure that they must be doing something right if they are the primary target for vilification. I’ve found myself adopting the enemy of my enemy is my friend position.
I used the direct hotline number for the life special 1-888-678-7894
The existence of “Women on Target” in and of itself makes the NRA worth supporting. Arguably one of the most important things that can be done to ensure the future of 2a is to make sure it’s more than just OFWG.
But, if the ILA want to see another dime from me, they can wait until I see them joining the fight against NY SAFE.
Join them all. Lifetime NRA. I payed for a lifetime membership at the SAF after the 7th circuit decision in Illinois. I’ll admit I was slow to the show, I didn’t know anything about the SAF before then. They busted ass to get my rights restored in Illinois, and I figured them I owed them no less than a lifetime membership. I need to look into GOA, I here some good things about those folks. Hell, start your own local outfit and make some noise. We have a county group that puts on a shindig at least once a year that attracts local press and gets our story out there. The battle has been joined, stop giving your money to Hollywood and other idiots, and start giving it the warriors who are fighting for our rights.
The NRA and The SAF are both great Grouos an whether you realize it all of the time they both do great things for us!
I, like Mr. Barrett, don’t always agree with how they do things but they have been at it for many many years.
I am a member of both and also a member of GOA and the Oathkeepers. There are a lot of great groups out there on our side if we will just get behind them and support them. A dollar a month is better than nothing a month, and with the millions o firearms owners in the US we should have hundreds and thousands of voices out there on our behalf.
Although my monthly income is just under $1600 a month(net) I budget $10-20 a month for various pro gun rights groups every month.
I gave my dad and a friend 1 year NRA memberships last year for Christmas.
We all can do our part. This is Our Country, Our blood and the blood of our ancestors made it the great country it has been. We cannot let it go any further down the drain without a fight!!
“I would rather die on my feet as a free man than live on my knees as a slave”!!
MOLON LABE!!
Cough Cough… so much smug I can’t hardly breathe.
Ultimately I agree with sentiment, which is the only reason i keep my NRA current. But i hope that the sentiment regarding the NRA forces the nra to evolve their message and purpose, or that other orgs like SAF gain significance.
Join them both. Join them all. Call your legislators.
Any amount of money spent on the NRA or GOA or SAF is going to do more for the cause than spending it on the latest toys. If everyone who paid too damned much for a rifle or ammo or a magazine had instead put some of that money and effort towards politics, we wouldn’t be here.
I did it a week after Sandy Hook. My last membership expired in 2002 but I saw the logic of one unified voice as being more valuable than the minor disagreements I had with NRA policy.
Yes. Yes. And Yes.
Bitch all you want about LaPierre’s salary (in fact, the man is underpaid) and the incessant fundraising pitches, etc and so forth, BUT JOIN. My wife and I are both lifetime members, along with annual contributors to SAF. It is incumbent upon us to support the institutions that defend our rights in the courts and the legislatures.
Especially if you are a newbie. Stop stressing over what caliber is best for self-defense or whether you should get a compact or sub-compact for CC. You will learn all that in time. Join as many pro-gun orgs as you can, but at least two, especially now as our rights are under an intense assault.
I disagree with the burglar bars comment. Fires are an issue, yes but any sensible home has a fire evac plan. My bars deter anyone from coming in through the areas I have blocked. Both my doors are secure but not burglar-barred. Equating the fear of fire to burglar alarms is much like equating a firearm for home defense to a possible ND waiting to happen. Should we ban B-bars too?
The point of my bars is to funnel any would be intruder to an area that is suitable for my defense of my home.
A large dog is the best for intrusion alert in my opinion. It is hard to ignore a dogs bark when in bed. There is something primal about it that wakes you up instantly. My Rhodesian Ridgeback is 90 pounds and he is only nine months young. Rhodesians stop growing at about three years old. He has already exceeded the weight the breeder said he would be when full grown. He still has enormous growth plates in his chest, paws, legs and back that have to stretch. I estimate he will be a big boy at about 115-120 pounds. He is extremely athletic and strong. He has already dislocated my elbow twice while playing tug and that’s with me using both hands and I am not a weak dude and not prone to injury. He just has such power from his neck when he twists and shakes. I can’t imagine the injury he would do to an intruder if he got close.
In my opinion layering should be done as such in order of what I see as priority:
Armed homeowners
Home carry
Defense plan
Large non-sissy dog
Strongpoints
Chokepoints
Lighting
Cameras
Escape routes
That’s my two cents.
So 12k pro gun people gather in the middle of the day on a workday, and the gun control side has to pay “volunteers” to show up to their rallies….yeah, there is totally overwhelming support for gun control /sarc.
Does the NRA sling mud, does the NRA use scare tactics, Does the NRA show the facts and give credible sources for their arguments??? Yes to all of these questions. Point of fact; many people didn’t and haven’t believed in unions but they joined and their life got better, the life of their families got better, schools where made available for everyone. Has the government taken away our rights to gather and require a negotiation on our labor and benefits? Yes, why? We as a people didn’t stick together, we didn’t show the states and federal governments that they should keep their noses out of business, and for that working conditions for most people is much worst then it was just 10 yrs ago.
