Ammo & the NRA

[jcwit]

I would hope those out there who are willing to pay the outlandish prices from the ---------"whatever you wish to call them" would find an extra $30 bucks and join the NRA.

Maybe we could boost our ranks and REALLY fight this.

I suppose I'm only wishing for more Hope & Change tho.

[Freightman]

the average "gun owner" has no idea of what the NRA is and they have got a negative idea from the media.

[BigJohn8705]

I really hope that isn't the case, I'm just getting started on this form (Loving all the great people and knowledge base here) and just joined the NRA recently. but I can speak for most of the friends and familly (that through a few things that we have been involed in with the media) the media makes up most of their stories. They will take the base of whats going on and just completely bend it around to whatever sounds good to them. Which is normally far from what actually happens. At least through my experiences.

[boltaction308]

I have belonged to many gun clubs over the years and almost all of them REQUIRED NRA membership in order to join.

I became a life member in 1987 (now if I could just figure out how to get that to show up in my profile)

[runfiverun]

click on your name by your avatar at the top of the page.
then click on my profile.
scroll down the left side of the page you'll see the join groups and stuff go into the group thingy and follow the directions.

[wv109323]

Also at present the NRA is offering upgrade programs that help support them.
Yearly Membership $20.00 per year
Yearly member to NRA Lifetime $300.00
Life Member to Endowment Member $250.00
They also offer payment plans. I upgraded from Life to Endowment member for $25.00 a month for 10 months.
Pro or Con I believe the NRA is still protecting our gun rights like no other organization can.
As a side note the current American Rifleman claims that there are 600,00 new members due to the recent political climate.

[Jammersix]

I have NRA credentials. After that brief exposure to them, there is no chance that I will join.

The NRA reminds me of a ponzi scheme with no benefit for first tier investment.

[TXGunNut]

I have NRA credentials. After that brief exposure to them, there is no chance that I will join.

The NRA reminds me of a ponzi scheme with no benefit for first tier investment.


I'm sorry you feel that way, Jammersix. Even though I disagree I'll ask why you feel that way and defend your right to say so.
I didn't join the NRA for personal benefit but in truth I have received many times my "investment" in the NRA. I quite honestly feel a gun owner who isn't an NRA member is much like a person who doesn't see the need to buy health or auto insurance.
The NRA-ILA has had a few missteps and has been crucified for them by the liberal media. When given the choice I'll back an organization that fights for my rights while the media sees fit to urinate on them.
Your call, my friend. I'll be hunting up my checkbook while you compose a witty response. Guess which one of us will be protecting our gun rights?

[jcwit]

I have NRA credentials. After that brief exposure to them, there is no chance that I will join.

The NRA reminds me of a ponzi scheme with no benefit for first tier investment.

With no more explanation than that we are supposed to accept you opinion.

And once again the mere mention of the NRA we now well turn this into a NRA bash.

So what BIG DOG do you propose to help in the fight for the 2nd amendment?


Beat me to it TX.

[KinkBreaker]

i like my NRA membership. for 25 dollars i get a subscription to a pretty good magazine(one i would buy from the newsstand if it wasnt getting mailed to me) and an email reminder of what elected government people need to be called to remind them what their job is.
for a while they seemed kinda wishywashy there a few years ago, but they're certainly on the ball now

[gmsharps]

About 1% of Americans serve their country in the military. Why is that? I know most people have more pressing things to do with their life than preserve the countrys freedom and are satisfied to let the select few take care of that for them. The NRA like all organizations are not without fault but without them we today in my opionion would not have firearms available to us. Whats the phrase that together we are strong and divided we will fall. Today that holds more than ever. We have to have one strong stand now or we will lose what we all cherish. We have to take responsibility and inform the uninformed about guns and gun safety. We have to lead by example. Just my 2cents worth.

gmsharps

[220swiftfn]

Gee, I don't know, 32 posts in 5 years...... I think he just decides to jump in to stir @#$% every now and then........

But I do agree that one way to look at NRA membership is a (relatively cheap even) magazine subscription that happens to fight for your rights as a citizen.....



Dan

[Bad Water Bill]

Show me any organization that has not made a few errors in the last 20-40-years and I will show you one that never stuck its head out of its shell.

I get BEG e mails from supposed gun rights groups (never heard of in my 70+ years)and some legitimate ones.

I live in Illinois and we are STILL trying to get our 2A rights.

We have ONE lobbyist working for us and is a dedicated person. Todd is from the N R A .

