[restoring]

I was a member of the NRA back in the 80's. For various reasons (several of them financial) I had to let that go. A while back, I rejoined the NRA on an annual basis. Now, I'm giving very serious consideration to leaving again, but this time it is because of their performance or lack of it.

Gun Owners of America (G.O.A.) let's non-members sign up for their e-mail alerts. Since I think it really is up to each one of us to take an active role in defending the Bill of Rights in general and the 2nd Amendment in particular, I signed up for it, as well as the NRA-ILA alerts.

To date, I have received many more G.O.A. alerts than NRA ones.

I have attempted to contact the NRA, their ILA branch, and Membership division several time each with no success or no answers to any question I had. I've emailed, snail mailed, and called on the phone. E-mail and snail mail went unanswered, and the only thing the membership people were interested in was if I wanted to upgrade to a life membership.

I picked up the phone and called GOA. I got an answer to every single question I asked.

Sometimes my NRA magazine shows up, sometimes it doesn't. No help from them on that front either.

What I do get from the NRA are about 3 or 4 offers a month to buy products from sponsers or donate money. I even got an invitation yesterday to spend $40 and attend a friends of the nra dinner in my area.

Now, I'm getting form letters from Wayne LaPierre (I know, he has nothing to do with them at all, but if he wants his signature on them, then he can accept responsibility for them as well) saying that my membership is expiring, and it's time for me to pony up another year's worth of dues. So, I enclosed the membership form with a single question scrawled across it saying "Why is it when you want my money you're johnny on the spot, but when I have an issue, am missing yet another magazine, or am trying to bring something to the ILA's attention I am suddenly persona nongratta? To date I haven't received a response. I have however recevied 3 more letters from Mr. LaPierre, the last of which says "I'm not giving up on you".

Surely, there are some GOA members here. How do they stack up once they have your $ in hand? Seems the NRA isn't interested unless I'm filling out a check.

I could go deeper into detail, but not on a public forum. Just curious as I will be a member of one or the other, and the GOA is known as a no compromise group. They state a few things on their site to that pique my interest such as:

"GOA remains the only national organization that is actively pushing the Citizen's Self-Defense Act designed to protect innocent civilians, who use a gun in self-defense from anti-gun prosecutors. GOA is also the only national organization fighting to repeal the Brady instant "registration" check, and is alone in pushing truly constitutional CCW legislation that allows law-abiding citizens to carry a firearm without a permit."

Why isn't the NRA supporting those particular things?

Plus, how could someone that Uncle Ted endorses be bad? (LOL)

"Be a real American Warrior for gun rights & freedom. Join GOA & sign up as many members as you can."-Ted Nugent, Rock star

Anyone?

 

[press8506]

I personally think that the GOA is working much harder for their members than the NRA. When was the last time anyone got a breaking news report about something threatening our rights from the NRA?

 

[2Loud4You]

I'm a life member of the NRA but I know they're not perfect. What they ARE is HUGE. Let's face it, the politicians focus on the NRA while I bet many of them have no idea who the GOA is. It never hurts to have multiple assaults from many sides to keep the politicians in check but their main focus will be that big ass gorilla with NRA across it's chest.

 

[dreever]

I belong to the NRA. Some things do tick me off though.
#1 Why after renewing a years membership do they keep trying 3 months later to get me to renew my membership?It was for a year, not 3 months.

#2 I didn't join the NRA to get a hat, but when one was promised with my membership renewal then by damn they should have given me one. I'm still waiting.

#3 I know they need to raise money, but everytime i turn around they are trying to either sell me something or asking for another donation. I do not have bottomless pockets.

Just a few legitimate bitches. I'll stay a member regardless.

Danny

 

[KuroNeko]

I'd have to say NRA, since as 2Loud points out, they're big. The things like a delivered magazine or hat I can understand as annoying, and perhaps the asking for donations can be repetative; but when you consider that on the Hill, money talks, the organization with more/better lobbyists is imho money better spent.

Letters, calls, even votes from the people can easily be ignored or simply programmed out now, but lobbyists write the laws, and influence people that sponsor them. The politicians don't even read what they vote for anymore....

That's not to say that both organizations aren't valuable for their stated cause.

 

[windwalker]

I belong to the NRA, But

Only to keep my CCW Instructor current with DPS. The NRA has screwed me over a few times here in Arizona. Example, Restaurant Carry, a few years ago they backed a strike everything to get the Gun Show bill through by striking the Restaurant Carry bill. That was a time it could have passed. We now have SB-1113 dieing on the vine because no one will move it and again it would pass because Gov Brewer took over when Nappy took over Homeland Security. We have a GOP Gov and Senate majority so it would be a piece of cake if the NRA stepped in. The Politicians won't push the bill because of the Restaurant Association being against it. We pay our dues to the NRA and they waste it by sending mailers for more money. If you calculate the money they waste on mailing, wages for those that create, print and mail the stuff its more then your annual dues. Do I think the NRA is effective, No, they usually jump in at the tail end when they see it might pass so they can take credit. Remember Heller? At what point did it become an NRA priority? People say support the NRA because its big, I would like to see us all put a note in our next dues envelope saying it will be the last unless we see some results benefiting members, not Wayne and staff's pay checks. They have become a money raising self serving outfit that has members brainwashed into believing that they and only they can save us. Gonna get flamed for this, but its worth it!