This one example should have waken up the american public as to what the current course of our government was heading. 2 classes exist and they are not to far apart yet, though the rift is growing very quickly. The rulers and the peasants, the mini dictators and the peasants…. In medieval Europe the sign of a free man was that of his right to bear arms for his own protection, his family, his property, and his country. Loss your right too bear arms and we become peasants, something we fought so hard against when we left the crow to become our own state, our own people, free people. Not a peasant or slave of those who think they are our betters because they have money… Indirectly this is one of the things the NRA and SAF are fighting. To keep us free and keep our rights, which have been eroded slowly by those who think they are the royalty and we exist for their pleasure and serve…
To stay free the people need to be able to keep there government (by the people, not the politicians) in check need to fight for and keep their rights, rights of free speech, the right to bear arms, the right to gather (which a permit is now needed to do it legally), and our right of due process and judgement by our peers…
We as a people should join the NRA, the SAF and any other of the numerous organisations that work/fight tirelessly for us…
Solders and sailors don’t fight and do their jobs for the government but for each other, for their family, and friends… The NRA, SAF, and others are fighting in a different battlefield and they are fighting for each other, For their families, and for US. I am a life member and don’t speak for any of these organizations, this is all my personal opinion…
Just my 2 bits on the subject….
I’ve said this before, every time a Morgan, or a mikeyb#’s, Low Budget Dave or hmmmmmer makes a statement about gun control it creates a new group of pro gun people.
If brains were gasoline you couldn’t get enough fuel from these 4 to power a piss ant’s mini bike around a cheerio.
Beretta has threatened to leave MA. if more gun restrictions are enacted. That’s the type of company that I choose to support. Same goes for LaRue and the others that have openly denounced tyranny. Magpul openly announced that they now support the tyrannical machine. That said, I personally, can not in good conscience, support them by buying their products any longer. Any one that follows an unconstitutional order or gives support to someone that does is a traitor, period. There is no in between. I swore an oath that is not negotiable.
Interesting that Piers is so very concerned with how the proprietor has “No idea who these people are coming into his restaurant.” My response to that would have been to ask him if all customers should be registered, firearm or not. Why can’t customers be anonymous? Sounds as if Piers is advocating discrimination against customers whom the owner might not know.
Of course, that’s just “common sense.”
PM never get’s tired of hearing himself speak apparently. I’ve not heard his logic or argument change since all this crap started, yet he’s been challenged on all of it and wont answer it, just retreats back to name calling and statements he can’t back up.
It’s especially classy of him to pick a guy who is clearly uncomfortable on camera, and just rip into him with insults and the wish him failure? clASSy move db
Why should LEO be anymore entitled to protect themselves than the average citizen. I say if 7 or 10 rounds is good enough for the people its good enough for LEO. If Magpul is going to sell to banned states they should only sell what is available to citizens. The same goes for any manufacturer.
Piers reminds me of Plethero on V for Vendetta.
You’re kidding right?
People agree with, and remember what fits their own preconceived notions. We assign relative intelligence to others based on how closely their ideas match our own.
We look at Morgan and see an unmitigated ass.
Others look at Morgan and remember Alex Jones ranting at him.
Even this relatively tame interview the anti-gun people will watch and nod their heads to “When is the UN coming to attack the US?” See UN’s not coming tomorrow nobody needs guns.
The Anti-gunners, they can’t see beyond “if guns were illegal nobody would have guns, therefore nobody would get shot.”
Morgan in this debate said “how do you know your customers aren’t criminals or insane?”
What he can’t see: How do you know that with any random person?
The basic problem his threat detector doesn’t work. He sees Joe Schmoe everyday person. and that’s it.
Joe Schmoe isn’t a threat of course, he doesn’t have a twirly mustache or a visible weapon, therefore he can be safely ignored.
When of course the REAL danger is that weapon you don’t see.
Hyperbole about tanks and rocket launchers is completely acceptable but bring up the possibility of tyrannical government and you’re labeled a kook. Funny that.
For a long time gun owners have not been significantly challenged.
Anything not challenged grows weak.
Once assaulted, you either adapt and grow stronger or die. Not hard to figure out which one we chose, is it?
I think someone needs to train those hot women how to hold a use a shotgun, I’m available most weekends and evenings too.
Awesome. I wish it had happened sooner.
BTW, can we get him to Denver by Monday to speak at the state senate committee hearing when they discuss the CO civilian disarmament bills?
Hal,
The days of talking with civility to the Daves are long gone.
Our positions are irreconsilable. There is no middle ground.
Our rights come from our God; not from our government.
I don’t know how it starts, but I do know how it finishes.
III/0317
Now, THIS made it worth buying a membership. About damn time.
Oh, and Robert, how about throwing a link up here somewhere for the new “We Are America” video? Not a bad day for the NRA…
About time. I was wavering on whether or not to upgrade to a NRA Life Membership given a couple of less than stellar Mr. LaPierre media performances. This addition shows that they aren’t stuck in 1982. I am now on board.
