who exactly does the NRA represent?

[Guest CK1]

talked to an old friend today who is a top aide to a well known congressman and who has worked in D.C for the last 6 years or so... and this got me pretty fumed.

anyways, started talking about how the new administration might affect any 2nd amendment or any gun/ammo control policies from here on out, and about what the NRA is doing or can do concerning matters... his answer... and i'm quoting as best as i can recall: "the NRA? who cares? no one around here really cares where they stand since even the democrats who are pro-gun rights don't want to or can't swallow all the conservative right-wing stuff that comes attached to anything they're associated with... and the republicans who are tied up with them could care less about gun rights... they just want NRA and gun right topics to be synonymous with supporting the republican agenda... most of the gun legislation paranoia that is driving all the guns and ammo prices up and enabling the recent price-gouging in the firearm market is coming from them, not from the democrats... lets just say the NRA lobbyists are treated pretty well by both sides, but their alliance to the GOP is going to end up costing the gun owners in this country more than anything from the other side of the isle..."

wow. never thought about it like that... but think i can see what he means... are they working for responsible gunowners regardless of party, or are they too close to only the republicans (who in case you haven't noticed, aren't doing so good these days...)?

Edited January 26, 2009 by CK1

[TripleDigitRide]

This seems to be the main gripe that folks have with the NRA. Many believe that the NRA, like the unions, is only in it for the money. It's not difficult to see why some people think along these lines.

If the average pro-2A supporter (including myself) would get more involved in 2A matters, we wouldn't have to depend on the NRA (or any other organizations) to do all, or any of the fighting for us. Simply paying $35/year and forgetting about it isn't the answer. We must be more proactive.

[Guest CK1]

the more research i do (on what the NRA's stance is and what they're up to in D.C.) the more angry i get...

they seem to be engineering a lot of propaganda, and not making any new friends only mixing it up with the folks who they can already count on (social conservatives and long time republican's, both known supporters), they're maintaining the appearance of being totally aligned with the GOP in all facets, not just the issues that should concern them...

if they don't start putting some energy into getting the point across on GUN/2ND AMENDMENT ISSUES ONLY and learn to leave the partisan stuff out of it, ...we are in trouble...

[TripleDigitRide]

if they don't start putting some energy into getting the point across on GUN/2ND AMENDMENT ISSUES ONLY and learn to leave the partisan stuff out of it, ...we are in trouble...

Which is exactly why we can't expect to pay our $35/year and forget about it. If now isn't the time to be all up in the face of our representatives, there never will be a time. We have to make ourselves heard. I know it's much easier to moan about it on an internet forum, but that's hardly going to get anything accomplished.

[Punisher84]

The NRA is far from perfect. They are a lobbying group. In order to be an effective lobbyist you have to understand politics and politicians. That means you have to be a scheister more or less.

TDR got it right though more or less, most folks don't want to do the leg work and if you push to hard you only do one of two things: 1. You push them til they break or 2. You push them so hard they refuse to ever come to your way of thinking just out of spite.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend kinda thing.

[Guest slim]

Why did the NRA never do anything to help Olofson?????????

This can affect all owners, since many guns can do the same!

[Guest jackdog]

I'm not a member and never will be. The Nra has one goal and that is membership monies.They damn neared derailed Heller and the Olofson thing should pretty much show everyone who they are.

[Smith]

I see a lot of whining about the NRA from gun owners, but think about it this way. What would things look like without them? I would dare say we would be far worse off. That being said, are they perfect..no. Do they get every stance right, according to me...no.

One thing we conservative/independents/whatever have to quite doing is eating our own. One of the great accomplishments of Reagan was unifying a bunch of individualist. The Dems are good at uniting because they are followers. We must learn to work together to win the war and stop worring about every little battle WE think is the most important one. Big picture people.

Jackdog, is there anyone you DO support?

[Jasongar8]

The NRA has been screwing gun owners since before I was born. They didnt start standing up for "assault weapons" until about 2004, when the ban was ending. They stood around while the "Firearms Owners Protection Act" was passed in 1986, which banned the manufacture of machine guns for civilian sales, and did nothing. What pisses me off about the NRA is they kinda pick which guns they want to fight for, yes everyone should have a hunting shotgun but we wont fight for your right to have a AK. They also do use scare tactics to get more people to join, I had a lady tell me the other day that she read in a NRA magazine that after Obama took office on Tuesday you wouldnt be able to buy a gun on Wed. Im down for telling people the truth about the situation, not scaring them into sending me $35 to join. But they have the most money and political pull so I guess they can do what ever they want. I guess they are a necessary evil. Just my .02.