We hold a march on the state capitol each year. How many gun rights groups are represented at the march or even send us a banner to fly? THE N R A .

We hold rallies across the state. How many, well you now understand why I am going to raise my life membership one notch higher.:bigsmyl2:

Some organizations will say "Look at how our lawyers helped win XXX CASE" and my answer is "and the court system saw that they were richly compensated. In honesty so was the N R A but they are still here working while the others took the check and vanished.

Our lobbyist is paid out of your and my MEMBERSHIP fees. Is it money well spent???

June 8 2013 the FEDERAL COURT has ruled that we will have a REASONABLE CCW law on the books FOR THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.

[Lee]

$300 for a Life Membership? Hmm I have to think about that. Greedy as I am, can I pass any of that to my son when I go? Or is next year all I will get out of a Life Membership? Something to consider................................:neutral:

[uscra112]

You guys who think the NRA is the great defender of our rights need to get real.

The NRA is first and foremost a money-spinning machine. OK, it's also a lobbying organization, and they didn't cave this year as they have so often in the past. The Dems are going to be back with another attack as soon as our backs are turned, and we'll see what happens then.

The NRA has done next to nothing in the courts in the last few years, and that's where the big progress has been made. ALL of the major court victories - Heller, Chicago, et.al. - were won by Alan Gura and the Second Amendment Foundation. The NRA actually opposed the Heller suit until it looked like it would win, and then they latched on and tried to take credit.

OK, I'm an NRA member, because SAF isn't a lobbying group. But for every dollar I send the NRA, I send two to SAF. I resent the allegation that SAF is a fly-by-night organization that takes money and runs. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I can really understand why some folks are fed up with NRA - the constant barrage of expensive mailers begging for money is a big one for me. The magazine has improved slightly in the last 3 years or so, but it still ranks with trashy advertising vehicles like Guns and Ammo AFAIC. It gets a glance, and goes in the bin at my house. I'm old enough to know what the NRA once was. If you don't know, PM me an address and I'll forward a few copies of the Rifleman from the '50s and '60s.

[jcwit]

You guys who think the NRA is the great defender of our rights need to get real.

I can really understand why some folks are fed up with NRA - the constant barrage of expensive mailers begging for money is a big one for me. The magazine has improved slightly in the last 3 years or so, but it still ranks with trashy advertising vehicles like Guns and Ammo AFAIC. It gets a glance, and goes in the bin at my house. I'm old enough to know what the NRA once was. If you don't know, PM me an address and I'll forward a few copies of the Rifleman from the '50s and '60s.

You sir need to get real and grasp the way large organizations make money thru donations.

The NRA does not, I say DOES NOT make out those mailings you complain about. They are done by a Marketing/money making firm and the NRA gets a percentage of the total take after all expenses. Cool way to acquire funds with no cash outlay of your own, just supply the addresses on the mailing list.

Furthermore, it has been mentioned numerous times here and on many other boards that there is a 800 number easily available on the back of your membership card that stops the mailings with nothing more than a FREE CALL. But this option seems very hard for many to comprehend, S/A way of putting it, but it is the truth.

I wonder if you feel the same way about all the other mailings you get asking for monies or all the sale fliers you get from your local stores. Frankly I look forward to most as they may give me way and opportunities to save money. Which, DUMB A$$ ME, is something I'm thankful for.

BTW, Take a glance at your calendar, we no longer live in the 50's & 60's sadly to say. How-to articules are no longer something ones findes in magazines today. They are long gone from Popular mechanics, Popular Science, Mother Earth News and most if not all the rest. Folks today have little need or wishes on knowing the expertise on how to build a chicken coop or putting how to make a wood burning water heater on their priority list.

Whether we like it or not we live in the age of what to buy, and it usually comes from china.

[MtGun44]

No question that LaPierre has his own agenda, and his personal benefit is high
on the list. BUT - the NRA is THE MOST POWERFUL LOBBYING GROUP IN THE
COUNTRY, BAR NONE!

Without the NRA we would have nearly zero gun rights. Are there problems?

OF course. I worked for about a dozen years VERY hard in the state of KS to
improve our gun rights, and our group with the steady assistance of the NRA,
at a modest level, and when we finally had CCW on the right track, they helped
immeasurably by bringing in a professional lobbyist that my group and I worked
with to put it over the top. Then the lobbyist was hired away for a different job
(non-gun) because he was very good at what he did. Could we have gotten
it without the help from the NRA here in KS? Oh, maybe eventually, but they
helped us a lot and believe me that having a pro lobbyist that can be there at
the legislature every single day is a huge help. I worked hand in hand with
a number of legislators (some of our best were women!) and he did a lot
that I and other volunteers could not because we had to work for a living, too.

