Let it be absolutely clear. The loss of a discount will neither scare nor distract one single NRA member from our mission to stand and defend the individual freedoms that have always made America the greatest nation in the world.
NRA Statement on Corporate Partnerships
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Back in 1995, Wayne LaPierre and the NRA were subjected to a similar barrage of bad press because of a letter to members where he used the term “Jack-booted government thugs”
It doesn’t matter to them that the semi-auto ban gives jack-booted government thugs more power to take away our Constitutional rights, break in our doors, seize our guns, destroy our property, and even injure or kill us.
Schumer, Feinstein, Kennedy, Owens and the rest of the anti-gunners want more and more gun control.
This was the time of an unchecked ATF raiding homes on the slightest of excuses and many times on contrived evidence. Ruby Ridge and Waco were still fresh in our minds and the mood of the country was not quite in favor of the NRA, in fact probably less so than now.
Many people announced the death of the NRA. President George H Bush made a great gesture of renouncing to his NRA Life Membership (He got one for his election campaign, he was never a long tome member) and Senator Dole (R) somberly announced to the Sunday Talk Shows that the NRA needed ” to get a little image repair job.”
A half-hearted apology was made and Intelligentsia told us about the NRA taking a hit and decreasing is waning influence. The Fake News of the time said that the membership dropped from 3.5 million to 2. 6 in 1998. Hell, we were finished! And then came the 2000 elections proving everyone that the NRA not only had not lost membership but it had increased to the point that the sure-thing Democrat candidate for the Democratic party, Al Gore lost in his own home stare thanks to the Gun Owners vote and work from the NRA.
It turned out that the Media Crap Storm for the “Jack-booted government thugs” was the biggest recruitment tool the NRA had at the time and it was painfully obvious during the presidential election and the years after that. Instead of the 2.6 million member, we now stand at over 5 million and probably growing as we speak.
Something I have seen in Twitter is the loads of people showing their NRA membership cards as way of support and demonstrating we are not being cowed by the Social Media Frenzy. But one thing I have noticed in all these demonstrations is an incredible amount of screen captures of online receipts of people becoming NRA members! And also many people who had their memberships elapse and not only renewed but became Life Members or Endowment Members.
I think the Media-Driven lynch mob against the NRA is backfiring where it counts: Voting members. The CNN’s Children’s Crusade is already losing steam and we are still eight months away from the elections and probably by then the super angry new voters won’t even bother to go to the polls. NRA members have long memories, longer knives and will vote.
Their huge mistake was to try to blame the NRA exclusively for the Parkland Shooting even when the evidence of grave government neglect was popping out and culminating with the four BSO deputies staying outside the school when the shooting was happening. Just because the NRA is premier Gun Rights organization and favorite boogie man and punching bag, does not excuse the gigantic screw ups from every government organization that had any contact or had information about Cruz. I do believe that in the mind of many, the NRA was being treated as a scapegoat to cover the mistakes made. And the stupidly one-sided town hall meeting served to confirm that.
And to put the cherry on top, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, defender of Free Speech joins the voices demanding the shut down of NRA-TV from streaming services. How can you speak with forked tongue and not expect people to get pissed off?
In my opinion, the Left and the Press made a horrible miscalculation that is gonna have an impact in November. I just hope the GOP realizes that and does not do something stupid that may cause them problems in the long run… and medium too.
I’ve seen one claim of 70,000 new NRA members since the Parkland murders, without citation. I don’t think NRA publishes membership statistics but it would be interesting to see net gains.
They do not go into specifics, specially since back in the 90s, city Mayors were preparing a lawsuit so the NRA disclosed the names of its members (they got advised they would be beaten in court like a child rapist in prison court if they ever attempted that flagrant violation of the First Amendment)
But the net gains and total membership? We will probably hear those numbers down the road.
A month before thew shooting, I upgraded my membership to Benefactor. I don’t always agree with the BRA, but there is strength in numbers.
I am an NRA Life Member since the’ 70s. I have my differences with some of the recent policies of the NRA and I am disappointed in the current leadership. That said, the NRA is still the largest and most visible firearms rights organization in the country and needs to be acknowledged as such. Even if you hate Wayne LaP, every gun owner should join, if for no other reason than to p**s off our enemies. Note that NRA membership does not preclude membership in other gun rights organizations like SAF or GOA.