NRA Members???

[buckey01]

There are several good organizations besides the NRA; but it is the largest, wealthiest, and most influential. I have been a life member since 1981 and still make regular contributions to the ILA. I also belong to four other main stream gun rights organizations. We are in for the fight of our lives in the next year. Joining any of the groups gives added power to your voice.

If you value your second amendment rights it is time to stand up and fight gun control in any way you can. There is always a very large percentage of people who sit back and allow others to protect their liberties. This time we are in danger of losing not only the second amendment rights but all of our liberties. The progressives have no limits on their desire for power at the expense of individual liberty. The second amendment was added so that citizens could protect themselves against a tyrannical government and is the only thing standing between progressives and the power they feel that they are due. Socialism can not coexist with true liberty since it is the collective that is all important. Slavery is the price this country is going to pay for the government largesse that so many citizens want.

 

[BluesStringer]

It might be wise to consider not everyone thinks the same way as you do. And particularly when you look at the numbers and realize how little people are members -- perhaps that's the biggest statement of them all that you're actually in the minority about it being "right"...

There's my biggest problem with the NRA right there....too many little people as members. I'm 6'-6" and go about 250. The little people of the NRA don't want me anyway.

J/K. Welcome to the forums. Please take note of the fact that the OP did admit to being a bit too rambunctious in his opening post. Seems that the thread has taken a turn for the better and the "my way or the highway" attitude is not the prevalent one anymore, at least not for the time being.

There are two things that most human beings don't deal with very well - One is finding out that you've allowed yourself to be deluded about something that's important to you, and the second is finding out that someone (or some organization) that you've trusted and supported for a long time has betrayed your trust and support.

Myself, I have trouble dealing with those things too, but for some reason my instinct is to seek the truth of the matter, no matter how uncomfortable that truth may be, rather than resist acknowledging that I may have been deluded and betrayed by someone dishonestly representing that they have been, and will always be, serving my best interests. It's not a criticism of anyone on this thread, just a general observation, but I've noticed that many people cannot readily admit to falling for a big deception, and that they hang onto every last bit of trust before being able to accept that they've been betrayed by what they previously considered a highly trustworthy ally. To a large degree, they're right to do that. They should give themselves time to absorb and/or research new and difficult-to-accept truths. I've seen that process starting here, in spite of the rather contentious and belligerent beginnings.

Otherwise, again, welcome, and stick around. It's somewhat of a roller-coaster-ride sometimes, but it's a pretty good bunch here.

Happy New Year,

Blues

 

[BluesStringer]

Besides that, if you actually read the Quran instead of sleeping under old newspapers, you'd know that the story of Christmas is our 19th Surah and that the only difference in our religions is the language spoken during prayer.

What would you describe as the Christian equivalent of "taqiyya," a doctrine within islam that you appear to be an adherent of?

Personally, I don't think Obama is a muslim. There's not a man alive who is as narcissistic as he is who believes he is inferior to anyone or any deity. In other words, he thinks of himself as god.

That said, he is certainly muslim-centric, and shows much more deference to islamic cultures than the Judea/Christian culture upon which this country was founded. He is no more Christian than he is muslim, but the dreams from his father certainly speak to him in Arabic tongues and orthodoxy. He is a great practitioner of taqiyya too.

Blues

 

[richardlpalmer]

To richardlpalmer - "Catholic Light" !! I freakin LOVE IT!! :lol:
I am a recovering Catholic myself, and man, you hit THAT one on the head.
Great post, and a lot of good points.

This thread has been interesting. I never would have expected my confession to making an ass out of myself that day would inspire 4 pages of what have been thought-inspiring responses and useful debate.

To tattedupboy - my friend, I very well remember the days when I could not have afforded the price of a year's dues either. By God's grace, those days are behind me (for now, anyhooo), and if my prayers are of any value, they will be in your rear view mirror too, before you know it. Keep the faith.

I think I've got you one-upped. I'm not only a recovering Catholic, I'm a recovering SCIENTOLOGIST!

 

[richardlpalmer]

There's my biggest problem with the NRA right there....too many little people as members. I'm 6'-6" and go about 250. The little people of the NRA don't want me anyway.