I know of a good bit of dirty laundry in the NRA over the many years and was a
very proud to say the Neal Knox was a personal friend, but I do know that the
NRA is very important in our gun rights fight and to not support them is very
much a self-defeating move.

Bill

[alamogunr]

$300 for a Life Membership? Hmm I have to think about that. Greedy as I am, can I pass any of that to my son when I go? Or is next year all I will get out of a Life Membership? Something to consider................................:neutral:

A Life Membership is for YOUR life. Why not just sign your son up.

You are fortunate to be given a year to get your affairs in order and save your family a lot of work when they should be grieving.

[WILCO]

the average "gun owner" has no idea of what the NRA is and they have got a negative idea from the media.

The N.R.A. has done enough to sully their own name. To think otherwise is pure ignorance. Folks vote with their wallets, admonishing them to purchase one product, whilst guilting them for purchase of another is also ignorant and, does nothing for one's cause. Clearly, there is a failure to grasp basic economic principles and concepts, which seems to be a sign of the times and runs rampant throughout the forums here.

[Doc Highwall]

The N.R.A. may not be the best like our constitution, but it is still better then anything else out there. There is always things that need fixing and are part of the big picture, and to take time to fix them while putting out a larger fire does not make since. We are in our own little world and cannot be expected to know of every little thing going on at a given moment. Put yourself in the N.R.A.’s shoes with all the demands going on with just competitions, and now add the legislative side to it and the organizational demands of just getting it up and running and accomplishing something with help from a lot of volunteers.

[popper]

I agree with ALL the above posts. I've said it before and will say it again the NRA is the national rifle assoc. It did well at providing info and services to organized rifle shooters. When the 'disarm the citizen' crowd showed up the NRA attempted to change it's scope and partially succeeded, the NRA-ILA has almost become a political party. I haven't seen much local (court) impact, as it is not a directly involved party - it should be. Yes it is a somewhat 'reactionary' group which doesn't get involved until it faces a direct and immediate threat. I wasn't a member til I bought a rifle a few years ago and got a 'free' membership, free meaning I got added to their roll as a member. I wasn't a member as it provided no service to me, not an organized rifle shooter, but I did know about the NRA. I never had any gun mag subscription as I was not a shooter or hunter. I'm probably been a click or 2 to the right of Joe Public on gun (NRA) awareness for most of my life. The NRA-ILA appears to be very 'slow' on local issues, where most of us really see an effect (hint, hint). I've paid for membership a couple times but until they become good at what they claim to be doing, I'll support other org. And NO I don't need or want the trash mail and 'free' gifts from them, I don't visit the NRA store. If I donate to a cause, I don't need trinkets and beads. Hint, hint.

[felix]

Bill, the most powerful lobbies are under cover. They don't get the press. Nobody, but nobody, goes against the sugar lobby, for example. ... felix

[TXGunNut]

Last I heard the NRA does not spend membership funds for lobbying purposes. Those funds are used for running the organization and all the various programs. The NRA-ILA is the lobbying arm of the NRA, it functions only with funds donated to the NRA-ILA. If you support the mission of the NRA-ILA or the 2A Foundation they need your donations to continue their work. I've sent checks to both organizations, will try to send more. It's money well spent.

[FISH4BUGS]

As a machine gun owner, the NRA has done virtually NOTHING to defend OUR rights. In fact, we were sold out at the last minute in 86. However, they really ARE the only people fighting for gun onwers. Mistakes in the past? Of course. But they are doing more for all of us than anyone.
Join and send them the money. Just imagine where we would be if they did not exist.

[MtGun44]

One of the problems is that like felix says, a lot of what is done is not done
in public. When I was working with the legislature, it was years of work
developing trust and relationships with the 'good guy' (frequently women)
legislators that would do the 'heavy lifting', and let you actually write the
wording of the bills or change it.
Also - writing the regulations, which are the details how a law is enacted, and
at the state level is usually done by connected people. Frequently the
enabiling regulations are as important as the original law.

The ILA has folks all around the country that they work with, they support
financially and who get things done with and without them.

NRA is in no way perfect, not even close, and I have - at times- been VERY
unhappy with some of the things that they have done, but ultimately
this is where our greatest strength lies.

