NRA or GOA?

[lock n' load]

Been looking at joining a pro- Second Amendment organization again. I used to be a member of the NRA but with all the turmoil going on with them, I'm hesitant. Should I join the GOA instead? Granted the NRA has a large following but GOA seems to have some clout too. Should I join both? Thanks in advance

 

[Raoul]

Glad to see this post. I'm in the same boat. I'm curious to see the responses myself. 

[lock n' load]

I feel we need honest and transparent dealings with a pro 2nd Amendment organization as the detractors are looking for anything they can find to paint gun owners as "evil" people

[Omega]

Im a life member of the NRA, but the last three or four years I have been a member of GOA.  And if they keep their No Surrender attitude, I will continue being a member.

[Grayfox54]

I belong to both. Despite its current problems, the NRA does have clout. They also have some serious internal problems that have gone on for years. King Wayne long ago got much to into playing politics and became our own worst enemy. Honestly, I hope he ends up in jail. Hopefully, the NRA will come through these troubles better for the experience and regain its glory.

Omega is right about GOA. These guys are bare knuckle fighters and don't back down or compromise. If GOA was as big as the NRA, we wouldn't have to fight for our rights. Maybe the NRA's current problems will help GOA grow.  I strongly recommend them. 

[billmeek]

If you shop at Amazon, you can use the Amazon Smile program to donate a percentage of the profit Amazon makes off your purchases to benefit the 'Gun Owners Foundation'.  Description from Wikipedia:

Quote

Gun Owners Foundation is an educational nonprofit foundation. It acts as the research arm for GOA. Its main objective is to hold seminars around the country to inform the public, media outlets, and various government officials on Second Amendment issues.

Link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_Owners_of_America

[Guest BCR#1]

When wayne and his minions are gone then I'll be glad to return to the fold.

Bill

[bigun]

I belong to both. Am a life member in the NRA, but until they get their act together I'll not give them a dime. It seems like their main purpose for the last several years has been to raise money for their gain.

[Hozzie]

Agree with most above.  I am an Endowment Member with the NRA, but it's been clear for a while that the leadership is out for themselves.  I need to start giving more to the GOA it sounds like.

[Chucktshoes]

This year I became a life member of both the NRA and the GOA. I ponied up full price for the GOA because I fully support and believe in the work they are accomplishing. I found a discounted rate for the NRA because while I am loathe to give them any money at all until WLP is gone, I do believe we need them around. They need fixing and having the ability to vote to change the board out is the only way to get that done. 

Edited August 10, 2020 by Chucktshoes

[GlockSpock]

Hahahahaha. 
 

As if this is even a real question. If that’s unclear I’ll give you a hint. 
 

When the NRA calls me and asks for money or “Direction for the next year, please pick one of these four options”, I tell them I will gladly support them and donate to them when they become a pro-gun organization again. 
 

That really confuses them and the caller typically asks “What?”.

[Whisper]

GOA and the Second Amendment Foundation and Firearms Policy Coalition are all doing useful work.  Unfortunately, they each have about 200 members, none of them is doing any lobbying at the state level, and none of them has the networking strength to put on rallies or to mobilize voters in large groups.  Only the NRA can do that.  But until the NRA cleans house and becomes an organization of which gun owners can be proud, it doesn't deserve our support any more.  Let's build up the other organizations and hope that they'll someday have the strength to do what the NRA should be doing.  And try to rebuild the NRA, minus the corruption and compromising.

 

[hipower]

1 hour ago, GlockSpock said:

Hahahahaha. 
 

As if this is even a real question. If that’s unclear I’ll give you a hint. 
 

When the NRA calls me and asks for money or “Direction for the next year, please pick one of these four options”, I tell them I will gladly support them and donate to them when they become a pro-gun organization again. 
 

That really confuses them and the caller typically asks “What?”.

I have told the caller that I won't donate until Big Daddy Wayne and his high priced suit collection is gone. That doesn't even get a response.

[E4 No More]

1 hour ago, Chucktshoes said:

This year I became a life member of both the NRA and the GOA. I ponied up full price for the GOA because I fully support and believe in the work they are accomplishing. I found a discounted rate for the NRA because while I am loathe to give them any money at all until WLP is gone, I do believe we need them around. They need fixing and having the ability to vote to change the board out is the only way to get that done. 

Does GOA bombard you with panhandling calls, letters, and emails?

