$300 NRA Life Membership

[Conundrum]

You read it right. Until the end of February, get a $1000 NRA Lifetime Membership for only $300!!! :nana2:

https://membership.nrahq.org/forms/signup.asp?CampaignID=ar15

I just had to post this cause I am a firearms owner and proud of it! I'm sure some of you may be one too!

[ccurzio]

I am a strong firearms enthusiast.

I am also a strong believer that the NRA are a bunch of lunatic douchebags and that the organization has deviated completely from their original goal of education and enthusiasm and turned into a blind political lobby with the stance of "FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS ALSO MORE GUNS AND BY THE WAY GUNS GUNS GUNS BANG BANG LOL" while refusing absolutely any discussion on the subject even if it would benefit them. 20 to 30 years ago the NRA was appropriate and good and useful. Not at all today.

As a firm believer in the second amendment and an owner and enthusiast of several firearms, I would highly encourage everyone NOT to give ANY money to the NRA. Take whatever membership dues you would have spent and head over to a friendly local high-quality shooting range with qualified instructors, and take a class or two.

[Mike C.]

I agree with Chris. There are better firearm enthusiast groups out there. My views and those of the NRA don't exactly line up.

[LEVY]

Well, that is your opinion.

LEVY


I am a strong firearms enthusiast.

I am also a strong believer that the NRA are a bunch of lunatic douchebags and that the organization has deviated completely from their original goal of education and enthusiasm and turned into a blind political lobby with the stance of "FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS ALSO MORE GUNS AND BY THE WAY GUNS GUNS GUNS BANG BANG LOL" while refusing absolutely any discussion on the subject even if it would benefit them. 20 to 30 years ago the NRA was appropriate and good and useful. Not at all today.

As a firm believer in the second amendment and an owner and enthusiast of several firearms, I would highly encourage everyone NOT to give ANY money to the NRA. Take whatever membership dues you would have spent and head over to a friendly local high-quality shooting range with qualified instructors, and take a class or two.

[thirdmanj]

Uh oh. Can I comment here? :hihi2:

[SamHill]

Turtle Carbs!!!!!

[ccurzio]

Well, that is your opinion.

Yes. Yes, it is. I think the parts where I said "I believe" and "I encourage" made it pretty clear that I was stating my opinion.


Uh oh. Can I comment here? :hihi2:

You don't need permission to post. Go ahead. :)

Just follow the rules. :P

[thirdmanj]

This just seems a weeee bit past the line of "political discussion". I'm not so sure it's cool, on a site like this to jump in and start pimping NRA memberships. But hey, that's my opinion :p

[Michael]

Thanks for the link, and although I disagree with Chris and Mike somewhat(why they put Ted Nugent on the board and let him be a spokesman is beyond me...that's your "cold dead hands guy"), I will not join the NRA for the same reason I stopped donating to the red cross.....the extreme salaries the leadership positions pay. Wayne Lapierre is paid almost $1,000,000 per year. One million dollars per year and they have the gall to ask me to contribute to their cause? I love the implied tag line, pay us because we are the only thing standing between you and oppression.....(and we have Ferrari payments to make).

This isn't a class warfare rant, I believe anyone has the right to make however much money they can and do what they please with it. The NRA is a political lobbyist organization..... like the red cross is an organization of servitude, and to hear that the leaders live a life of privilege based on the donations made to support a cause does not sit well with me.

[thirdmanj]

^^ I see what you did there.


This thread is just asking for trouble, I think I'm gonna carefully exit now, before I get anymore involved.

[ccurzio]

^^ I see what you did there.


This thread is just asking for trouble, I think I'm gonna carefully exit now, before I get anymore involved.

I don't want people to be worried about talking about things, but I like the concern for making sure things stay cool.

Everyone knows where the line is. If it starts going into bad territory I'll let everyone know, and we can pull it back or close the thread. If you want to comment here (or in similar threads) here's a good set of rules to keep in mind:

1. No personal attacks. Everyone on this forum is really good at this so I don't see it being an issue.
2. Don't drag politics into the conversation - keep it on topic. Just because the NRA is involved politically doesn't make it a political discussion. Hell, the whole JZD/EU mess heavily involves government and we still talk about it. It's possible to walk the line without jumping over it and peeing everywhere. :)

That's pretty much it.

Side note: Michael also raises a valid point. I didn't know he was making a cool mil every year. Screw that guy.

[OverlandMan]

Yea I see this thread being locked pretty soon so I'm going to throw in my 2 cents and then gracefully exit... :lockdance:

I am also a firearms enthusiast and pro-2nd amendment "guy". While I don't always agree with everything the NRA does, I do have to remind myself that they are the only legitimate pro-2nd amendment lobbying group in DC. There are some other smaller groups but the NRA seems to have control of that ship. So I do justify supporting them even if that's the only reason. The day they go away, we've got serious issues (as gun owners).