One huge benefit has been the support of legal researchers over the
decades so that there is now a generation of lawyers, some of whom
will be judges that were taught in law school that the 2nd Amendment
is really what is seems to be. This is the real reason that Heller was
won - 48 papers in law journals over decades that eventually drove
a new concensus on the 2nd Amendment. Believe that they NRA
supported much of this - long term, background, laying the foundation
which is the basis for the newer, bigger, stronger and better 2nd
Amendment - phoenix rising from the ashes of the old 2nd Amendment
that the leftist had THOUGHT they had proven was only about
guns for militias and which they thought they had proven was useless
for individual rights.

This battle is fought at many depths, over many decades by many
people, some with support of the NRA, many without. We need to
stick together and not have internecine battles.

Bill

[LUBEDUDE]

If you have a State Rifle Association, may I suggest that you support it as well.

The Texas State Rifle Association seems to have a fairly good relationship with some legislators and have made Trememdous inroads over the years. They were very influencial in getting our Concealed Carry Permit passed early in the game.

[MtGun44]

+1 on State Rifle Association. The current president of the KSRA is a really
great woman, works very hard and has made good relations with our legislature.
We have also elected some really progun legislators and a great Sec of State
and Governor that are very progun.

Bill

[contender1]

As a longtime (over 40 years) shooter, hunter, firearm owner, hunter safety instructor, & volunteer for many groups, I have witnessed many things.
Yes, I'm a Life member of the NRA.
Are they perfect? No.
Are they the main whipping post for the liberal anti-gun media? YES!
Are they blamed for any anti-gun laws that are defeated? YES.
They are the 800 lb gorilla in DC that the politicians watch out for.
Are there other groups? Yes.
Do the other groups get the anti-gun media attention? NO!
Does the NRA hold fundraisers, (Friends of the NRA events?) YES.
Do they spend the money they raise as they claim they do? YES!! (Check charity navagiator)
Do they support thousands of youth in shooting programs? YES! (Check out the grants given out by the NRA Foundation.)
Do they "beg for money" as many COMPLAIN about? Yes.
Do they have a manufacturing plant making a product to sell allowing them the millions of dollars they need to fight for our rights? NO!!!
How does the NRA survive? DONATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!
If you dislike the "letters that beg for money" can you stop them? YES!
(This is a tired old argument, where people gripe about the money spent on solicitation mailers. Yet, for every 10 letters sent out, a cost of less than $2.00 is spent, yet they receive $10 back in donations. That's $8 for every 10 letters sent. Since the NRA isn't a company with unlimited money, they MUST rely upon donations to survive. If you wish to not receive these letters, get your name removed. Sheesh,, I wish people would just understand the economics of this.)
Anybody remember who brought us the "Assault Weapons Bill" under Clinton? And who did Bill BLAME when the demoncraps lost mid-term elections? The NRA!!!!!!!

How many of you have spoken with foreigners who have had firearm rights, only to lose them to the government? So far,, I have spoken with well over 2 dozen. (Most recently a Russian.) And one solid thing I have heard is; "I wish we'd had a NRA in our country to fight for our rights."

Many folks feel the NRA doesn't do enough to help "local" causes. Uhh,,, how many of you follow the cases where the NRA helps our state Reps draft laws for gun owners? (Subscribe to the NRA-ILA daily alerts & see.)
Or,, look at the FoNRA grants where local schools receive grants to support firearm programs. See where the money goes.

So, while they are not perfect,, they are the biggest, most hated gun rights group the anti's fear.
And, their fighting for all of us causes politicians to listen to what they say & do,,, because;
"I'm the NRA & I Vote!"

A side note.
This past week, I got a NRA alert to proposed legislation about changes to gun laws in NC. It went to a committee vote on Wednesday. I was urged to contact my state Reps & ask for support for this bill. (NC HB 937) I called every Rep on the list. Many calls were answered by a machine. Some I got a live person. All were polite to me,, except one. Rep Ross, (D) in a different district. Her office cut me off, told me the Rep was NOT going to support this. Rude & unwilling to listen to a voter.
I followed her comments with; "Then I'll be doing everything I can to see her voted out & you lose your job too!" I also fired off a polite email to Rep Ross, explaining how I was treated by her staff. How she should have professional staff & listen to all voters. I also told her since I now knew her position, I was going to fight for her loss in the next election. While my email was polite, I let her know where I stood.
W/o the NRA,, I would not have gotten as involved as I have.

