Is there a benefit to joining the NRA

[Sbowling79]

I decided to join, seemed like the right thing for a responsible gun owner to do. I paid my $25 and for the last two months I've received 5 or more letters and countless emails asking me to send more money or renew my membership. They have sent me a nice pen made in china and a member card with my name on it. Tried to log in to their website to see what was there and it says my membership is not valid.
I'm really not seeing how my $25 is going to help preserve gun rights if they use it to mail me junk.
I am not trying to bash the NRA I'm just not seeing the point. Hoping someone could enlighten me.

 

[kilimanjaro]

You're right, it is what responsible gun owners should do. Just call 'em up and ask for the no-mail list.

If you don't reply to any of the requests, eventually they stop. Be sure to renew next year, no matter what.

 

[mes227]

I don't subscribe to the myth that responsible gun owners must join the NRA. They do a lot of good for our cause (gun rights) but they also go to excesses and they fight battles that have nothing to do with gun rights (e.g., they get involved in a lot of hunting issues, which are about wildlife management, not gun rights, and NRA has no business in those disputes.

I am a member but every year it gets harder to renew. And I too am annoyed by what seems like escalating demands for money. I don't like how they spend about half of my dues, not chance i'll give them any more. But I'll probably renew.....

 

[geetarman]

(e.g., they get involved in a lot of hunting issues, which are about wildlife management, not gun rights, and NRA has no business in those disputes.

Have to disagree with you here. Without proper wildlife management, there won't be game to hunt.

Geetarman

 

[gaseousclay]

I don't subscribe to the myth that responsible gun owners must join the NRA. They do a lot of good for our cause (gun rights) but they also go to excesses and they fight battles that have nothing to do with gun rights (e.g., they get involved in a lot of hunting issues, which are about wildlife management, not gun rights, and NRA has no business in those disputes.

me neither. the NRA strikes me as a bit of a racket. it's a conservative organisation that alienates other gun owners. If the NRA were truly a non-partisan organization I would gladly join.

I am a member but every year it gets harder to renew. And I too am annoyed by what seems like escalating demands for money. I don't like how they spend about half of my dues, not chance i'll give them any more. But I'll probably renew.....

what sort of transparency is there with NRA spending? I would be incredibly annoyed if I joined the NRA and got a Chinese made pen and a sh*tload of junk mail asking for more money.

 

[twins]

Is there a benefit to joining the NRA

I haven't found one for myself. I rather spend my money supporting my gun hobby.

I don't subscribe to the myth that responsible gun owners must join the NRA

+1

IMO, it's my belief that the NRA is in the business to stay in business for themselves and their large supporters (not us). It may have started for a good reason but now its purpose isn't for Mr & Mrs USA....it is in the business to keep gun related businesses prosperous. All the talk about gun-control resulted in record breaking year(s) for gun manufacturers. I wonder where that came from.

It's your $, do as you wish.

 

[gaseousclay]

Have to disagree with you here. Without proper wildlife management, there won't be game to hunt.

he wasn't debating the role of wildlife management with you. he was merely stating that the NRA has no business involving itself in hunting issues, which is true. the NRA's sole mission should be about protecting 2A rights, not educating hunters on what they should or shouldn't hunt.

 

[WyMark]

I arrived at these same conclusions way back in the early to mid eighties. The endless solicitations to send more money to pay the six figure salaries for suits in Washington. I stopped paying dues back then, and have never found a good reason to join again.

Good to know some things never change.

 

[Glenn E. Meyer]

1. We have posted how to stop the solicitation letters quite a few times.

2. We don't need another bashing thread. It gets old.

Without substantive content beyond complaints, I see no use for this.

Closed.