NRA, TFA, GOA, NAGR?... Which to support?

[TNTall]

It's starting to get confusing... I've been a member of the NRA for many years although I'm not sure if they are completely genuine now. I'm also a member of the Tennessee Firearms Association. I've heard of Gun Owners of America, and now Rand Paul sent me a letter about the National Association of Gun Rights. I don't have enough money to support everybody, so I want to put it in the hands of an organization that will do the most with it.

What are your opinions?

Thanks,

Greg

[Guest bkelm18]

It's starting to get confusing... I've been a member of the NRA for many years although I'm not sure if they are completely genuine now. I'm also a member of the Tennessee Firearms Association. I've heard of Gun Owners of America, and now Rand Paul sent me a letter about the National Association of Gun Rights. I don't have enough money to support everybody, so I want to put it in the hands of an organization that will do the most with it.

What are your opinions?

Thanks,

Greg

None of them are 100% genuine and you'll never be completely happy with what they do. Just pick one and go with it. I'm a life member with the NRA.

[kieefer]

NRA lifer here.

[NRA]

NRA "of course" also like the monthly magazines.

[Oh Shoot]

NRA, TFA, and Knife Rights here.

- OS

[Reservoir Dog]

National level : definitely the NRA. Also, the Second Amendment Foundation.

State level: TFA

[Erik88]

NRA member here. Though they do annoy the s*** out of me.

[styx]

NRA here. It's the only organization with enough clout to challenge the anti's. As mentioned above, the magazines are good too.

[Worriedman]

Been a Life Member of the NRA since high school, found the TFA when I moved back to TN from TX, become an active Life Member of it as well.

NRA needs our attention to get it back on track, but you can only affect it from the inside.

TFA because the NRA really does not drill down to a State level, and there is much work to do right here, as the majority of things that really affect our ability to carry are decided in the TN Legislature.

[TNTall]

That makes sense... to support the TFA to handle the state level issues in addition to the NRA. But why do the GOA and this NAGR exist? It seems like a competition, but a competition doesn't seem to be helpful to the cause of gun rights. Or maybe it is. I'm just trying to understand.

[1gewehr]

Remember, NRA is not 'primarily' a gun rights organization. Their primary purpose is supporting marksmanship. They do an excellent job of that. The NRA-Institute for Legislative Action is the lobbying arm of the NRA. All they do is lobbying. And the reason other organizations exist is because the NRA has a history of compromise. The NRA signed off on EVERY Federal gun control law on the books. In some cases, they helped write the legislation. On the positive side, they have been helpful with some of the recent court cases (Heller & MacDonald). And they got the ten-year sunset provision written into the 1994 AWB. But they have yet to actually get a Federal Gun Control law repealed. And after the ten-year sunset was included on the 1994 AWB, they said "We can live with the Assault Weapons Bill and the Brady Act'.

Tennessee Firearms Association is strictly a lobbying and educational group for the state of Tennessee. It got Concealed Carry passed, and has gotten the firearms rules modified to be less confusing. There is still a lot to do, and they are holding the Legislature's feet to the fire.

I would recommend membership in NRA as the membership has forced them to be less likely to compromise away rights. Even if they do sometimes end up being an 800lb creampuff, they are still a force to deserve respect.

The TFA does excellent work and has the immediate ear of may of our state elected officials. In TN, they are the only effective lobbying group for gun rights.

I also belong to Jews for the Protection of Firearms Ownership, simply because they get liberals' panties in a wad! GOA, NAGR, CCRKBA, JPFO, and others exist to keep the NRA honest. Typically, the other groups are 'no-compromise' groups. Pick the ones which most closely match your own beliefs if you feel the NRA isn't being aggressive enough.

[TNTall]

Those are good points. I reckon supporting the NRA and the TFA is most important in the political climate we have now. Maybe if we get Ron Paul's way we won't have to compromise as much in the future. I may look into a couple of the others. I don't understand how the actual lobbying process works, but I do like the idea of keeping the NRA honest.