NRA and my car was vandalized

[Wisco]

Just a question on this statement. Is it the NRA who alienates you or is it some of the members? The NRA stands for guns and gun rights. It's membership is as diverse as our country. What you describe sounds like behavior of some of the membership, not as the NRA as an organization. There is a difference. It's like saying that the white supremist faction supports the NRA or Trump so everyone who supports the NRA or Trump is a white supremeist. As we know, that is not true but to many who think left, it is true.

An organization is its members. “I’m the NRA” or so is their slogan.

Many members I’ve met locally are unwelcoming to those with differing political opinions. They seem to think they’re better off without my time or money because I love guns, but don’t fall in line with the rest of their religious or political views.

Just my viewpoint.

I would however be interested in the NRA’s diversity statistics you mentioned. I’d like to be wrong that it’s predominately WASPy and old.

 

[Sam1911]

Correct, Sam. I asked trying to make my point.... to give it clarity.

Ok, but I don't think he's saying HE's alienated by the NRA. More that some members tend to have poor attitudes and to forget how their behavior reflects on our cause and our organization.

We didn't get the reputation of being bigoted, intolerant, Neanderthals purely due to slanted media reporting*. We can do a lot to break down that bad reputation by remembering that folks will judge our cause by their own observations of the sort of people we are.


(* Any more than the left has gotten the horrid reputations they carry due to what Fox news says about them.)

 

[TomJ]

It's become all too common of a tactic that when you can't win a debate on the issues you resort to personal attacks. The anti's can not win 2A arguments based on facts, so they need to demonize the NRA and gun owners in general.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I have an NRA sticker on both of my vehicles. After doing Black Friday shopping we came out of the mall to find two larger rainbow stickers placed on our back windshield. They were not easy to remove and left a lot of residue now meaning I have more work to get that off.

The point of my thread is not necessarily the vandalism, but the thought that somebody in the gay community feels that the NRA is against them.

There is an old saying, "Ignorance is the handmaiden of bigotry."

 

[hdwhit]

larryh1108 wrote:
Is it the NRA who alienates you or is it some of the members?

The NRA is its membership. And vice versa.

If the NRA membership can only function in an echo chamber of homogeneous ideas rather than welcoming all who share their core mission irrespective of whether they share the same views about abortion, gay marriage, hybrid vehicles or what have you, then it is doomed. The members of the NRA are the ambassadors of the organizations mission and principles and they must be willing and eager to share it with everyone; whether the person looks and sounds like them then or not.

The NRA stands for guns and gun rights. It's membership is as diverse as our country.

Then how come when I go to NRA sponsored functions, I see hardly any women, minorities, or transgender people? If the NRA were truly "as diverse as our country" then the majority of its membership would be women.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

The NRA is its membership. And vice versa.

If the NRA membership can only function in an echo chamber of homogeneous ideas rather than welcoming all who share their core mission irrespective of whether they share the same views about abortion, gay marriage, hybrid vehicles or what have you, then it is doomed. The members of the NRA are the ambassadors of the organizations mission and principles and they must be willing and eager to share it with everyone; whether the person looks and sounds like them then or not.

Aren't you pretty much accusing them of what you're doing? Tarring every member with the same brush?

 

[TomJ]

An organization is its members. “I’m the NRA” or so is their slogan.

Many members I’ve met locally are unwelcoming to those with differing political opinions. They seem to think they’re better off without my time or money because I love guns, but don’t fall in line with the rest of their religious or political views.

Just my viewpoint.

I would however be interested in the NRA’s diversity statistics you mentioned. I’d like to be wrong that it’s predominately WASPy and old.

I've been a member of the NRA for years and they've yet to ask me about my gender, race, religious affiliation, etc., so I'm pretty sure those diversity statistics are not available. In regards to the NRA's stance on issues outside of the 2A, I haven't seen it. The television and print ads I've seen address the 2A. I may be wrong about that, so if they are wandering into issues outside the 2A I'd be interested in seeing that. I do agree that we tend to judge organizations my the members we interact with. It sounds like you've met some NRA members who's behavior is less than desirable, and that's unfortunate. There are approximately 5 million NRA members, so I hope you don't judge all of us by the actions of a few.

 

[hdwhit]

TomJ wrote:
The anti's can not win 2A arguments based on facts,...

Bono
Aurora
Ft. Hood
Binghamton
Columbine
San Bernadino
Sutherland Spring
Sandy Hook
Orlando
Las Vegas

The "anti's" have all the "facts" they need.

 

[JO JO]

no stickers on my car or truck either, just like when I see liberal stickers on cars I think in my head "sure would love to bash that car " I don't but it does label them as to someone I have no respect for.

 

[old lady new shooter]

I have an NRA sticker on both of my vehicles. After doing Black Friday shopping we came out of the mall to find two larger rainbow stickers placed on our back windshield. They were not easy to remove and left a lot of residue now meaning I have more work to get that off.

The point of my thread is not necessarily the vandalism, but the thought that somebody in the gay community feels that the NRA is against them which is my only thought of why it happened. This upsets me because I I am friends with quite a few gay people that own firearms and treasure the right to be able to defend themselves as a minority. It's a shame that the NRA has become such a boogeyman that it instills rabbid hatred just at a car bumper sticker even. Even if I don't agree with the NRA stance on everything I'm just dismayed at the amount of vitriol placed on an organization made up of regular citizens that come from all walks of life no matter what they look like.

I don't have any NRA stickers on my house or car. No bumper stickers of any kind either. Why make oneself a target?

 

[old lady new shooter]

While I agree with the whole Libertarian social liberal approach, I must say that I haven't seen much of the NRA sticking their nose into things other than guns. Maybe this is more of a perception from the other side than a reality.

I was about to post something similar.

