so, if we were to drop the NRA

soreshoulder · May 1, 2014

jb2sea said:
Are you serious??

well there is no postage, and I'll be a bunch of people hang up on robocalls and throw postcards in the mail.

and the subforum is already there: http://www.carolinashootersclub.com/forums/37-NRA-News

If they want to use it, I'll make it more prominent.

lucky13bullets · May 1, 2014

even tho they may not be the best, i will continue to support any group that continues to try to support us...

Don

Shiftee · May 1, 2014

fieldgrade said:
I took their banner off my profile last week after I saw they were peddling Tillis.

If the club does decide to not continue the relationship with the NRA, I think I'd keep it on the "down low". The news media loves stuff like this. I'd most assuredly let the NRA know, but I wouldn't make it "an open letter to the NRA" type thing.

I took mine off too. I'd been so busy with school I kinda disconnected from some of the things they'd been doing. Frmr0317 was the first one to draw my attention to how bad they'd gotten. Then with this Tillis ordeal I had enough. It's a clear demonstration that they care about power and money, not the values I pay them said money and empower them to represent.

In the event we don't go the "down low" route I spent a few minutes playing around with photoshop...new t-shirt?

YeeHaa · May 2, 2014

In any environment, employment, family, social, volunteer, etc , it is Human Nature to disagree. Besides , if we were all the same , it would be utterly boring.

The current National Political Environment is or can be ultra polarizing, for many reasons.

Dumping The NRA will make some happier and some not so happier.

Over all they are on our side or the same side and with affiliation of any group or organization , not everyone is going to be 100% satisfied.

However there is an old saying,
"United We Stand, Divided We Fall."

shooter9949 · May 2, 2014

Hey they do good things. No reason to drop them from the forum. If they do something you don't like you could contact them, as others have said.

General Dynamics · May 2, 2014

Love 'em, or hate 'em, NRA is the biggest dog you have in the fight. In all my years, all the arguements for leaving the NRA are always rooted in the same reason: I'm not sending them the money any more because I don't want to pay it. If YOU can get more results for $35 a year, then YOU move to Washington and start lobbying...

Regarding the State Field Reps - Their #1 job is to raise money via the Friends of NRA dinners. They are NOT there to be your liason to NRA headquarters.

You've heard it before: NRA is a grass-roots organization. That means: Individual members of the NRA get off their butts and DO SOMETHING. They don't write emails and make phone calls to someone else to do something for them - THEY do it. You've seen that on this forum before.

So, if you're expecting the NRA to address all of your issues, then I suggest you start your own Gun Rights group and I'll send you a check for $35 so I can start calling you and telling you what you should be doing for me!

BTW: South Carolina DOES have a start affiliate for the NRA. It's called Gun Owners of South Carolina (www.GOSC.org) and they totally rock inside the statehouse. Heck Gov Haley took her CWP class from GOSC...

Windini · May 2, 2014

I say stick with the NRA because of its clout.

That doesn't mean I'm a cheerleader for it, am blind to the shortcomings, or that I paper my walls with the copious quantity of solicitations they send.

Silver_Bullet · May 2, 2014

General Dynamics said:
BTW: South Carolina DOES have a start affiliate for the NRA. It's called Gun Owners of South Carolina (www.GOSC.org) and they totally rock inside the statehouse. Heck Gov Haley took her CWP class from GOSC...

When you can carry a gun in SC without a permit, then I may agree that they rock. When that happens, then you can come back and brag about the Grass Roots people, NRA / GOSC in the SC statehouse.

Until then, SC is one of the most gun unfriendly states in the south. SC has had a republican majority for a while, not much has happened except for conceal carry and the new restaurant carry bill. It's hard to believe that SC does not have open carry at least. Governor Haley would sign it, SC's problem lies with establishment Republicans in the Statehouse that will not move these bills forward, and the lack of pressure from groups like the NRA that we pay to represent us with the combined money. If the NRA was to voice that they would spend money to primary these Republicans that do not vote 2a, would move things forward, as those establishment republicans know the NRA has a large influence on the base.

We can complain individually on a grassroots level, but it's the money that talks in politics unfortunately, and the NRA has the money we give out. I wish they would do more with it at the State level. Seems those in charge are afraid they might be viewed as to extreme if they support pure constitutional carry. It will be interesting to even see if the NRA goes on the offensive at the National level if the Republicans take the Senate and the White House in 2016. They could really pressure every Republican to bring forth and vote for pro 2a bills, or face the NRA's money in a primary, but they won't do that. Instead they continue to support the lesser of two evils, and are Establishment campaigners imo.

shadowsbane · May 2, 2014

It is as simple as the fact that the NRA only picks fights it knows it will win, or fights that it can gain something from losing. They don't take chances being as they most often want to appear strong and winning=strength for too many people.

Cocked & Locked · May 3, 2014

NRA Fanboy Here..for life. I'll stay that way.

bonnie · May 3, 2014

Was in and out of the NRA several times over the years. A couple of times vehemently disliked the NRA for what they did or didn't do.

