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
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1911 guy said:
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.
Click to expand...

I don't know about that....

Taking the initiative doesn't seem to be in their collective nature. I think here we are beginning to see the difference between the NRA and the ILA.
 
jcwit said:
For those who do not like all the mailing from the NRA, get off your dear rear end and call the 800 number on the back of your card and have them put a stop to it, they Will.

Seems more like just a reason to belly ache about the NRA!
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Yep!
Got tired of all the mail. Called, and presto! No more mail!:thumbup:
 
I guess guys can make all the excuses they want. In every part of life, there's some people that do the heavy lifting. Others choose to stand by and watch.

The NRA can't get into every fight, particularly ones that are heavily stacked against them. Pick your battles and all that.
 
Ohen Cepel said:
Gun Owners of America, 2nd Amendment Foundation, Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership.
Please join one of those, or a state organization to your liking.
Click to expand...
Along these lines, I chose to invest in the SAF and a state organization here in PA called FOAC (Firearms Owners Against Crime). As for the choice of SAF, preferred my investment to go primarily towards litigation rather than lobbyists.
 
I don't like everything they do but without them we would be totally screwed. When Clinton got elected the first time I could see the handwriting on the wall from the Democrats and became a life member basically for protest if nothing else. It was only $300 which is cheap for a lifetime subscription to rifleman magazine. I'm just a working guy. I can't believe the respondents who have a problem with the NRA supporting the conservative candidates. If it's not the liberal Democrats trying to take our guns away then who in the hell is it? If the moderators don't like me saying that they are part of the problem.
 
Mark 40 said:
Along these lines, I chose to invest in the SAF and a state organization here in PA called FOAC (Firearms Owners Against Crime). As for the choice of SAF, preferred my investment to go primarily towards litigation rather than lobbyists.
Click to expand...

You couldn't afford an extra $10.00/year to join the NRA?
 
Let's see, an associate membership to the NRA is $10.00/year. There goes that excuse.

A phone call or an email will stop the flow of NRA mail/email. There goes that excuse.

Stopping the flow of mail/email will end you hearing about constant pleas for $$$. One more excuse gone.

The constant NRA "liberal bashing" and the NRA annual meeting looking a lot like a GOP convention does get old, but it's one of those things that one has to turn a blind eye to -- until the NRA grows to 10M members.

I really think it just boils down to whiny apathy -- and a good dose of ignorance for some.
 
Casefull said:
I don't like everything they do but without them we would be totally screwed. When Clinton got elected the first time I could see the handwriting on the wall from the Democrats and became a life member basically for protest if nothing else. It was only $300 which is cheap for a lifetime subscription to rifleman magazine. I'm just a working guy. I can't believe the respondents who have a problem with the NRA supporting the conservative candidates. If it's not the liberal Democrats trying to take our guns away then who in the hell is it? If the moderators don't like me saying that they are part of the problem.
Click to expand...

Bill Clinton even lamented how successful the NRA was in battle against him -- particularly when it came to getting sympathetic politicians elected.
 
Casefull said:
I don't like everything they do but without them we would be totally screwed. When Clinton got elected the first time I could see the handwriting on the wall from the Democrats and became a life member basically for protest if nothing else. It was only $300 which is cheap for a lifetime subscription to rifleman magazine. I'm just a working guy. I can't believe the respondents who have a problem with the NRA supporting the conservative candidates. If it's not the liberal Democrats trying to take our guns away then who in the hell is it? If the moderators don't like me saying that they are part of the problem.
Click to expand...

There are MILLIONS of politically moderate and liberal gun owners in the US. Many of which strongly support the 2A. I imagine it gets VERY OLD for them to see an annual NRA meeting that looks like a GOP convention. I suspect it gets VERY tiresome to hear "liberal" used as a general slur. Also, LaPierre and Cox might be great lobbyists, but both are also horrible figureheads.

The NRA finds itself in a touchy situation though. If it didn't act as it does, a fair amount of its existing 5M person membership would be in jeopardy. HOWEVER until the NRA stops being offensive to pro-2A moderates and liberals, it'll never grow to the 10M+ members that it would need to be a devastating Beltway player.
 
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.
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The OP has created what I call a "focused poll", that is one that allows only a fixed number of controlled replies. So, if you do not fit into any of the poll choices (as is the case for me), then you (and I) must skip the poll as he mentions below.

If they can't ascertain a primary reason (most can who are willing to stop and think), they could just skip the poll.
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Yep, that's me, and it sounds like some others who replied above. I stopped, and thought carefully about each of the possible choices, and my truthful response was not on the list. So, I had to skip it. The unfortunate thing about that is it limits the responses, maybe a little, maybe a lot, we'll never know.

For your poll to be accurate you really need to allow for multiple responses.
Click to expand...
The OP is not trying to conduct an "accurate poll."

Obviously the poll doesn't require the capability to make multiple choices if the pollster is looking for the main reason why more people don't join the NRA.
Click to expand...
That would be true IF one of the poll choices you provide is the true "main reason".
 
