Why don't more gun owners join the NRA?

Why don't more gun owners join the NRA?

  • General apathy.

    Votes: 18 27.3%
  • General ignorance.

    Votes: 3 4.5%
  • The cost. (Associate membership w/o the magazine are $10.00/year)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • The excuse of putting the money (even the $10.00/year) "elsewhere."

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • The belief that the NRA is ineffective.

    Votes: 2 3.0%
  • The NRA's hardcore stance on the First Amendment.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • The NRA all too often looking like cheerleaders for the GOP (largely to remain the existing 5M)

    Votes: 8 12.1%
  • The belief that the NRA is not tough enough when it comes to gun control.

    Votes: 2 3.0%
  • The NRA's sometimes embarrassing (e.g. Ted Nugent and/or Dana Loesch.) spokespersons.

    Votes: 1 1.5%
  • The NRA literally overwhelms my mailbox and email inbox.

    Votes: 9 13.6%
  • The NRA asks for money too often.

    Votes: 9 13.6%
  • Unsavory people tend to advertise they are NRA members and I don't want to be associated with them.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I don't want my name on ANY mailing list -- including/especially the NRA's mailing list.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I find the NRA's advertising to be offensive at times.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • The enemy has done an effective job at vilifying the NRA and scaring people off.

    Votes: 4 6.1%
  • The NRA is poor at advertising.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I don't need the NRA. All I need is my rife, ammo, some water and a bag of beef jerky.

    Votes: 1 1.5%
  • The NRA has alienated a huge number of potential members by hammering away at "liberalism."

    Votes: 3 4.5%
  • Because a large number of gunowners really aren't "pro-First Ammendment."

    Votes: 1 1.5%
  • I simply cannot stand Wayne LaPierre and/or Chris Cox.

    Votes: 5 7.6%

  • Total voters
    66
Status
Not open for further replies.
I'm retired and I'm a NRA Patriot Life Endowment member. Just made the final installment payment on that a couple of months ago. It's all a matter of priorities. That daily Starbucks or energy drink add up real quick.

You can opt out of all the mail and phone calls.

It's the NATIONAL Rifle Association. They have a limited amount of money. Why would you expect them to waste it on a STATE issue? Especially in states where it's pretty much a lost cause to fight stuff. Join your state gun organization, like the Washington State Rifle and Pistol Assocation. I'm betting they're much more involved in STATE actions.

It pretty much boils down to the fact it's much easier to ride in the wagon and bitch about the speed of the wagon than it is to pull the wagon.
 
I did not vote because I have no idea why more gun owners do not join. I have been an annual member since I was 16 years old. I am sure any big organization will have things people do not like or will disagree with. I know most anti gun politicians want rid of the NRA and make every effort to stifle their message. For me their good far outweighs their bad. I will continue to pay my dues and make contributions to their gun control fighting efforts when I can and choose to do so.
 
Need to be able to choose multiple reasons. I'm a Life Member, but they seem to do more to piss me off lately than help the cause.

And is it the 1st Amendment, or the 2nd Amendment, that they are so obsessive trying to support? Last I heard, it wasn't Free Speech, but Right to Keep and Bear Arms they fought for.

As in all rights we have, I believe there is equal duty and responsibility on our part to use them properly. And sometimes, just because you CAN do a thing, doesn't mean you SHOULD
 
Need to be able to choose multiple reasons. I'm a Life Member, but they seem to do more to piss me off lately than help the cause.

And is it the 1st Amendment, or the 2nd Amendment, that they are so obsessive trying to support? Last I heard, it wasn't Free Speech, but Right to Keep and Bear Arms they fought for.

As in all rights we have, I believe there is equal duty and responsibility on our part to use them properly. And sometimes, just because you CAN do a thing, doesn't mean you SHOULD

You're wrong.

I wanted to see what here people felt is the primary reason more gun owners don't join the NRA. The poll is crafted to ascertain that.
 
I did not vote because I have no idea why more gun owners do not join. I have been an annual member since I was 16 years old. I am sure any big organization will have things people do not like or will disagree with. I know most anti gun politicians want rid of the NRA and make every effort to stifle their message. For me their good far outweighs their bad. I will continue to pay my dues and make contributions to their gun control fighting efforts when I can and choose to do so.

That's a healthy attitude.
 
I've repeatedly asked that people who post polls include an "Other" or "None of the Above". I also have to question whether the two references to "First Amendment" in the poll are correct and weren't intended to be "Second Amendment".

But, to answer your question, I resigned my NRA membership at the same time as President George Bush (Bush '41) and for the same reasons. When the NRA apologizes to Federal Law Enforcement agents for calling them (at the time, it was "us") "Jackbooted Thugs", I'll reconsider that decision.

Sorry, but no. Including "other" or "none of the above" is not the data collection I was seeking. I crafted the poll to gather the data I was seeking.
 
NRA is filling my email and post box with all those requests to renew my membership, besides I ALREADY DONE IT
Sent several emails and made several calls, still getting all that garbage, wondering if anyone actually checking, too many bureaucrats, not much real work.
 
I was a member maybe 12 years ago. I got so much junk mail from them literally almost every day. I called and wrote to them to get it stopped and they refused. Hence I won't join again.
 
You're wrong.

I wanted to see what here people felt is the primary reason more gun owners don't join the NRA. The poll is crafted to ascertain that.

What is it that you would like respondents to do for whom it is the sum of multiple reasons, and not one primary reason?
 
I was a member maybe 12 years ago. I got so much junk mail from them literally almost every day. I called and wrote to them to get it stopped and they refused. Hence I won't join again.
I was a member 20 years ago and once in a while I still get mail from them
 
All the choices were good and most of the replies aren't wrong but I think more gun owners don't join because they don't care enough. I have been an NRA member for many years and have found ways off the solicitation and mailing lists. Many of the reasons stated in the poll would apply to those who join and do not renew because of the junk the NRA sends you. The NRA is its' own worst enemy.
 