-Jason G

[Guest malbolja]

http://www.nrawol.net/

http://gunowners.org/

I read on another forum the other day that Olofson had an autosear in his AR but I didn't investigate.

[Guest bkelm18]

They are a political lobbying group. They have to play the game just like any other dirty political organization out there. So they win some and lose some. You can't expect the organization to be perfect, but currently its the best thing out there for us.

[TGO David]

talked to an old friend today who is a top aide to a well known congressman and who has worked in D.C for the last 6 years or so... and this got me pretty fumed.

anyways, started talking about how the new administration might affect any 2nd amendment or any gun/ammo control policies from here on out, and about what the NRA is doing or can do concerning matters... his answer... and i'm quoting as best as i can recall: "the NRA? who cares? no one around here really cares where they stand since even the democrats who are pro-gun rights don't want to or can't swallow all the conservative right-wing stuff that comes attached to anything they're associated with... and the republicans who are tied up with them could care less about gun rights... they just want NRA and gun right topics to be synonymous with supporting the republican agenda... most of the gun legislation paranoia that is driving all the guns and ammo prices up and enabling the recent price-gouging in the firearm market is coming from them, not from the democrats... lets just say the NRA lobbyists are treated pretty well by both sides, but their alliance to the GOP is going to end up costing the gun owners in this country more than anything from the other side of the isle..."

wow. never thought about it like that... but think i can see what he means... are they working for responsible gunowners regardless of party, or are they too close to only the republicans (who in case you haven't noticed, aren't doing so good these days...)?

So... you spoke with one guy and you're basing your opinion on the NRA's effectiveness on that?

[Guest illEagle]

While I may not agree with the NRA on a lot of issues I feel that they are our last and best hope. I choose support them and hope that you will too.

If not the NRA, who? If you lie down with dogs you get up with fleas, but somebody has to lay with those dogs we call politicians...

[Guest c_o_jones]

Some of you seem to be deluding yourselves about how our legislative branch works.

The NRA has clout because they have two things that open doors in D.C., money and numbers.

Commonsense will tell you that to fight a big protracted war, you need to have both manpower, and a huge war chest. That's the way it is.

What purpose is served by bitching about how focused they are on one or both of the two things that are in fact, the source of their influence?

Expressing your dissatisfaction is fine, but too much dissent and unproductive whining is akin to peeing in the pool.

If you don't want to support the NRA, fine - that's your call to make, there are are plenty of other 2A groups worthy of support like the GOA, or the SAF.

[Guest bkelm18]

Some of you seem to be deluding yourselves about how our legislative branch works.

The NRA has clout because they have two things that open doors in D.C., money and numbers.

Commonsense will tell you that to fight a big protracted war, you need to have both manpower, and a huge war chest. That's the way it is.

What purpose is served by bitching about how focused they are on one or both of the two things that are in fact, the source of their influence?

Expressing your dissatisfaction is fine, but too much dissent and unproductive whining is akin to peeing in the pool.

If you don't want to support the NRA, fine - that's your call to make, there are are plenty of other 2A groups worthy of support like the GOA, or the SAF.

+1:up:

[Guest Abominable_Hillbilly]

The NRA has the same short-comings as the ACLU. Neither of them represents a dogged, absolutist agenda for the preservation of ALL of our constitutional protections. They're simply on opposite ends of the political spectrum. They're also a highly political business. They're subject to all the trappings associated with that.

I'm a member, but I spread my money around.

[Guest 44M]

I don`t understand where is idea coming from that all democrats are anti-gun...?? I`m more democrat than conservative but I believe that every person has the right to defend itself and has the right to own the gun...I think that attacks on all democrats don`t have any ground...

Db

[Smith]

I don`t understand where is idea coming from that all democrats are anti-gun...?? I`m more democrat than conservative but I believe that every person has the right to defend itself and has the right to own the gun...I think that attacks on all democrats don`t have any ground...

Db

Man! Where in this thread was that even said or implied. The OP is the only one who said anything about Dems and he gave them credit while putting the Reps down.

Besides Democrats are compared to Republicans. Conservative is related to liberal and not parties per se. You are a liberal democrat as opposed to a conservative or Rep.