[Chucktshoes]

1 hour ago, E4 No More said:

Does GOA bombard you with panhandling calls, letters, and emails?

No. They do provide a lot of emails explaining their Legal and legislative actions. There is a prominent link in each email to donate to the legal fund. So instead of the NRA tactic of “look! It’s bad people, give us money so we can do stuff!“ They are going the route of “here is what we are doing. If you would like to further support us, go here.“

 

It’s a small, but very significant difference to me. 

Edited August 10, 2020 by Chucktshoes

[xsubsailor]

I've been a life member of the NRA for quite a while and after reading this thread, I joined GOA. My phone has been ringing off the hook for weeks now with the caller ID showing it is the NRA. You can almost see the hand wanting money sticking out of the phone. 

[Whisper]

Answer the phone and tell them you're not giving until Wayne is gone and the bylaws are amended.  They'll stop calling after hearing that a couple of times.

 

[xsubsailor]

 He should have been gone a long time ago. From April of last year:

National Rifle Association President Oliver North has been ousted after an alleged extortion scheme within the group’s highest-ranking officials came to light on Friday. In a statement, North told the organization he was “informed” he would not be nominated for reelection. North’s term ends Monday.

The NRA’s chief executive, Wayne LaPierre, wrote a letter to the board Thursday accusing North of plotting to remove him from the group by threatening to release to the board “damaging” information about LaPierre. He claimed North, a former Marine Corps lieutenant colonel perhaps best known for his role in the Iran-contra affair, was pressuring him to resign over alleged financial transgressions.

“Delivered by a member of our Board on behalf of his employer, the exhortation was simple: resign or there will be destructive allegations made against me and the NRA,” LaPierre wrote in the letter, which was published Friday by the Wall Street Journal.

North continued his resignation letter by saying he believes the NRA should establish a committee to review the organization’s finances, which he said constitute a “clear crisis” that “needs to be dealt with” if the NRA wants to continue to be a viable organization.

The Wall Street Journal reported that North, who became NRA president last year, defended himself in a letter to the board Thursday, indicating his actions were “for the good of the NRA.” North previously wrote a longer letter to the board’s executive committee, alleging LaPierre had made more than $200,000 of wardrobe purchases and charged them to a vendor.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/04/27/nra-chief-wayne-lapierre-claims-hes-being-extorted-by-oliver-north-hes-standing-his-ground/

[DL126]

Member of both here.
But I won't renew NRA when it runs out.

[peejman]

I didn't renew my NRA membership when the Wayne/Ollie drama came out. I'll look at GOA. 

One thing I can't figure out is why you guys give them your phone number?  A single marketing phone call is grounds for permanent banishment IMO.

[JN01]

The GOA has always talked a good game, but their accomplishments don’t equal their rhetoric.  The NRA has been more pragmatic, and though some people don’t like it, have sometimes compromised to make steady incremental gains for the RKBA over the years.

Unfortunately, the NRA hasn’t much to show for its efforts the past few years, maybe this is due to the lack of leadership.  Perhaps a silver lining to the abomination of a lawsuit (brought by the woman who four years ago called NRA members terrorists, but who is now supposedly concerned about our welfare) would be getting rid of LaPierre and company.

The SAF, though small, seems to be quite effective on the litigation front.

You can contact NRA membership services and opt out of phone calls and junk mail, I haven’t received either for years.

 

 

 

Edited August 11, 2020 by JN01

[E4 No More]

3 hours ago, peejman said:

I didn't renew my NRA membership when the Wayne/Ollie drama came out. I'll look at GOA. 

One thing I can't figure out is why you guys give them your phone number?  A single marketing phone call is grounds for permanent banishment IMO.

Getting your phone number is relatively easy if you want to pay for it.

[btq96r]

4 hours ago, JN01 said:

The SAF, though small, seems to be quite effective on the litigation front.

They very much punch above their weight.  A good part of that is they tend to be very strategic with regards to the cases they take on.

[Jeb48]

I am in SAF, NRA (paid up for a few more years yet then I will decide) and Tennessee Firearms Association. I probably should join GOA.

I have stopped additional donations to NRA till they get their act together.

[Whisper]

23 hours ago, JN01 said:

The SAF, though small, seems to be quite effective on the litigation front.

The SAF is eager to drop lawsuits on deserving targets, as is the FPC.  More power to them.