J/K. Welcome to the forums. Please take note of the fact that the OP did admit to being a bit too rambunctious in his opening post. Seems that the thread has taken a turn for the better and the "my way or the highway" attitude is not the prevalent one anymore, at least not for the time being.

There are two things that most human beings don't deal with very well - One is finding out that you've allowed yourself to be deluded about something that's important to you, and the second is finding out that someone (or some organization) that you've trusted and supported for a long time has betrayed your trust and support.

Myself, I have trouble dealing with those things too, but for some reason my instinct is to seek the truth of the matter, no matter how uncomfortable that truth may be, rather than resist acknowledging that I may have been deluded and betrayed by someone dishonestly representing that they have been, and will always be, serving my best interests. It's not a criticism of anyone on this thread, just a general observation, but I've noticed that many people cannot readily admit to falling for a big deception, and that they hang onto every last bit of trust before being able to accept that they've been betrayed by what they previously considered a highly trustworthy ally. To a large degree, they're right to do that. They should give themselves time to absorb and/or research new and difficult-to-accept truths. I've seen that process starting here, in spite of the rather contentious and belligerent beginnings.

Otherwise, again, welcome, and stick around. It's somewhat of a roller-coaster-ride sometimes, but it's a pretty good bunch here.

Happy New Year,

Blues

I hear you. I'm even smaller than you at 6'3" (although a bit portly at 310 lbs...)

Oh I definitely noticed that. Hopefully I conveyed that well -- I wasn't trying to pick on him or his ideals.

 

[Etkini]

I had given the NRA a chance last year, and paid the $25 for a year. I let my membership run out in July, as I don't feel the NRA is the "holy grail of 2A rights" everyone thinks they are. I started to research into them as I continued to get more and more spam mail asking for donations, and without repeating what BluesStringer said on page 2, he covered most of it. They were in support of both the GCA '68 and FOPA '86 (with that wonderful Hughes Amendment).

The ILA portion of the NRA is generally separate and funded mainly on donations, if I recall correctly. Without getting too much into numbers, less than 5% of the NRA's total income (about $9 million) goes towards the ILA, which "fights" for our 2A rights.

That, and the NRA political ratings seem to be a joke. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand boasted about target shooting and hunting, and the NRA gave her an "A" rating. A few years later, and voting against firearm rights EVERY time (because she was "educated" by Mayor Bloomberg about firearm-related crime), the NRA dropped her to an "F." The NRA endorsed Mitt Romney, even after Romney made it much harder (and more expensive) to exercise your right in Massachusetts - it occurred shortly after Romney paid for a lifetime membership while campaigning.

After this, you've got to realize not every firearm owner in this country shares the same drive to try to protect our rights as we do. I can name at least a dozen people I've worked with in the past year alone who associate with and vote Democrat who own firearms who are FOR firearm-control. One in particular drove me wild, owning a double-barrel shotgun and a rifle proclaiming we should only be able to bear arms for hunting use. When asked what he hunts, he stated he hadn't hunted in 10 years. When asked why he still kept his firearms if he believed only hunters should be able to own them, he got upset and left.

I am 100% for protecting our 2A rights, and do support GOA, JPFO, SAF, and various other ones, but I don't support the NRA.

 

[kerb]

Proud Life member.
The NRA is our best chance of defending our Second Amendment rights.

And let there not be a doubt, they WILL need to be defended very soon.

You still think that about the NRA after having read the article in UATKP's post? After reading it, seems to me like the NRA has a track record of squandering our rights away, one reasonable compromise after another. I'm gonna have to look into this more.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2

 

[foxytwo]

I am a NRA member and have been for many years. I can't figure out why getting so many letters is such a hard thing to contend with. I look at the mail and if I don't want it I put it in the recycling bin. If the little things in life bother you so much, how do you cope with the larger things things that take a lot of effort?

 

[buckey01]

If you don't like the NRA then join and contribute to Gun Owners of America or the Constitution Society or the Heritage Society. Don't just sit back and let other people support the fight for your liberty. If you don't work through the political process you're looking at a real and very costly fight. Most, of course, will sit back and watch others in that fight too. "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.". Evil is winning and we are about to lose this Republic.