Having lost access to all its vendors, the New York City Police Dept. was forced to adopt less lethal techniques for subduing criminals. Shown here are members of the 61st precinct’s Auditory Suppression and Subjugation (ASS) Team honing their skills.
“At the insistence of the clerical staff which is housed on the floor immediately above the range, the distance from firing line to target has been reduced to 3 feet. This should hopefully eliminate most of the random stray bullets coming through the floor into the Secretarial Pool.”
Winner!
Range officer explaining to lane 1 and lane 3 shooters how to control trigger and muzzle flip.
“Golly Andy, this here’s the biggest thing ever to happen in Mayberry. The Biggest!
Imagine, a police range on the weekends and a dancehall during the week!”
About god-damned time!!
A $35 membership fee is hardly “financially supporting” an organization the size and scope of the NRA. I get where you are coming from, but then, I assume that you never vote in any major election. I have yet to back a candidate that did not have some flaws in my mind, but in the end, I cast a vote for him over his opponent for the simple reason that the guy I’m voting for has fewer flaws than the other guy, or is closer to my line of thinking.
All politics is compromise of one sort or another. You never get everything you want, but you want to make damn sure the other side doesn’t either. If you want to NRA to be in a position where they have to compromise less, then we need to make them bigger and more powerful.
Big MCN supporter, I might be biased but I agree, it appears they listened to us.
This is GREAT! First order of business needs to be getting Mr.ColionNoir on the Piers Morgan show.
the first order of business is getting him to Baltimore, ground zero for omalleys plan to fingerprint people to exercise their constitutional right.
SATAN: “YO! BEELZEBUB! Lookin’ GOOD today!”
BEELZEBUB: “YO! SATAN! You’re looking sharp today yourself!”
Introducing the NYPD Barbershop Quartet, featuring stirring renditions of popular songs such as “I Shot The Sheriff,” the theme song from the Broadway hit “Bullets Over Broadway,” (actually a documentary expose’ about NYPD marksmanshp), and the theme song from “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.”
Almost nothing Morgan said makes sense to a thinking adult. I think he and D-B Joe have been sharing beverages, though I’m not sure who brought the virus into their relationship. Then again, maybe Morgan knows he doesn’t make sense, but he also knows people will buy into it.
*sigh*
Yet another dose of solipsism from a “journalist” riding their high horse of “ethics.”
Are we noticing a pattern here yet?
Oh they posted your personal info and freaked you out? Pot calling kettle…delivery for one world’s tiniest violin.
I agree……appendix carry is great! I have a desk job and sit all day and don’t have any issues, I carry a Ruger LC9 in the 3 speed holster. This holster is made for appendix carry and is very comfortable, very concealable, and even has a pouch for my spare mag! Great Article, good to know I am not alone at feeling safe with my heater pointed at my junk.
I’m a cop and I’m okay
I sleep all night and I work all day………
(My apologies to Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Fred Tomlinson. But of course they all need to apologies to me for Piers Morgan)
Hey Truth About Guns!!!
What about your beloved Daniel Defense? I don’t see any redicule pointed in their direction. While companies like ArmaLite and Magpul get publicy bashed by websites like this your elite status manufacturers like DD get a pass? Why? Last I checked DD is offering financing exclusive to ANY gov’t affiliated agency, yet won’t offer the same to me.
Maybe efsha move the auto-play video “below the fold?”
“…He probably has something like this in mind… ”
The last time I saw an article on this subject they simply wanted the NFA items to be registered to individuals. Yes, they wanted to fingerprint and run background checks on each person in the trust. But they also wanted to remove the CLEO signature requirement from individuals submitting transfer paperwork, which was the initial reason many people were forced to use trusts.
I am aware there are a number of other benefits from using a trust, perhaps some of which might be reason for the changes.
I hope they follow through on the positive changes to facilitating registration of NFA items, both the removal of CLEO signoffs and the online submittal system I had seen discussed.
So let me get this straight. You’re all willing to boycott Cheaper Than Dirt (and other retailers like them) for life even though they changed their stance and/or business practices, but Magpul gets high praises for doing the same thing?
“See that Farago fella never declares a winnah anymore in dese here ‘weekend contests’, yah see?”
“I say we sing a few bars and teach him a lesson. Ya see? “
Just checked out the Patrol version – make it in .308 for AR-10 mags, price it the same or less than the Ruger GSR, and take my money.
MSNBC “won” the dstinction of being named most biased and least news (vs opinion in last 2 Pew surveys).
Alter wrote a book apologizing for Obamas performance that only proved he had his head so far up his rear his heart beat his brains out.
Judging by viewer stats and ad sales I am not alone in viewing “Bash’em” and “Madcow” as simple “useful idiots”* and objects of scorn.
* V.I. Lenin
Unfortunately Darien Long is losing his job:
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/21750733/taser-weilding
You got me again. I still have two years left on my membership. You sent me a letter telling me to my membership was running out. Now I have read joined again two years still on my last membership. My membership number is 212204263, why do you keep charging me I cannot afford this. I live on my Social Security I’m trying to be a good member to double triple quadruple charging me is killing me