Why so many anti-NRA?

[Lone_Sheep_Dog]

I can't believe how many shooters are against the NRA. I do get annoyed by the mail they send me asking for money, but they have to because so many shooters refuse to participate in donating money to protect their rights. If all gun owners joined the NRA then they wouldn't have to ask for money so much. I suspect that we would have so many more gun freedoms if we all joined the NRA. Think of how powerful we would be in Washington. No politician could stand in our way.

One guy at a booth at a gun show in Atlanta got so offended when I told him I was an NRA member. He was trying to tell me how bad the NRA is. I couldn't believe this. I walked away thinking what a shame it is that gun owners can work against our gun rights like this.

Without the NRA, only police, military, and criminals would have guns! Why is this so hard to understand?

I understand there are smaller gun rights groups, but they don't have nearly as much influence in Washington.

 

[Zundfolge]

The anti NRA attitude in parts of the shooting community is proof that the [anti-RKBA types] is real darn good at Divide and Conquer.

 

[HOWARD J]

It's election time boys---at least send them a dollar.
You may not like them but they have done a lot for us.................

 

[russ69]

Some people just don't like successful operations, they prefer anarchy and social misfits. To some people as soon as a company is successful, they will start the bashing. Mcdonald's serves crap, Walmart is evil, Exxon is the devil, etc. It's the thing liberals do. Success=corruption.
In the meantime America is voting with their dollars. The NRA is without a doubt the most effective pro gun organisation world wide.

Thanx, Russ

 

[jnyork]

The question has always puzzled me too. For instance, on these gun boards, if the title of the thread has "NRA" in it , regardless of the subject, it wont be but 3 or 4 replies before the bashers will come crawling out of the woodwork. :banghead:

 

[Tommygunn]

The NRA is a good organization, and the biggest most accomplished pro 2A organization out there. I am a member and I do send them $$.
My beef with them is they have been known to compromise too often.
They also seem to lack a will to try to repeal most of the 20,000 gun control laws we've accumulated. Some will say that they've been so busy trying to beat back the gun control laws that have been proposed over the last two decades you can't expect them to do everything ... and you do have to admit that is a good point.
They also didn't really play well in the Heller case, which frosted some pro rights people.
They aren't perfect. I am also a member of other pro 2A organizations, and they have their warts as well. There is no "perfect" pro-rights organization.
I suppose if one were to start one's own such organization, then it would be "perfect."
Until it built up enough members and they wanted their two cents to mean something ......

 

[jimmyraythomason]

if the title of the thread has "NRA" in it , regardless of the subject, it wont be but 3 or 4 replies before the bashers will come crawling out of the woodwork.

Yeah,it's baffling and disgusting at the same time. I keep saying I'm going to stop even looking at such threads but I guess the "train wreck" syndrome takes over and I do anyway(and ALWAYS regret it).

 

[GunsBeerFreedom]

The 'problem' with the NRA is, IMO, their eagerness to compromise. A necessity when dealing in politics, but it's not surprising some don't like it.

 

[X-Rap]

It seems there are two camps, one that says they are to soft and the other that says they are to hard. I guess on this matter I like it right in the middle.
There are many good 2A orgs but none have the clout of the NRA.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

The 'problem' with the NRA is, IMO, their eagerness to compromise.

THAT is how things get done! I spent 8 years as an elected official in city government and know that you either compromise or you learn to take accept defeat graciously.

 

[duns]

I don't know much at all about the NRA (I'm an immigrant and a very recent gun owner and not very well up on current affairs) but some people tell me that the NRA are not just about the Second Amendment but also supporters of right wing policies in general. If that is true (and I am not saying it is), then I could easily see how that would alienate about half the country. Just a thought.

 

[Tommygunn]

THAT is how things get done! I spent 8 years as an elected official in city government and know that you either compromise or you learn to take accept defeat graciously.

That can be true, but it's a sword that cuts both ways. "Compromise" can also be a tactic used to erode rights. There is such a thing as a "slippery slope."
If you doubt that, look at the income tax. We passed it in 1913 claiming it was only a few %% tax on the richest. And now look at how the tax code controls our lives.
People plan their investments around it.
And it's induced a class-warfare mentality amongst the political class. Obama thinks it's "fair" to redistribute Joe the Plumber's earnings .... demos and repubs fight it out for votes, one side claiming it's fair to make the "rich" pay so they can bring home bacon to their middle/lowerclass constituents. In a consumer driven economy the 2% upper income earners are vilified and demonized for their "greed" if they -- or anyone -- suggests they should keep more of their earnings, yet these people constitute 49% of the consumer economy in our country. So we cut off the nose to spite the face; many people are quite willing to see the rich hurt while they work 60 hours a week in retail sales, without considering that without the consumer, they wouldn't have a job at all.
When I think of what the politicians have done to our freedoms and our "free enterprise" system I get sickened .... but I am also severely chagrinned at the cr@p that so many voters fall for ... lapping it up and wallowing in schadenfreude not realizing that it is not doing anything at all to HELP them ... and may even eventually decimate them.
Sometimes I think humanity is insane.
But ... I also am sure that there have also been many victories due to compromise as well.

 

[MikePGS]

If the NRA had their way, D.C. v Heller never would have happened. Sure it's understandable that you sometimes need to compromise but it shouldn't be to the degree that you don't even try to have the opportunity to compromise.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

There is such a thing as a "slippery slope."

