Unpleasant NRA confrontation.

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GaryH

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Last Sunday I went to my first gun show in some time. Prices were high on everything. I had actually taken money with me to buy myself a belated Christmas gift. I was walking by a NRA booth, and the lady sitting there asked me if I belonged to the NRA. I told her that I used to, but the membership had lapsed. She started asking me all sorts of questions of why I hadn't renewed, why I wasn't supporting their lobbying efforts, and started insinuating that it was people like me that was making it easy for the left to take away our gun rights. That's when I just walked off. I heard her say to anybody that would listen that I was wanting US citizens to lose the right to own firearms.

I may or may not join the NRA again. I'm not sure, but I wonder if she considered the fact that I paid admission to go to a gun show thus suggesting that I supported gun purchases and ownership?

I hope people like her don't dissuade future NRA registration.
 
Sounds like a volunteer with little class and has yet to learn that a pleasant tone with a smile can go a very long way:cool:
 
Hard to cure "Stupid"

Makes no difference what banner fly; rude is rude. I am an endowment member and would have taken the time give her an attitude adjustment. Not only is she a poor spokes person for the NRA but for probably just about anything. You were a gentleman in this case and as such, make allowances for her ignorace. ..... :mad:


Be Safe !!!
 
She was obviously passionate about gun rights and couldn't understand why you were not as passionate.

The core of her questioning is valid, perhaps the presentation wasn't to your liking. A lot of people become resentful that many gun owners benefit from the efforts of a few. No delicate way to ask this, are you helping pull the wagon?......or riding?
 
No delicate way to ask this, are you helping pull the wagon?......or riding?
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I quit the NRA in 86 after the machine gun ban thing. That was the last straw for me. As far as Im concerned, we were pulling the wagon load of money while they rode, and never quite got things done, and I still feel that way.

The NRA needs the drama to stay the course, just as much as the politicians do, and both work towards that end. They dont want it to end, its their meal ticket.

Come to think of it, whats the scare this week?
 
No delicate way to ask this, are you helping pull the wagon?......or riding?
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????

Could someone please explain to me why merely "joining" the NRA helps gun rights?

A few points before responding
1) NRA membership fees are NOT allowed to be used for lobbying or legislative action.
2) Person A joins the NRA, person B does not. Person A does not donate additonal money, does not vote, does not buy fund raising raffle tickets, does not got to "Friends of the NRA" dinners, does not write their legislators, does not drive down to lobby state legislators, does not show up @ progun rallies, does not take newbies shooting and never discusses 2A issues with friends/family/coworkers. Person B does all of these things listed above without being a member of the NRA.

Please tell me again which person is pulling the wagon and which is riding?

3) When debating 2A issues, I love the look on peoples face when they make a nasty remark about Wayne Lapiere or the NRA and they are informed that "No I am not a member of the NRA, please respond to my statements and please do not bring up an orginazation that I do not belong to". Like the NRA or hate the NRA you have to admit that they have a large amount of "Baggage" that they bring with them, a lot of which has been brought upon them by their own actions. When debating 2A issues I prefer to stay on target not get distracted.

4) The NRA was NOT behing Heller or Macdonald. They did not start the lawsuits and actively worked against bringing Heller to USSC. They later changed their mind. But it was the SAF not the NRA that got those lawsuits going, along with many other.


NukemJim
 
We need to unite as gun owners, period

The core of her questioning is valid, perhaps the presentation wasn't to your liking. A lot of people become resentful that many gun owners benefit from the efforts of a few. No delicate way to ask this, are you helping pull the wagon?......or riding?
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Hog wash !!
First off, that was not my NRA talking, it was rude and ignorant person. My Endowment membership doesn't make me a better person than anyone else that is or is not a member. It only means that they got deeper into my pockets. As gun owners, we are all connected and we need to stop measuring each other. One of our clubs wanted to excluded non-NRA members. We managed to shut that one down as most had not joined the NRA.


Be Safe !!!
 
A lot of people become resentful that many gun owners benefit from the efforts of a few. No delicate way to ask this, are you helping pull the wagon?......or riding?
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Well boo 'fricken hoo. Now before you even say it, yes I am an NRA member and have donated to them in the past. But, I would never insinuate that someone who does not wish to join the NRA is unfairly "benefiting" from my actions. Their reasons for joining or not joining the NRA are quite frankly, none of your damn business.

Second, last time I checked, it is not required to pay money to a lobbyist group to exercise one's rights. Would I like it if every gun owner joined and donated to the NRA? Sure. But again, whether they do or not isn't anyone's business.

Third, as NukemJim pointed out, membership fees are not used to support their lobbying efforts. If you join the NRA and yet never donate (and many gun owners fall in to this category), then all you have done is purchase a magazine subscription that comes with a nifty membership card. In that case, you're no better than the person you chastise for not joining the NRA.
 
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While I strongly agree that the woman was very rude, will that cause one to reject the organization that is largely responsible for protecting our rights for a couple of generations.

If you agree that the NRA is worthwhile and membership of many is important then renew. If not forget it.

Jerry
 
She was (1) rude and (2) passionate about the NRA. No. 1 is a flaw, No. 2 is not a flaw, but it is certainly not an excuse for No.1.
 
NukemJim said:
Could someone please explain to me why merely "joining" the NRA helps gun rights?
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When the NRA approaches law makers about 2nd amendment issues.....they want to know how many belong to your organization. The NRA and the AARP are the two largest in the nation.....4 million members in your organization sends a message.


Think of the NRA in this analogy, Men and Women in our military defend our freedoms....including those of the "Occupy Wall Street protestors". Which of these two would you want to be associated with?.....it's only an analogy, see the point? Freedom isn't free.
 
Going nowhere and going to turn into an NRA bash session vs. retorts from those who like the NRA.

A risk for posters.

The woman was a jerk. So what.

Closed.
 
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