It seems that there have recently been a lot of controversies and strong opinions in the Second Amendment Community regarding lobbying and advocacy groups, namely the NRA. I am a member of several groups, and I was wondering which groups do you all support. What issues or concerns do you have as far as the current state of 2A advocacy at the Federal and State levels?
2 Likes
Hi Nathan,
I am first of all a Life Member of the NRA and I just recently became a Life Member of the New Jersey Second Amendment Society ( https://www.nj2as.org/ ). My main concerns are two: One, is the NJ2AS going to be able to defeat the Democrats in NJ and turn NJ into a Second Amendment State and 2) Are the NRA and other groups going to be able to overcome the growing negativity towards guns in the US mainly from the Democratic Party and the many citizens who know nothing about guns except for what they hear in the news. I wish that more people who are afraid of guns would actually get together with someone who knows guns well and learn more about them and maybe even shoot a gun to see how they can benefit instead of harming people.
I am also concerned about the idiots who go out and perform all of these horrific shooting incidents that make it harder for the law abiding citizen to keep and bear arms. We need to educate the Democrats that instead of taking the guns out of law abiding citizens and instead of these Red Flag Laws that they should start looking into the Mental Health Issue and treating those individuals BEFORE they commit a horrific crime.
5 Likes
NJ, Well said and agreed with you all!!!
3 Likes
NRA member, USCCA member, MCRGO (Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners)member, and working on some extra funds for MOC (Michigan Open Carry).
3 Likes
USCCA and soon to be GOA. I let my NRA membership expire. I don’t agree with their current stance on several issues.
4 Likes
@NJStraightShooter - I agree with your sentiments. Education and good experiences are some of the best ways that we can get folks to get over their irrational fear of firearms. I always look for opportunities to get new shooters to the range.
So-called “red flag” laws are definitely a trip down the slippery slope. Anytime that due process is denied someone, it sets a very dangerous precedent for the rest of us. Safeguards must be built in to prevent such frivolous accusations from compromising our Constitutional rights.
As for the 2A organizations, I am a Patron Life Member of the NRA. There is no doubt that the NRA has many internal issues with personnel and financing that are deeply disconcerting to me. I believe the time has come for Wayne LaPierre to go. He has been there WAY too long, and he has spent the NRA into a deep hole. Let us not forget the souring relationship that the NRA has with an ever-growing portion of the 2A community. NRA leadership must stop denying that they are rapidly alienating their own core supporters with their lavish spending, poor PR, and an overeagerness to compromise on key issues. That said, there is still not one single 2A organization that can hold a candle to the political clout that the NRA still wields. I am also a member of Gun Owners of America, who seems to be a smaller but more aggressively pro-2A organization than the current NRA. Will the NRA be able to clean house and get it’s core supporters back onboard? Will GOA grow into a formidible pro-2A force in DC and various state capitals? I can’t say, but I hope the answer to both of those questions will be a strong YES.
4 Likes
Do you know if the GOA is active in New Jersey? I can’t find any links yet that say yes. If not, would a membership in the GOA benefit myself in New Jersey? There is a lot of material on their website for me to go through but if you already know the answer it would be a great help.
And yes, I would like to see a change of leadership, if that is what he was doing, in the NRA. Clean up the organization so it can be well respected by the Government and get back on top of 2A issues. For now, it is what it is.
4 Likes
I don’t agree with the NRA all the time either, but with so many anti-2A groups focusing on the NRA they are going to need support regardless. If the NRA falls, the smaller groups won’t have the clout to help us. Let them continue to soak up attention while the smaller groups get things done. That’s my opinion anyway.
4 Likes
I’m a member of the Firearms Policy Coalition, California Rifle and Pistol Association, and NRA. Gun Owners of America will be my next membership. I’ve seen real world results by the FPC, CRPA, and GOA.
4 Likes
I’m with @Spence on this one - “we stand together or we hang separately”. NRA is still the big dog, and I don’t believe the small groups, even collectively, have the power to influence things that the NRA does. And I think it’s much harder to influence the NRA’s behavior from the outside than from the inside. I don’t love everything they do, but then, I’ve never loved everything any organization does.
Member of NRA, USCCA, and a regular annoying corespondent with my elected officials at all levels.
4 Likes
@NJStraightShooter, I do not know if GOA has an active chapter dedicated to New Jersey. I am relatively new to GOA, and I am still learning about that organization myself. Where GOA is a smaller group, they probably just don’t have the people and infrastructure at this point. GOA does seem to be gaining membership from those who have left the NRA, and several prominent YouTubers are vocal advocates for GOA. Maybe if you reach out to GOA, they can let you know where they stand in NJ.
2 Likes
Yes, I sent them a message asking them if they are in NJ and if I join will it benefit myself and others in NJ and I will wait for their response. At $20 a year, it couldn’t hurt. I’ve seen that they have been active in many states across the US. We need all the help that we can get.
@KenM, I’d like to see more of these groups pop up in New Jersey so they can be a bigger thorn in the Governor’s Backside! We need a good Republican to bring New Jersey back in a 2A State of Mind.
@Nathan, I agree that Wayne LaPierre’s time is up and he needs to go. What do you think about someone like Colion Noir taking over?
2 Likes
Last time I sent the NRA a membership fee they just sent me back my money in the form of junk mail plus a few bucks. That’s not what I’d intended my money be spent on. I’m not trying to bash the NRA but I AM seriously questioning how my membership money is spent. Seems to me it would be better used bribing someone in DC for a vote.
4 Likes
@AdamJ, Yes, that is one of the things that I find upsetting about the NRA. I became a Life Member and now I get requests for money so much that I could wallpaper my apartment with them, if it would actually look good… but NO. They are money hungry and I only hope that the money goes to fighting the good fight and not just defending themselves against those trying to shut them down.
As others have stated, I think that they need new leadership and get back to defending out right to bear arms.
Since I am in for Life I can only hope that they represent me and fight for the 2A in my state (NJ) and all across the US as well. I envy states that have so much more 2A freedom. It must be nice not to worry when you go out the door and to be prepared for anything.
2 Likes
USCCA, NRA and GOA
2 Likes