True but "no compromise" gets you nothing more times than not. Obama only signed the bill allowing for carry in national parks as a compromise to get his credit card bill passed. The NRA could refuse to compromise IF it had enough members to back it up. By not joining because they compromise is a "catch 22". They wouldn't HAVE to compromise if they had enough members and they don't have enough members because they compromise too much.

 

[General Geoff]

I don't like the NRA because they compromise too much. They do not represent my political views. They are not working to repeal the 1968 GCA or the 1934 NFA.

The NRA is not particularly pro-gun; they are very pro-status quo.

By not joining because they compromise is a "catch 22".

From what I understand, the NRA was quite powerful back in 1968. Where were they when congress passed the GCA? Yeah. They had their chance. If the NRA changes their tune and starts trying to repeal the GCA or NFA, I'll gladly plunk down cash for membership.

 

[Sky]

I joined and support them.

 

[JohnKSa]

Not a complete list:

• People don't understand how politics work.
• People have unrealistic expectations.
• People don't bother to research to see if what they're told is true.
• People don't know what the NRA has done and is doing for them.
• People join the NRA but don't really care about RKBA and get irritated that the NRA bothers them with mailings and phone calls that make them feel guilty.
• The NRA does have some problems because it's not perfect and some can't live with those flaws.
• Other less effective RKBA organizations have found that a good way to boost membership is to run down the NRA because many are ready to believe anything negative told them about the NRA because of the other items on this list.

 

[hso]

The NRA are GOP stooges.

Were

Considering the number of non-GOP candidates getting A ratings from them, they may have learned an important lesson about returning to the more inclusive organization they used to be. Leave all other politics out, focus on protecting and restoring gunowner rights by every means possible (especially the ones that work).

 

[rfurtkamp]

From what I understand, the NRA was quite powerful back in 1968. Where were they when congress passed the GCA?

Supporting GCA '68 as a protectionist measure for its industry partners.

The problem with NRA is it's still mired in the poor decisions of its past and fails to support things like NFA owners.

I applaud the things they do along the lines of youth education and range support but some of the 'compromises' politically have been toxic to say the least.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I don't know much at all about the NRA (I'm an immigrant and a very recent gun owner and not very well up on current affairs) but some people tell me that the NRA are not just about the Second Amendment but also supporters of right wing policies in general.

The NRA is only focused on gun rights. How do you explain their ratings and endorsements for people like John Dingell, Harry Reid, et al? These people are far from "right wing."

Another thing not yet mentioned that puts people off is deceptive marketing, e.g., sending letters ostensibly demanding payment for the free DVD they sent you, laying a guilt trip on you if you don't renew your membership.

 

[RevNate]

Because the NRA isn't about the 2nd Amendment. It is about selective applications of the 2nd Amendment.

Just one example- "keep" means possess and "bear" means carry. The right to possess and carry arms is not about concealed handgun permits. If it is a right, it by right should be free- and I haven't seen the NRA support Constitutional Carry yet.

This is just one example.

But with that said, see my sig line. I am proud to be a member because they do some good. The NRA is not my enemy. It's not my best friend, either- but definitely not my enemy.

 

[MikePGS]

Another thing not yet mentioned that puts people off is deceptive marketing, e.g., sending letters ostensibly demanding payment for the free DVD they sent you, laying a guilt trip on you if you don't renew your membership.

They sent me some DVD even though I wasn't a member (Guns and Ammo subscription someone bought for me). I sent it back, but for those of you unaware of laws regarding this sort of thing, if someone sends you something in the mail unsolicited you can keep it without having to pay for it. Of course your state laws could vary from this so you might want to do a little investigation for your own sake

 

[PT1911]

I will likely end up joining soon, but still disagree with their lack of a backbone... If you were in a justified shooting next week, but because of the laws in your area, you were brought under charges, even as a lifetime supporter of the NRA and even with the law in question being blatantly unconstitutional, do you think the NRA would be in your corner or would it be just another bite they measured as too big for them to take?

The NRA, has no real political power, I understand that, but what they do have is a voice, a voice of millions of members and deep pockets. My issue is they are too careful in what they choose.....

If all you ever do is give a man bites off your plate, eventually you will have no food left.

 

[sig220mw]

The NRA supports any candidate from any party that supports gun rights. If the 2 major parties both have pro gun candidates they usually go with the one who's record is better between the two or the one that they perceive to have more clout.

The GCA of 1968 was swept in because of 3 big name people getting killed in a relatively short time. John and Robert Kennedy and Martin L. King.

We as gun owners COULD have much more clout if we had about 20 million members in the NRA. Too many people just sit on the sideline and do nothing and then whine when our rights are compromised.

No organization is perfect but we can make it better if we give it our support.

It's a small price to pay when it comes to protecting the bill of rights.

 

[garyhan]

The idea that the NRA supports, or ever supported GCA '68, is totally erroneous. The NRA fought like hell against its passage, and had been fighting similar measures for years by 1968. The passage of GCA '68 demoralized the NRA for years. I saw it all happen. As for the NFA, the fact is such a tiny number of us delved into NFA items until very recently, that few even gave it a thought. This is changing. NRA magazines have recently featured articles on suppressors and other NFA items. There is absolutely no sense in trying to repeal these laws until a firm foundation is laid by decisions such as Heller and McDonald. A piece at a time is the only way we will win these battles.

gary
NRA endowment
NFA owner