All the choices were good and most of the replies aren't wrong but I think more gun owners don't join because they don't care enough. I have been an NRA member for many years and have found ways off the solicitation and mailing lists. Many of the reasons stated in the poll would apply to those who join and do not renew because of the junk the NRA sends you. The NRA is its' own worst enemy.
I wonder how much money they waste with the tons of junk mail sent
 
All the choices were good and most of the replies aren't wrong but I think more gun owners don't join because they don't care enough. I have been an NRA member for many years and have found ways off the solicitation and mailing lists. Many of the reasons stated in the poll would apply to those who join and do not renew because of the junk the NRA sends you. The NRA is its' own worst enemy.

You make a good point...

One thing is for certain, if a number comments on this thread are representative of gun owners in the US (and I hope to God that they are not), the future of the Second Amendment in the USA is definitely in peril.

Apathy is a nasty killer...
 
If they can't ascertain a primary reason (most can who are willing to stop and think), they could just skip the poll.

Very well. For me, certain choices involve a bit more nuance than a single line and a radio button can capture. This happens to be one of those.
 
When I first joined as an annual member in the '80s, that was all I could afford.
In the mid-90s, they were going to up the Life membership to $750 but offered it at half the current price ($500) to beat the price increase. They even made it easy by making quarterly payments of $25 with NO interest charged.
Early last decade, they offered the Endowment at the same discount and this time, I was able to make a one-time payment and I've been at that level ever since.
I get a bit aggravated at the frequent requests for money for this or that with some logo-branded premium as I can't afford those now. That is also why I have not upgraded to Patron (and probably won't).
I wish I had more to donate as I would also like to donate a little to GOA and SAF, in addition to the NRA.
 
Too bad that's a radio button. If it were checkboxes, I'd check about nine of them.

And the list doesn't even include "sold the full-auto members down the river in 1986" or "continues to back some politicians long after they start voting anti" or "huckstering worse than a sleazy televangelist" or...
 
[QUOTE="lonegunman, post: 10539889, member: 2152

As a competitive pistol shooter I can tell you they are killing conventional pistol quietly, making high power rifle too easy and they seem to really endorse things like 3-gun and action shooting sports that are gear intensive and require little or no skill. I know there is a huge 3-gun crowd here, but shooting an AR at 14 yds and a pistol into the ground at your feet is not a contest of skill. It is a contest of speed and spending, the person with the coolest gear and most colorful shirt wins.
?[/QUOTE]

So why go off on a tangent, that happens to be full of crap. The last 3 gun event I shot had pistol targets out to 55 yards and rifle targets out to 425 yards, just as an example. If someone wants to make a point at least use true points, not Trumpisms.

I started NRA Smallbore starting in 1966, and bullseye pistol in the navy in 1976. The new games require different skills, but it's more than a pretty shirt.
 
I was a member for about 15 years until they endorsed a progressive Democrat over a challenger with pretty good gun rights credentials who had a 14 year record in the Colorado legislature and Senate in my Congressional District election when SanFranNan was the speaker. When I contacted them to ask why the reply was that the Democrat occupant had not voted against the Second Amendment to that point (her first and only term). I pointed out that anyone who supported Pelosi for Speaker should not be endorsed due to Pelosi's agenda but the person I spoke with told me that was not their policy and that they did not want to appear to be a one party organization. I told them that there were plenty of Republicans who did not deserve support so they should concentrate on supporting those with Constitutional values and to not be concerned with party affliction. He disagreed and I never renewed......
 
Last edited:
So why go off on a tangent, that happens to be full of crap. The last 3 gun event I shot had pistol targets out to 55 yards and rifle targets out to 425 yards, just as an example. If someone wants to make a point at least use true points, not Trumpisms.

I started NRA Smallbore starting in 1966, and bullseye pistol in the navy in 1976. The new games require different skills, but it's more than a pretty shirt.

You're quite rights. Smallbore, high powered riflr and bullseye are slowly dying. Probably because they are boring and because they don't have much of an application from a defensive use of firearms perspective.

On the other hand, 3Gun, Steel Challenge, USPSA, ICORE, IDPF and CASS are BOOMING.
 
I'm a member. I recognize that the NRA has some influence in Washington D.C. so I put my meager pittance into the collective pot.

But there is one thing that I really think the NRA misses completely. Or maybe this is why I'm not a public relations guru or some such. Two issues directly related:

1) Rather than mailing me crap I don't want and asking me for more money, spend that budget on outreach and education. Billboards. Advertise in other magazines. Run a radio or television spot. Rather than having to opt out of a magazine subscription, turn it into a money maker. Members get a reduced rate, but anyone can subscribe.

Directly related to that is the sole focus on legislative influence. It is needed, but legislation is only proposed when the lawmakers see it as a win for them politically. There should be a two pronged approach, make use of the current focus in D.C. and add to it the goal of influencing the electorate via my first point. Make gun control and restriction a less attractive option for politicians because fewer of their constituents will support it.

As an example, a few folks on this board are vocal about their support of the ACLU because it claims to support all civil liberties. Fine. The ACLU is very agenda driven, but markets themselves as all inclusive. Why should the NRA be viewed as a "closed" organization? The message and focus are too narrow to appeal to many Americans. Gun owner and non owner alike. The mission of changing the trajectory of legislation in Washington is not won by throwing money down a hole. It is won by popular support that makes further infringement political suicide. That battle has to be fought on Main Street, not K and East Capitol streets.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top