 

[BluesStringer]

If you don't like the NRA then join and contribute to Gun Owners of America or the Constitution Society or the Heritage Society. Don't just sit back and let other people support the fight for your liberty. If you don't work through the political process you're looking at a real and very costly fight. Most, of course, will sit back and watch others in that fight too. "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.". Evil is winning and we are about to lose this Republic.

This is just like the election debates on this board. "Either vote for Romney, or accept that you're a lazy, do-nothing whiner who may talk the talk, but don't walk the walk if you don't support our choice for President."

The fallacy of the above post is that the question wasn't posed as, "If you don't like or support the NRA, what are you doing for the cause instead?" The question started out as no question at all, but rather, just berating anyone who didn't unquestioningly fall in line behind the NRA as our fearless leaders, again, just like some of us didn't fall in line behind Romney and caught some pretty heavy and consistent flack for it. The true analogy is though, that the reason in both cases is the same; both Romney and the NRA have proven that they can't be trusted to stand firmly on the side of gun owners. Most gun owners knew that about Romney, but voted for him anyway. But the fact is, most gun owners have never considered that the NRA is anything but above reproach. If they don't know, they can't be blamed for following a well-orchestrated deception. So now some in this thread have said that they're going to look into it further because they've been exposed to some evidence that at least holds potential for being credible, if not finding it outright compelling. Seeking truth, no matter how uncomfortable or difficult to accept, is always better than blindly following the pack of lemmings right over the cliff.

Bottom line, the choice isn't the NRA or be a do-nothing loud-mouthed whiner. The choice is to make an informed choice about who to support, or don't b!tch and moan when following the NRA, or any other organization of which you truly know very little, results in betrayal......again. The choice is to make good choices in whatever you do for the cause, whether it's financial support, activist support, leadership support, whatever. But it must be the cause that drives your choices, not the fame or prestige that massive marketing organizations like the NRA can manufacture out of nothing more than...well...marketing campaigns. Just don't follow anyone blindly. Know who you're supporting, and above all, demand uncompromising loyalty to the cause in return for that support.

That's all.

Blues

 

[Bill Amsden]

Guns and politics are serious enough issues as it is and now someone has brought up religion and the Quran. I thought it would be just a matter of time. Lets focus people!!!!!!!!I thought we were talking about our gun rights. Bad things happen when we start knocking religions. I don't give a crap how any of you pray, How I do it is my business and I am not going to force it upon any of you in this site. I just want to keep my right to bear arms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! isn't that why we all are here?

 

[UATKP]

Guns and politics are serious enough issues as it is and now someone has brought up religion and the Quran. I thought it would be just a matter of time. Lets focus people!!!!!!!!I thought we were talking about our gun rights. Bad things happen when we start knocking religions. I don't give a crap how any of you pray, How I do it is my business and I am not going to force it upon any of you in this site. I just want to keep my right to bear arms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! isn't that why we all are here?

You're right... partly.... Bill... though I'm not the one who brought it up, I deleted my post... now get down off that horse. )

 

[dcselby1]

I'm almost afraid to ask this question, because I'm afraid the answer will make my blood boil...
CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY THERE ARE 80 MILLION GUN OWNERS IN THIS COUNTRY, AND ONLY 4 MILLION NRA MEMBERS?!?!?
Is there anyone on this forum who is NOT an NRA member and can justify why?
Look at the force we are in Washington DC - imagine if there were 50 or 60 MILLION of us?? And why shouldn't there be 80 Million?!?
WE ARE IN THE FIGHT OF OUR LIVES HERE, PEOPLE!!

I was on line getting into a gun show once, and I heard two college- age guys talking behind me - "You in the NRA?" one asked the other. "Naah" the little s--t whined, "if you join up, they always keep mailing you stuff."
I turned around and stared in his face. "You know what?" I said, "If I had my way, there'd be a guard at the door over there, and if you can't show your NRA membership card, you couldn't even get the ---k INSIDE."
I offered to PAY his g----mn membership for a year at the NRA booth inside the building where the show was, but I guess the prospect of the NRA "mailing him stuff" was just too terrifying.

Lord help us.

The discussion came up in my circle about NRA membership. The comments were that it was "too expensive." I've been telling people that you CAN sign up for membership using a payment plan as low as $25.00 per quarter. I had two friends tell me that they signed up.