 

[Wisco]

I've been a member of the NRA for years and they've yet to ask me about my gender, race, religious affiliation, etc., so I'm pretty sure those diversity statistics are not available. In regards to the NRA's stance on issues outside of the 2A, I haven't seen it. The television and print ads I've seen address the 2A. I may be wrong about that, so if they are wandering into issues outside the 2A I'd be interested in seeing that. I do agree that we tend to judge organizations my the members we interact with. It sounds like you've met some NRA members who's behavior is less than desirable, and that's unfortunate. There are approximately 5 million NRA members, so I hope you don't judge all of us by the actions of a few.

If you haven't seen some of the NRA's videos, there's some threads about them on THR. One is just an anti-left video about "fake news" and leftist indoctrination in US schools - didn't seem to have much to do about guns.

 

[hdwhit]

TomJ wrote:
In regards to the NRA's stance on issues outside of the 2A, I haven't seen it.

I refer you back to Sam1911's post #15 in which he said:

"We had a long thread a few months ago when the NRA put out a video appearing to condemn the social justice movement and appearing to take a quite aggressive stance on the protests/riots."​

Oh, and let's not forget the (in)famous "jackbooted thugs" solicitation.

There are approximately 5 million NRA members, so I hope you don't judge all of us by the actions of a few.

And that was precisely my point. I don't - and can't - know all 5 million NRA members. I can only know the NRA members I encounter. And it is their behavior by which the rest of the membership will be judged by those outside of it.

 

[old lady new shooter]

WD 40 will be your friend in taking the sticker "stuff" off ... best I've ever found ...

Or GooGone.

 

[hdwhit]

Vern Humphries wrote:
Aren't you pretty much accusing them of what you're doing?

Not at all. Pointing out that an organization is judged by the conduct of its members is not condemnation; unless of course, that membership knows it's conduct is wrong and is ashamed of it.

 

[old lady new shooter]

The NRA is its membership. And vice versa.

If the NRA membership can only function in an echo chamber of homogeneous ideas rather than welcoming all who share their core mission irrespective of whether they share the same views about abortion, gay marriage, hybrid vehicles or what have you, then it is doomed. The members of the NRA are the ambassadors of the organizations mission and principles and they must be willing and eager to share it with everyone; whether the person looks and sounds like them then or not.



Then how come when I go to NRA sponsored functions, I see hardly any women, minorities, or transgender people? If the NRA were truly "as diverse as our country" then the majority of its membership would be women.

Their large events are always somewhere in middle America... some of us are not going to spend money to fly to Tennessee or Minnesota or wherever just to attend. Not knocking the policy, makes a lot of sense to go where most of the members have only a short trip. But don't necessarily judge the makeup of the membership by who goes.

 

[larryh1108]

Bono
Aurora
Ft. Hood
Binghamton
Columbine
San Bernadino
Sutherland Spring
Sandy Hook
Orlando
Las Vegas

The "anti's" have all the "facts" they need.

I'm sorry, I must have missed the facts you mention.
What are they?

 

[old lady new shooter]

If you haven't seen some of the NRA's videos, there's some threads about them on THR. One is just an anti-left video about "fake news" and leftist indoctrination in US schools - didn't seem to have much to do about guns.

They shouldn't speak specifically of "leftist indoctrination" in public schools, but when things happen like a 5-year-old boy getting sent to the principal's office for chewing his pop-tart into the shape of a gun and then miming shooting it, because the school has a "zero tolerance policy", that should definitely be called out.

 

[JO JO]

If you haven't seen some of the NRA's videos, there's some threads about them on THR. One is just an anti-left video about "fake news" and leftist indoctrination in US schools - didn't seem to have much to do about guns.

Has everything to do with guns, the schools are pushing very hard the liberal agenda anti 2A movement , they punish kids and collect data on kids that show an interest in firearms it is a big issue

 

[Wisco]

no stickers on my car or truck either, just like when I see liberal stickers on cars I think in my head "sure would love to bash that car " I don't but it does label them as to someone I have respect for.

I'm guessing you meant they are someone for whom you DON'T have any respect. That's a sad way to think about fellow Americans and exactly the type of people I am encountering at functions where there are numerous NRA members.

 

[Wisco]

They shouldn't speak specifically of "leftist indoctrination" in public schools, but when things happen like a 5-year-old boy getting sent to the principal's office for chewing his pop-tart into the shape of a gun and then miming shooting it, because the school has a "zero tolerance policy", that should definitely be called out.

Is that what was called out in the video?

 

[Wisco]

Has everything to do with guns, the schools are pushing very hard the liberal agenda anti 2A movement , they punish kids and collect data on kids that show an interest in firearms it is a big issue

That's not at all what the video said they were countering. The video was countering everything left, not just guns, which weren't mentioned. Which is exactly my entire point - be pro-gun, but don't bring all the other junk into it.

 

[TomJ]

I refer you back to Sam1911's post #15 in which he said:

"We had a long thread a few months ago when the NRA put out a video appearing to condemn the social justice movement and appearing to take a quite aggressive stance on the protests/riots."​

Oh, and let's not forget the (in)famous "jackbooted thugs" solicitation.



And that was precisely my point. I don't - and can't - know all 5 million NRA members. I can only know the NRA members I encounter. And it is their behavior by which the rest of the membership will be judged by those outside of it.

I haven't seen those. What specifically were they condemning? In regards to judging a group of people by the actions of a few, we'll have to agree to disagree on that.

 

[Wisco]

I'm sorry, I must have missed the facts you mention.
What are they?

He said "facts" in quotes. The anti's don't need actual facts when they have the large scale, still rare, incidents to play emotionally with the public. I'm guessing that was the gist of his comment.

 

[old lady new shooter]

Is that what was called out in the video?

I have no idea, have not seen the video you guys are probably discussing.