As an Army vet, I'm in the 1% of the population who has been willing to die for my country & the other 99% who didn't serve. As a NRA member,,, I'm part of the 4-5 million gun owners supporting the rights of all Americans, AND the 80 million gun owners who do not join.

I support Americas freedom.

[shooter93]

I have been a Benefactor member from back in the days when it cost a fortune. The truth is VERY few people can't afford to join. Skip a case of beer, a night out for pizza. It required a great del of giving things up for me back then, that was my choice. Are they perfect?...no but remember they can only argue as far as their CLOUT goes. 5 million members out of nearly 100 million gun owners....absurd. 100 million members is clout. no politician can withstand the will of 100 million...none. We need all the gun owners as members and vote gun issues. The entire Constitution is on the line as well as the way of life many here have cherished for so long, make NO mistake about it. We are going to be THE deciding factor for the future of this Republic....period. It is entirely up to us.
Even the NRA/ILA would take a more no compromise view if a huge membership voted in the board elections and seated the right people. Granted that would take a modicum of time to research those people running. Back in the day I remember so many people saying...Neal Knox, he knows what to do. When asked if they belonged and voted the answer was no with all the TYPICAL excuses....thanks for the help guys.
Now factor in all the programs they run from Eagle Eddie to the ranges and shooting programs they help out. Do they need money?...ofcourse they do and folks...they need TONS of it. We are faced with an opposisition with some of they deepest pockets on the planet and we are pretty much barred from major media except for negative coverage. So...quit friggin whining about what they don't do....look at what they do that is positive for us. Stop worrying about them not meeting your every wish and JOIN and VOTE for the board. We're it folks...the whole ball of wax. We owe an debt to the Founders that can never be paid. They Pledged their money, their lives and their sacred Honor to this cause...we need to do the same.

[jcwit]

I have been a Benefactor member from back in the days when it cost a fortune. The truth is VERY few people can't afford to join. Skip a case of beer, a night out for pizza. It required a great del of giving things up for me back then, that was my choice. Are they perfect?...no but remember they can only argue as far as their CLOUT goes. 5 million members out of nearly 100 million gun owners....absurd. 100 million members is clout. no politician can withstand the will of 100 million...none. We need all the gun owners as members and vote gun issues. The entire Constitution is on the line as well as the way of life many here have cherished for so long, make NO mistake about it. We are going to be THE deciding factor for the future of this Republic....period. It is entirely up to us.
Even the NRA/ILA would take a more no compromise view if a huge membership voted in the board elections and seated the right people. Granted that would take a modicum of time to research those people running. Back in the day I remember so many people saying...Neal Knox, he knows what to do. When asked if they belonged and voted the answer was no with all the TYPICAL excuses....thanks for the help guys.
Now factor in all the programs they run from Eagle Eddie to the ranges and shooting programs they help out. Do they need money?...ofcourse they do and folks...they need TONS of it. We are faced with an opposisition with some of they deepest pockets on the planet and we are pretty much barred from major media except for negative coverage. So...quit friggin whining about what they don't do....look at what they do that is positive for us. Stop worrying about them not meeting your every wish and JOIN and VOTE for the board. We're it folks...the whole ball of wax. We owe an debt to the Founders that can never be paid. They Pledged their money, their lives and their sacred Honor to this cause...we need to do the same.

This is exactly what I was attempting to bring out with my first post starting this thread.

I started this same idea on a few other forums, one forum went so far as to even delete the entire thread even tho members agreed with me, but one of the mods obviously took offense at my opinion.

How can this fight be won when even those in the sport cannot support the defense?

[garandnutts]

Me thinks me smell a troll.
Both the clubs I belong to require NRA membership, and the benefits go both ways....I belong to the NRA and also sent a few bucks to several other gun-rights organizations as well, it can't hurt.
We all need to stick together or we'll all sink in the same pond, into which our foes will gladly urinate.....

[contender1]

Thank you jcwit!
As noted, we all need to fight for our rights.
We do not need to be fighting amongst ourselves.

[deces]

I would only donate to the ILA branch, I think the best way to fight the anti gun lobby is get on all of the mailing lists and return their donation envelopes stuffed with lead ingots. so that way they will have to spend a small fortune to get what they would perceive as a donation. :bigsmyl2:

[mpmarty]

Well it's high time all gun / sporting goods shops require an NRA membership in order to buy anything they have for sale.

[deces]

Monthly donations is the only way to keep them honest.

[Swamp Man]

Me thinks me smell a troll.