 

[tricolordad]

Zero is supporting the Muslim Brotherhood to our great detriment, and he's sending us into socialism as fast as he can. How would you describe that? Maybe there's "you Muslims" and "them Muslims."

If the religions are so similar, who is the Muslim Jesus?

Unlike the non-orthodox christian denominations, we don't worship mere humans. We pray to god himself. Again, Muslims are not socialists. Socialists are atheists, we are the ultra faithful. Confuse it all you want, I won't respond any firther to your ignorance.

 

[tricolordad]

What would you describe as the Christian equivalent of "taqiyya," a doctrine within islam that you appear to be an adherent of?

Personally, I don't think Obama is a muslim. There's not a man alive who is as narcissistic as he is who believes he is inferior to anyone or any deity. In other words, he thinks of himself as god.

That said, he is certainly muslim-centric, and shows much more deference to islamic cultures than the Judea/Christian culture upon which this country was founded. He is no more Christian than he is muslim, but the dreams from his father certainly speak to him in Arabic tongues and orthodoxy. He is a great practitioner of taqiyya too.

Blues

The bible and pope both command you to kill me. The Vatican has consistently suppressed and altered the Bible to fit it's ever changing political standing. It has happened in Mecca as well. I can see where politics has been put into the Quran, just as plainly as I can see most Christians ignore the teachings of the Old Testament and follow the highly political New Testament, which commands you to pray to and worship a human. I married a Christian. What do you make of that? Lmao

I just wanted to clear up the misconception that Obummer is Muslim. You can Crusade all you want. I won't answer beyond this post.

 

[tricolordad]

Guns and politics are serious enough issues as it is and now someone has brought up religion and the Quran. I thought it would be just a matter of time. Lets focus people!!!!!!!!I thought we were talking about our gun rights. Bad things happen when we start knocking religions. I don't give a crap how any of you pray, How I do it is my business and I am not going to force it upon any of you in this site. I just want to keep my right to bear arms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! isn't that why we all are here?

Yes, but they are crusading. Lol

 

[tricolordad]

I think I've got you one-upped. I'm not only a recovering Catholic, I'm a recovering SCIENTOLOGIST!

How much money are you out? Lol jk

 

[Rabbitcreekok]

The problem is that the vast majority of hunters don't see their guns at risk. They feel that no one will come after their rifles and shotguns, they will come for the handguns that we rambunctious, unruly rightists own. The problem with that thinking is that historically, it is the long guns they come after first, because they can do the most damage. Imagine if there were no long guns during the American Revolution. We would still be singing "God Save the Queen"

All 80 million need to understand that it is their guns that they will be coming after. Feinstein does not think that Mom and Dad America need any type of firearm, so she wants to get them all.

And you guys that are anti NRA, what are you doing in place of supporting the NRA efforts? I hope you are getting those marches to DC you spoke about together. Or communicating with our elected officials. Anything will help.

 

[2Awarrior]

When I started this thread with a buffoonish rant about joining the NRA, I said to myself, "What I REALLY wanna talk about is Obama's religious affiliation, but I just don't know how to GET there..."
But see? The god of Christianity, Islam, Scientology, the Rainbow Coalition, and Jews for the Preservation of Firearm Ownership is watching over us!
And right now he is slapping himself on the forehead with his palms.

PS - the Jews for the Preservation of Firearm Ownership thing is real, if you didn't know that. You should check 'em out. Those boys make the NRA look like Hanna Montanna.

 

[Dunewolf]

I thought about joining NRA - rather seriously prior to Wayne Lapieers comments on the Sandy hook shooting.. Tossing the blame at "Violent movies/video games" and media.. instead of blaming the crazy nutjob who did the act.. He had a decent argument at first.. then it degenerated to same kinda ******** the media produces to get "ratings"..

Then i read up what someone else posted, and have considered them to be a bit too compromising to my tastes.. Ive seen many changes in NRA over the years, from how they portrayed the organization, to how they dealt with media - and frankly they are failing right now..

And I dont like being thrown under the bus of blame - Just because I play violent video games, watch violent gory movies.. I am suddenly gonna be a mass murderer? ugh.. **** that.. (excuse my french)