Back to the OP: Good info, especially if you're one of those folks who ponies up every year or two. If I recall, a one year membership w/o any "discounts" is $35. But you can get them for $25 all day long if you've purchased a firearm recently or if they're doing a promotion. I usually sign-up for 2 yrs worth. I think that's been $60 in the past.

[ccurzio]

I am also a firearms enthusiast and pro-2nd amendment "guy". While I don't always agree with everything the NRA does, I do have to remind myself that they are the only legitimate pro-2nd amendment lobbying group in DC. There are some other smaller groups but the NRA seems to have control of that ship. So I do justify supporting them even if that's the only reason.

It would seem to me that would provide the best justification for supporting the smaller guys. I'd rather support a smaller, better org to encourage it to grow than throw money at a behemoth just because they're de facto. Not only does it provide a group with whom I more tightly align with some needed financial support, I also feel better about where my dollars are going.

NPR will never have higher ratings than a top 40 station in pretty much any market, but I still give them money because I like the programming. (Car Talk rules!)

[Mike C.]

One of my reasons for not re-joining the NRA was Michael's point exactly. I've heard stories of issues of funds distributions, and honestly some of the comments they've made in the past are against my 2nd Amendment views. I do see some of their statement being too extreme for my taste, and for that reason, I will not rejoin anytime soon. I will say though, it IS a good deal.

[OverlandMan]

It would seem to me that would provide the best justification for supporting the smaller guys. I'd rather support a smaller, better org to encourage it to grow than throw money at a behemoth just because they're de facto. Not only does it provide a group with whom I more tightly align with some needed financial support, I also feel better about where my dollars are going.


Hey in a perfect world I would agree. But realistically speaking, the NRA has been around a long time and no other lobbying groups within the same arena are going to challenge them. Their current membership is still near all-time highs and they accepted 250,000 new members in January alone. They have the backing of virtually all the firearms manufacturers in the country.

16838

I'm not going to defend them for some of their comments, apportioning of funds, or other past f-ups. But I will say that I will continue to support them because in the big picture, there's no realistic alternative.

[Mike C.]

16838

I'm not going to defend them for some of their comments, apportioning of funds, or other past f-ups. But I will say that I will continue to support them because in the big picture, there's no realistic alternative.

you make a good point

[Jonathan]

Hell, the whole JZD/EU mess heavily involves government and we still talk about it.

This is a good analogy here, Chris. The part I think of as it relates to a million dollar per year salary, is perhaps some of the lavish lifestyle stories we heard of about JZD. Gold faucets and Manhattan penthouses, for example. Some people that really bothers, especially if they feel some of that money being spent was theirs (that topic could definitely have a political spin-off).

Every so often I get an old guy at a car show come up and he seems like he's still angry about this "grudge" 30+ years later. Vote with your feet, as they say... AKA, go spend your money elsewhere. Not sure if there is a realistic alternative in terms of NRA related memberships, but we all know car buyers can go spend their money somewhere else, and in the early 80s, that's what they did.

[Ron]

Back in the good ol' days Chris spoke of, I always kept my membership up and always checked the little box to donate extra to "increase needed membership through the magazine" for years. It worked. Then they jacked the membership up almost double "to offset the cost of the magazine". They will never get another penny out of me.

[SamHill]

Not giving money away to multi millionaires is kind of a big thing for me.

[DMCVegas]

I myself am a strong believer in the 2nd Amendment, as well as the Bill of Rights and the constitution of the United States. I own firearms and find them to be a quite enjoyable hobby. Having said that, to hell with the NRA. Here is a direct quote from National Rifle Association President Wayne LaPierre:

"There exists in this country a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells, and sows, violence against its own people through vicious, violent video games with names like 'Bulletstorm,' 'Grand Theft Auto,' 'Mortal Kombat' and 'Splatterhouse.'"

Imagine if the DOT or NHTSA went after NASCAR as the root and cause of all highway accidents. That is exactly what this amounts to. Sacrificing my 1st Amendment rights in order to curry favor for your 2nd Amendment rights is unacceptable on a level of being chickenshit. You can't cherry-pick what rights to give to people and which to redact or refuse simply to bargain privileges for yourself. You have to protect every right, every liberty, and every person equally. That is the price of Freedom.

To hell with the NRA. They're no better than many of the other "special interest" groups that they as a group and the members individually oppose.

[thirdmanj]

*cough cough, heh heh heh.

:popcorn: