Joining the NRA

[dangin]

I actually know little about the organization. Can we all join, pay dues, and alter the organization by voting for changes from within?

[dlwickham]

1. do you know 4.3 million other people who might want to join with you?

that's the current membership per wikipedia

I'd guess you'd need maybe 5 million people to join to effectively take over the organization

[NYC_SKP]

2. There are possibly only a few hundred who really call the shots.

It occurred to me that engaging them versus trying to destroy them might be the better strategy.

I don't think they've always been so batshit crazy.

[doc03]

5. You know if you think about it there are very few gun owners that

actually belong to the NRA. There couldn't be more than one out of twenty that are members of the NRA. They have been claiming the same 4 million members for the last 30 years. Every time the gun issue pops up they claim they are signing new members by the hundred thousand if that was true they would have be 10 million members by now. Their power comes from the arms industry not their members and I never really thought about it but they want semi-autos because they use up more ammo. It's like Gillette every once in a while they send you a free razor so you will buy their overpriced blades.

[dlwickham]

14. still rather not risk giving them money

when they can use it against anyone who joined in an attempt to bring about change in the group unless we had the numbers to really effect that change

[Bjorn Against]

3. Not if you want to be successful, they need to be fought from the outside.

It is usually a bad idea to try to change these organizations from the inside because to get on the inside you have to pay them dues. Once you are on the inside you are far outnumbered by the nuts which makes it pretty much impossible for you to change anything.

If you really want to fight the NRA you don't join them, you resist them. You can't convince them to change direction you need to block them from continuing in the direction they are on.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Nope. As mentioned already, they claim...

over 4 million members, but that number's inflated by counting every member in family memberships, not dropping lapsed members, etc. A lot of people think it's really closer to 2 million active members. Maybe even less. Takes a lot of new members to make any kind of difference.

But, that's not the problem-- the organization is really financed and run by the arms industry and the members have little or no affect on what the leadership does.

[davidpdx]

7. Wouldn't it be a coup if someone got a hold of their whole list

Someone phone Wikileaks...

[NutmegYankee]

6. Why would you join that Republican frontgroup?

I own firearms, but I'd never joint the effin NRA. I spent way too many campaigns fighting their money when I belonged to the VA Democratic Party.

[LiberalFighter]

8. How many members show up at their meetings?

Who is eligible to vote? All members or delegates?

They aren't going to have 4 million members show up at their meeting to elect officers.

[flamin lib]

9. Won't work. They get most of their funding from gun mfgs and ammo sales. nt

[SunSeeker]

10. The NRA membership has no power. Their leadership ignores them.

70% of the membership thinks there should be background checks. The leadership doesn't.

Kinda like 60% of tea partiers don't want their Medicare touched, while their leadership wants to turn it into a coupon.

The membership of the NRA, like that of things like Freedomworks, are just fig leafs to cover up their corporate overlords.

You joining would just make you part of that fig leaf. Don't do it.

[Loudly]

11. It's an industry lobbying group.

Death merchant manufacturers and retailers.

You don't want that stench on you.

[Paladin]

12. Joining Gabby Giffords' New Organization Sounds A Lot More Positive.

You'll keep a lot better company there than you will the NRA.

[Recursion]

13. The membership doesn't really decide anything

I don't think they even elect the board. They mostly get a lot of spam for private label wine and knock-off Spyderco-clone knives.

[Jakes Progress]

15. Membership means nothing.

It is run by the gun industry. Members are just sheep.