Boltaction308 and all I replied to the wrong post it wasn't meant to be posted to Boltaction308 it was suppose to be to someone else. Sorry Boltaction for my mistake.

[BLACKTALON]

If it were not for the NRA, you would already have legislation on the books denying you most if not all of your 2nd amendment rights.
Yes, there are some things that the NRA does from time to time that I dislike or disagree with. but for the most part, like 99%, I am glad they are there. I think the longer that are there to defend my 2nd amendment rights, the longer I will be, that I don't have to.

[jcwit]

Well it's high time all gun / sporting goods shops require an NRA membership in order to buy anything they have for sale.

That was not my intent nor my implication. I wish it to be voluntary, and if you read the post I started this thread with you should be able to realize this.

If more sportsman and shooters would see it fit to join gun control would be a non issue. Not really hard to understand at least IMO.

I hope you ment this in jest, but actually its not a laughing matter. To think otherwise is folly.

Lets not turn this thread into the direction it went on the other forum!

[Vindicated]

I'll admit I'm a new shooter and I'm on the fence regarding the NRA. I really like the idea of the NRA and part of me does want to join, but I also don't like their public image as of late, especially how they came out during Sandy. I agree with what they said, but I just didn't like how they appeared in the media.

When the most recent gun bill didn't pass, I don't think it was because of the NRA. I think it was because we have a Republican majority and Dems are having a heck of a time passing anything without Republican support.

Personally I see a stronger need for state level pro-gun groups that are willing to befriend, pressure, or to simply work with Democrats since the Dems are the ones that are always sponsoring anti-gun laws. I see NRA doing a great job getting their views on Fox News, but c'mon, they're just preaching to the choir. They need to be doing a better job of getting on CNN and MSNBC. Did anyone watch the Pierce Morgan gun control debates? I was practically yelling at the TV begging for the pro-gunners to speak up better.

But of course, I'm a new shooter. I'm sure there's a lot about the NRA I don't yet fully understand. So like I said earlier, I'm on the fence. Anyone care to explain the perks of being a life member vs monthly contributor?

[waksupi]

I'll admit I'm a new shooter and I'm on the fence regarding the NRA. I really like the idea of the NRA and part of me does want to join, but I also don't like their public image as of late, especially how they came out during Sandy. I agree with what they said, but I just didn't like how they appeared in the media.

When the most recent gun bill didn't pass, I don't think it was because of the NRA. I think it was because we have a Republican majority and Dems are having a heck of a time passing anything without Republican support.

Personally I see a stronger need for state level pro-gun groups that are willing to befriend, pressure, or to simply work with Democrats since the Dems are the ones that are always sponsoring anti-gun laws. I see NRA doing a great job getting their views on Fox News, but c'mon, they're just preaching to the choir. They need to be doing a better job of getting on CNN and MSNBC. Did anyone watch the Pierce Morgan gun control debates? I was practically yelling at the TV begging for the pro-gunners to speak up better.

But of course, I'm a new shooter. I'm sure there's a lot about the NRA I don't yet fully understand. So like I said earlier, I'm on the fence. Anyone care to explain the perks of being a life member vs monthly contributor?

First off, I would like you to consider who was feeding you the news about the NRA. Mainstream media are in Obama, and the Left's, back pocket. You will not get the straight story from them. Until the media starts training as many police officers and military personnel as the NRA, I wouldn't listen to much of what they have to say on firearms.
The non-passage of the bill was certainly NRA, and associated groups action. We made it clear to the politicians if they violated our rights, they would pay for it in votes, or something much more final. Local gun groups are generally associated with NRA, such as the Friends of the NRA banquets.
Don't hold your breath waiting for the media to beat the pro-gun drum side of the argument. It will never happen. They can't even report the facts of a tornado right, let alone something concerning God given rights, of which they have no understanding.
Best member ship route is whichever you choose, and make an ongoing contribution to NRA/ILA, the legislative branch.

[uscra112]

A little third-party appraisal of the NRA's role - and some facts:

http://washingtonexaminer.com/tim-carney-obama-should-blame-tea-party-not-nra-for-gun-control-defeat/article/2528342

[jcwit]

A little third-party appraisal of the NRA's role - and some facts:

http://washingtonexaminer.com/tim-carney-obama-should-blame-tea-party-not-nra-for-gun-control-defeat/article/2528342

And you know this to be true beyond a doubt because? Because it fits what you wish to believe and your agenda whatever that may be.

But do as you wish, you will anyway, the rest of us will continue to carry the torch even for those that are laggards.

We shall carry on.