Are these folks looking out for their members, or themselves?

“The NRA stands absolutely obligated to its members to ensure maximum access to the First Amendment,”

Should the bill pass, with the carve-out, it has ensured its members will have maximum access. If the bill fails, as we hope it will, its members will have maximum access.

The fact that some are unhappy that the NRA isn’t willing to be on a losing side just to satisfy those who are not its members or just that portion of the 20% of its members who belong for political reasons and are in agreement with its critics is unfortunate but a reality.

I’m sure that the NRA has registered the criticism that it has received, will weigh it in accordance with its goals and positions and will act in what it perceives to be its best interests.

I always felt a certain smarmyness coming from the NRA. But because I’m not a member now I can’t get the satisfaction of resigning.

I have a lifetime membership there, and it’s been paid for a long time. So quitting them, won’t deprive them of much of anything.

But I am going to anyway.

Is that you can’t pick one amendment over another.

I don’t care if your focus is the 2nd; the 1st, and the 3rd, the 4th, all the way to the 27nd all are equally lawful.

Shame on you NRA for agreeing to submerge one right in order to save another.

I’m sure they’ll come for you last.

that happened a long time ago in an era far, far away. What I have seen over the past 20 or more years is a staff which does protect the 2nd Amendment, but not enough to put an end to the attacks upon it, thus ensuring they will continue to have nice wages along with the benefits of testing new firearms and going on wonderful hunting trips annually – the like of which most of us enjoy but once a lifetime, if that.

They didn’t act on the Katrina gun grab until the outcry made it politically impossible for them to stand on the sidelines any longer. The Heller case was instigated by others (GoA?) and they only joined when it became clear the case was going to be heard, no matter their inclination to keep the matter bouncing around the 50 yard line.

Bottom line, the NRA staff do work to protect our rights, but only to the point where greater success would put them out of work. I’ve been giving to GoA in hopes that organization will grow sufficiently to become the leader of our forces. Me, I’d rather pay someone to sit in an office and watch the steam rise from chuckie schumbag’s pointy little head as the gun grabbing pond scum is totally frustrated than pay the same amount for someone to keep the conflict in full dispute for job security.

This is a weak argument you make. The GOP apparently doesn’t trust the Republican senators to block this abomination and you know what–the group is right. The last GOP presidential standardbearer, John McCain, was the architect of the greatest assault on First Amendment rights in modern history. If not for CFR, Citizens United wouldn’t have been necessary, and the left-wing Congress would not be trying to overturn the USSC.

Based on your logic, every Republican senator and congressman should refuse NRA money this cycle because the group obtained a carve out, due to its clout, so at least one group could speak for Second Amendment rights. I won’t hold my breath for Republican senators and MoC’s to refuse NRA money.

This is a weak argument you make. The GOP apparently doesn’t trust the Republican senators to block this abomination and you know what–the group is right. The last GOP presidential standardbearer, John McCain, was the architect of the greatest assault on First Amendment rights in modern history. If not for CFR, Citizens United wouldn’t have been necessary, and the left-wing Congress would not be trying to overturn the USSC.

Based on your logic, every Republican senator and congressman should refuse NRA money this cycle because the group obtained a carve out, due to its clout, so at least one group could speak for Second Amendment rights. I won’t hold my breath for Republican senators and MoC’s to refuse NRA money.

The NRA made a bad decision. They need to fix this and repair the damage. This much seems quite clear.

But what I’m seeing here from some folks about resigning from the NRA just doesn’t make sense, Are we supposed to abandon everyone and every organization that makes a mistake? I daresay none of us would have any family members left if we disowned people for a single screw-up. Or friends. Or business associates.

What about the decades of good work that the NRA has done to further the shooting sports and protect our 2nd Amendment rights? Is all of that tonnage of positives to be thrown in the garbage over this one blunder?

If anything, we need more people to join the NRA, participate in policy matters, and help keep the train on the tracks. Get involved. Sounds a bit like Cold Warrior’s call to reform the GOP from within, at the precinct level, rather than abandoning it, doesn’t it? Same principle.

Okay. Let them remain true to their mission, but that does not prohibit – or excuse – them from doing the right thing and supporting the Constitution and Bill of Rights and those who also support them.

I consider their policy confining themselves to being a single issue organization short-sighted, selfish, narcissistic, and actually un-American. I vividly remember the video of Charlton Hestion speaking before the organization, holding a rifle above his head, and saying, “From these cold, dead hands!” Sadly, that spirit does not seem to be prevailing on their part in all the other areas where our Constitution is under such pernicious attack, especially the First Amendment to the Constitution as it applies to OTHER citizens and organizations of the U. S. I have dontated funds to the NRA in the past, but I am glad to discover that there is another organization I can now support which opposes gun laws but also stands for the rights of other citizens in addition to their own.

The English poet John Donne wrote, “No man is an island. . . ” Too bad that the NRA is blinded to the possibility that the deal they cooked up with the Dems may be short-lived – in fact, is likely to be so – and the “dealers” sonner or later may renege on the deal and go ahead with their hidden agenda. We have ample evidence that their ultimate objective is to silence ALL opposition to their goals.To whom will the NRA turn for support when those same
“dealers” negate the deal?

Would we tolerate the Club for Growth backing abortion?

Would we let Citizens United back gun control?

Come on. Single issue groups only get to make that claim if they remain in their single issue.

Once NRA backed limits on political speech, they lost that excuse.

I’m with Erick.

You don’t think that the gun haters made this exclusion not knowing that it would put them at odds with most of their members do you.

Without the 1st amendment what use is the rest? We defend out right to own a gun because we could well need it against an invasion or tyranny coming from some one who would try to usurp our right to free speech and life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If you own a gun without the reason to own a gun what the hell is the reason to own a gun?
I joined Gun Owners of America yesterday.

“Beneficium accipere libertatem est vendere”-
(To accept a favour is to sell freedom)
It’s time to start evaluating the N.R.A.- Big Business? Big Corporation? Special Interest? (not for the little people)