 

[NonDescript]

The GOA is certainly more aggressive and takes a much stronger "no compromise" position on our Second Amendment rights than the NRA does, but the NRA has much more political clout. That's why I'm a member of both organizations.

In these dark times, with the enemies of law-abiding gun owners attacking us on every front, we cannot afford to allow relatively minor quibbles to fragment us. For the price of a couple of boxes of ammo you can join both the NRA and the GOA!

For those who are not also members over at ar15.com, you might be surprised to learn that they've nominated two of their own members for the NRA board of directors and one of them was just elected! He's stated that he intends to work from within to make the NRA more aware of their "black rifle" members. This an excellent example of what to do if you're not happy with the way the NRA or GOA operates -- join and work from within to change things!

 

[restoring]

This is why I asked this question... to hear what others are thinking.

Like Windwalker said, I too think the NRA is far, far too slow to move on legislation if they move at all, and I have noticed that they sometimes appear to jump on the bandwagon towards the end of the fight - after others have done the grunt work. They are far to quick to compromise IMO.

As far as size is concerned - I really don't care. I've noticed too many organizations lose focus and/or become mired in internal politics when they get big, and I wonder if that is happening with LaPierre and friends. A large group of people who will compromise on the Rights of their members and the people they are supposed to represent pose much less of a challenge to gun grabbers than a smaller group of determined people who know damned well this is our Right and aren't willing to budge or give up the fight in return for quick passage of part of a bill that they want.

I contacted them about various federal bills as well as ones in TN and MS, including a bill to legalize CCW in bars an restaurants as long as the CCW holder doesn't consume alcohol but have heard nothing - absolutely not one damned word back from anyone other than "Would you like to renew your membership?".

And you know what? I've run businesses for a long time. If I promise my customers something, I need to deliver. Period. Whether it's a magazine, a hat, or going to bat representing their interests.

I wonder if the very size they like to brag about is turning into something that is choking them. I don't remember them being this way back in the 80's.

 

[owenb01]

GOA for the simple reason that they provide a format for you to email your representatives and senator about specific issues with a pre-written but customizable letter---all you have to do is click a link in their email alerts and type in your name and address and edit the letter if you wish. You don't even have to know who your congress men and women are, it figures it all out for you. Think about how many letters make it to our congress that wouldn't otherwise because of this feature. I know they actually make it to where they are supposed to, because my reps respond to me (Rep. Marcia Blackburn and Sen. Bob Corker), usually with an issue specific form letter of their own. I frequently edit the GOA form letters significantly and I recently got a response from Bob Corker (or someone at his email) that addressed all of the concerns I raised in order, issue by issue, so somebody actual had to read that email from me, I think... I'm an NRA-ILA Grassroots Activist, but I've been able to be far more effective I feel through this simple tool provided by the GOA because it makes it so easy to write my congressmen/women. You can even provide the email addresses of your friends and family to send them a link to do the same thing for their representatives regarding the exact same alerts and issues.

 

[Movinfr8]

restoring,
You can call NRA and tell them to save their mail, that if they don't you'll drop them. I would recomend staying though, at least thru Mobamma's administration, as there WILL surely be anti freedom bills coming up, and when a lobbyist walks into a senator's office and says " I represent 5 million members, XX thousand in your district" verses "I represent 500,000 members, 275 in your district! " who do you think they will pay more attention to? These guys are just concerned with re-election. period.
Pleas do join GOA or Jews for preservation of firearms, or pink pistols, orall of the above, but stay in the NRA.
Tell ya what, if you'll join GOA and stay in NRA, I'll also join Jews for Preservation.
Norm Hardy

 

[owenb01]

Jews in support of liberty? For those on the right? Yeah right!!!! HAHAHAHAHHAHhahahahhHAHAHhahahahAhha!!!!!!!! :lol: :lol:

 

[Movinfr8]

Jews in support of liberty? For those on the right? Yeah right!!!! HAHAHAHAHHAHhahahahhHAHAHhahahahAhha!!!!!!!! :lol: :lol:

A few of them still remember what happens when guns are registered.

 

[owenb01]

Jews in support of liberty? For those on the right? Yeah right!!!! HAHAHAHAHHAHhahahahhHAHAHhahahahAhha!!!!!!!! :lol: :lol:

A few of them still remember what happens when guns are registered.

One would think!

 

[fivestringer]

GOA

I'm a member of both, but IMHO, GOA is much more "action oriented" than NRA.

I agree that because of its sheer size NRA may be somewhat more effective.

GOA, again IMHO, doesn't waffle on 2nd Amendment issues like the NRA sometimes does.

I've gotten many, many more alerts and calls for action from GOA than I have from NRA.