Solomonson said:
There are MILLIONS of politically moderate and liberal gun owners in the US. Many of which strongly support the 2A. I imagine it gets VERY OLD for them to see an annual NRA meeting that looks like a GOP convention. I suspect it gets VERY tiresome to hear "liberal" used as a general slur. Also, LaPierre and Cox might be great lobbyists, but both are also horrible figureheads.

The NRA finds itself in a touchy situation though. If it didn't act as it does, a fair amount of its existing 5M person membership would be in jeopardy. HOWEVER until the NRA stops being offensive to pro-2A moderates and liberals, it'll never grow to the 10M+ members that it would need to be a devastating Beltway player.
Click to expand...
how can you be a liberal and support the 2nd when not one liberal politician is pro gun? who would they vote for? I can see trying to woo moderates
 
The HUGE problem, as others have already alluded to is that the Second Amendment has become such a political issue, which it should NOT be. Democrats/"liberals" have elected to become so anti-2A that the NRA has no choice other than to be a voice/proponent of the Republican party. Which alienates many folks. In my case, the Republican party is so out of touch with reality that I find myself more likely to believe in the cause of the Democratic party, which, by the way, also lacks a firm grasp of reality, more or less. In the end, I support republican candidates because they tend not to be so rabidly anti-2A, and the most important political issue to me is the Second Amendment. For most folks, this is not case, and the NRA alienates virtually all Democrates and probably most moderates as well. Until the right to keep and bear arms is no longer a political issue, it is a "no win" situation for the NRA.
 
Maybe the OP can send this Thread to the NRA after it gets locked . It would be nice if they took our feedback constructively .
 
salt&battery said:
how can you be a liberal and support the 2nd when not one liberal politician is pro gun? who would they vote for? I can see trying to woo moderates
Click to expand...

I think at least more than a handful of liberal politicians, deep down inside, are pro 2A. Ever heard of Southern Democrats? However, I think most, if not all, have elected to keep their mouth shut in order not risking alienating their base--that is, an urban population that does not understand firearms and may not associate them with anything other than violence.
 
Not to anger anyone, but as a former NRA member.....

They asked for money to often and were way to aggressive to my mailbox.

Also not a fan of how they divvy up the funding...

I do appreciate their stances on gun laws, but not the way they are run.

My thoughts if anyone cares...
 
orpington said:
The HUGE problem, as others have already alluded to is that the Second Amendment has become such a political issue, which it should NOT be. Democrats/"liberals" have elected to become so anti-2A that the NRA has no choice other than to be a voice/proponent of the Republican party. Which alienates many folks. In my case, the Republican party is so out of touch with reality that I find myself more likely to believe in the cause of the Democratic party, which, by the way, also lacks a firm grasp of reality, more or less. In the end, I support republican candidates because they tend not to be so rabidly anti-2A, and the most important political issue to me is the Second Amendment. For most folks, this is not case, and the NRA alienates virtually all Democrates and probably most moderates as well. Until the right to keep and bear arms is no longer a political issue, it is a "no win" situation for the NRA.
Click to expand...
the purpose of the democratic party as stated when they are pressed is to flood the country with 3rd worlders to where the native European people are a small majority and they will always be in power. they are almost there now. after 15 years they will be there. you can look at south America a mish mash of people where 1/2% of people got all the money and power
 
Solomonson said:
You couldn't afford an extra $10.00/year to join the NRA?
Click to expand...
where are you getting $10 a year from? I just renewed and it was like $40 and between my college loans, car insurance I never use but still get screwed in paying $100 a month and other bills and when it comes time for me to pay my hunt club dues on top of the $40 its a lot and some people cant find good paying jobs because our area sucks and there aren't any so $40 could hurt some people. I have a friend in his 60s who has to work 60hrs a week to be able to pay rent, car payment, and student loans and the guy has to barrow money from time to time to be able to eat!
 
I've been a member here and there a few odd years. Mostly when it was a situation where it didn't cost anything to join for a year and I got a free hat or something. I never renewed after a one year membership.

I'm a big proponent of less fed and more state govt control. My opinion is join whatever worthwhile state gun advocate group that you can. It's why I'm a member of the VCDL, and feel like they do WAY more for me than the NRA ever has.
 
Good Ol' Boy said:
I've been a member here and there a few odd years. Mostly when it was a situation where it didn't cost anything to join for a year and I got a free hat or something. I never renewed after a one year membership.

I'm a big proponent of less fed and more state govt control. My opinion is join whatever worthwhile state gun advocate group that you can. It's why I'm a member of the VCDL, and feel like they do WAY more for me than the NRA ever has.
Click to expand...
sometimes we need the federal laws to trump the stupid state and city laws.
 
Good Ol' Boy said:
I'm a big proponent of less fed and more state govt control.
Click to expand...
ohihunter2014 said:
sometimes we need the federal laws to trump the stupid state and city laws.
Click to expand...
I think you need to be careful in what you wish for. Ask the people of CA, MA, NY, CT, NJ, MD, HI and other states if they want state control over fed control.
The fed laws seem cut and dried where every state has their own "twist". In 99% of the cases, I prefer the feds keep their noses out of it but when it comes to our gun rights, I'll take fed control over state control.
 
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