Finally recognized that in the political world only money talks and a lot of money is real power. I realized I didn't need to be a fan boy of the NRA or be in agreement with them on the latest political gun issue. I do however want that talk and power on my side. I am an NRA Life Member now.

bonnie · May 3, 2014

soreshoulder said:
"We" (the Carolina Shooters Club) are club affiliates and business alliance members with the NRA. We pay dues and support the NRA in membership drives, etc.

In return, we get a small commission when someone signs of from our site/ banner, and.....that's it.

The NRA has done nothing...as in...zero to reach out to us, or any of the other groups that I have talked to in NC. There aren't any conference calls, FB posts, actual sit-down meetings, or any other effort whatsoever to reach out to their membership in an interactive fashion.

Combining this with their recent ridiculous endorsements of weaker candidates on 2A issues, one has to wonder if the NRA has outlived its usefulness, if not at the national level, perhaps the state/ local levels.

Certainly the NRA is a powerful voice in Washington, but if they are supporting the lesser of the 2A candidates in the races, are they *really* looking after our best interests?

As an organization, the NRA has the best training/ certification/ and range development programs, bar none. Or, do they?

Do GRAA, GOA, or any of the other groups have enough clout to put together their own certification programs, insurance, etc?

The NRA has put their money on Tillis as the one most likely to win the Republican nomination. The endorsement of Tillis isn't about how staunch or weak he may be in 2A. The endorsement is about a Republican winning the North Carolina U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by a liberal Democrat, and bigger picture wise, Republicans possible winning control of the Senate.

Kind of like watching sausage being made.

gabepossenti · May 3, 2014

I disagree. The NRA is not supporting Tillis because he's a Republican. The NRA will back democrat candidates if they're sufficiently pro-2A. It's clear that the 2A agenda is not being served by Hagan, so the NRA is happy to have a decent pro-2A candidate to back.

Apparently they've picked Tillis over the others because their NC poll watchers have decided that he's a shoo-in to be running in November (sadly, they're probably right about that), and they don't want to waste the time and resources backing someone else in the primary, and then having to change gears in the general. Like you said, sausage.

gabepossenti · May 3, 2014

FWIW, I continue to support the NRA for many of the reasons already given by others here, but mainly just because they're the biggest, most visible group working to defend our second amendment rights. They're messed up in many ways, like anyone in bed with politics. I'm not looking for perfect in this world.

jb2sea · May 3, 2014

gabepossenti said:
I disagree. The NRA is not supporting Tillis because he's a Republican. The NRA will back democrat candidates if they're sufficiently pro-2A. It's clear that the 2A agenda is not being served by Hagan, so the NRA is happy to have a decent pro-2A candidate to back.

Apparently they've picked Tillis over the others because their NC poll watchers have decided that he's a shoo-in to be running in November (sadly, they're probably right about that), and they don't want to waste the time and resources backing someone else in the primary, and then having to change gears in the general. Like you said, sausage.

I didn't ask about the other candidates. But NRA told me they picked Tillis over Brannon because Brannon didn't return their survey, and he has no voting record for them to grade. So they pretty much had no choice. At least between Tillis and Brannon.

gabepossenti · May 3, 2014

jb2sea said:
I didn't ask about the other candidates. But NRA told me they picked Tillis over Brannon because Brannon didn't return their survey, and he has no voting record for them to grade. So they pretty much had no choice. At least between Tillis and Brannon.

If you said that earlier on in this thread, or elsewhere on the board, I missed it. It's actually sort of a relief to hear. That's a better explanation than the one I came up with. Thanks!

Cocked & Locked · May 3, 2014

Would have been nice if Brannon had replied to the survey. Him not doing so doesn't leave me with a warm fuzzy feeling.

John Connor · May 3, 2014

Cocked & Locked said:
Would have been nice if Brannon had replied to the survey. Him not doing so doesn't leave me with a warm fuzzy feeling.

I think an explanation is due for sure.

Silver_Bullet · May 3, 2014

bonnie said:
The NRA has put their money on Tillis as the one most likely to win the Republican nomination. The endorsement of Tillis isn't about how staunch or weak he may be in 2A. The endorsement is about a Republican winning the North Carolina U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by a liberal Democrat, and bigger picture wise, Republicans possible winning control of the Senate.

Kind of like watching sausage being made.

That is exactly the problem with the NRA
Rebuplican control is no good if it's liberal republicans. Republican does not mean conservative. The last time republicans who were not libertarian or very conservative were in power they gave us the biggest anti liberty legislation of the past century.

buildit · May 3, 2014

Like anything else, you have to take the good with the bad. With that said, I have gleaned a lot of good info from this post and my position would be, cut ties with the NRA or not..... I'll still be here. Too many good relationship created from a few deals and great experience with those I meet.
Now my question, Life member of NRA...... so don't plan to change anything there, but if I wanted to join and support another group should I go GOA or GRNC? I'm leaning to GRNC because its local..... but not sure. Suggestions?

so, if we were to drop the NRA

soreshoulder

lucky13bullets

Shiftee

Attachments

YeeHaa

shooter9949

General Dynamics

Windini

Silver_Bullet

shadowsbane

Cocked & Locked

bonnie

bonnie

gabepossenti

gabepossenti

jb2sea

gabepossenti

Cocked & Locked

John Connor

Silver_Bullet

buildit

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