You are alone, except for me...

[Xavier_Onassis]

http://vimeo.com/93436462

[Plane]

I think this misses the mark.


It would be better aimed if the author knew something about the NRA.

[Plane]

http://www.policymic.com/articles/72067/gun-control-debate-the-argument-that-every-gun-owner-needs-to-start-making


http://www.policymic.com/articles/23929/10-surprising-facts-about-the-nra-that-you-never-hear


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Rifle_Association

The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is an American nonprofit organization[5] founded in 1871 that promotes firearm competency, safety, and ownership, as well as police training, marksmanship, hunting and self-defense training in the United States. The NRA is also one of the United States' largest certifying bodies for firearm safety training and proficiency training courses for police departments, recreational hunting, and child firearm safety. The organization publishes several magazines and sponsors marksmanship events featuring shooting skill and sports.

The NRA is designated by the IRS as a 501(c)(4) with four 501(c)(3) charitable subsidiaries and a Section 527 lobbying group segregated fund: The NRA Political Victory Fund. The NRA controls through its board of trustees the following 501(c)(3) organizations: NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund, NRA Foundation Inc., NRA Special Contribution Fund (dba NRA Whittington Center), and NRA Freedom Action Foundation.[3][6][7][8] The NRA is also the parent organization of affiliated groups such as the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA).




Lobbying

The NRA formed its Legislative Affairs Division to update members with facts and analysis of upcoming bills,[23] after the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA) became the first federal gun-control law passed in the U.S.[24] The NRA supported the NFA along with the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA), which together created a system to federally license gun dealers and established restrictions on particular categories and classes of firearms.[25]

Until the middle 1970s, the NRA mainly focused on sportsmen, hunters and target shooters, and downplayed gun control issues. However, passage of the GCA galvanized a growing number of NRA activists, including Harlon Carter. In 1975, it began to focus more on politics and established its lobbying arm, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA), with Carter as director. The next year, its political action committee (PAC), the Political Victory Fund, was created in time for the 1976 elections.[26]:158 The 1977 annual convention was a defining moment for the organization and came to be known as "The Cincinnati Revolution."[27] Leadership planned to relocate NRA headquarters to Colorado and to build a $30 million recreational facility in New Mexico, but activists within the organization whose central concern was Second Amendment rights defeated the incumbents and elected Carter as executive director and Neal Knox as head of the ILA.[28][29]

After 1977, the organization expanded its membership by focusing heavily on political issues and forming coalitions with conservative politicians, most of them Republicans.[30] With a goal to weaken the GCA, Knox's ILA successfully lobbied Congress to pass the Firearm Owners Protection Act (FOPA) of 1986 and worked to reduce the powers of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). In 1982, Knox was ousted as director of the ILA, but began mobilizing outside the NRA framework and continued to promote opposition to gun control laws.[31]

At the 1991 national convention, Knox's supporters were elected to the board and named staff lobbyist Wayne LaPierre as the executive vice president. The NRA focused its attention on the gun control policies of the Clinton Administration.[32] Knox again lost power in 1997, as he lost reelection to a coalition of moderate leaders who supported movie star Charlton Heston, despite Heston's past support of gun control legislation.[33] In 1994, the NRA unsuccessfully opposed the Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB), but successfully lobbied for the ban's 2004 expiration.[34] Heston was elected president in 1998 and became a highly visible spokesman for the organization. In an effort to improve the NRA's image, Heston presented himself as the voice of reason in contrast to Knox.



 the NRA's total income for 2011 was $218,983,530, with total expenditures of $231,071,589. In 2010, the organization reported an income of $227.8 million with roughly $115 million in revenue generated from fundraising, sales, advertising and royalties, with the remainder originating from membership dues.[108] Corporate sponsors include a variety of companies such as outdoors supply, sporting goods companies, and firearm manufacturers.[108][109]

Since 2005, the organization has received at least $14.8 million from more than 50 firearms-related firms[108] In 2008, Beretta exceeded $2 million in donations to the NRA, and in 2012, Smith & Wesson reached $1 million.[110] According to an April 2012 press release, Sturm, Ruger & Company raised $1.25 million through a program in which it donated $1 to the ILA for each gun it sold from May 2011 to May 2012.[110]





In six out of seven surveys conducted by Gallup since 1993, the majority of Americans reported holding a favorable opinion of the National Rifle Association. A Gallup survey conducted in December 2012 found that 54% of Americans held a favorable opinion of the NRA, with Republicans responding significantly more positively about the organization than Democrats.[111] A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in April 2012 found that 82% of Republicans and 55% of Democrats see the NRA "in a positive light."[

[Xavier_Onassis]

This is the message that the NRA sends out.

They take your money and they waste it.

Three weeks ago, they sent ME a membership card.

I think it may be because I bought a knife from a mail order company online.

[Plane]

They certainly wasted postage sending you a card.

The NRA underwent a transformation during the period between the middle 60's to middle 80's.

The first time the organization ever endorsed a presidential candidate was Ronald Reagan.

The membership is not fooled nor tricked nor dissatisfied, the NRA is an effective lobbying organization that is doing what its members want done.

[Xavier_Onassis]

It is doing what its ADVERTISERS want done. Please!

Nearly all those guns will outlive the people that bought them, and will be inherited by people who will be on average less responsible. Those that are sold will go the highest, not the most responsible, bidder. We will be more unsafe because of the NRA and the greedhead gun peddlers.

[Plane]

Isn't that demonstrably untrue?

The reason that Americans own twice as many guns as we did in 1990 is the Clinton Administration rhetoric and the Obama Administration rhetoric that caused  people to fear that their right to buy a gun might be abridged.

The NRA does a lot to facilitate gun ownership , and they carry advertisers in their magazine, but they have never had a drive to increase the numbers of guns owned by the public by a factor of two.

The increasing population does not explain the rise in gun ownership , the population has not increased nearly that much .

The need of gun manufacturers to sell does not explain the total , surplus military guns from Greece and Turkey and Russia have become hot sellers because they are more economical than new guns .Turkish gun makers are selling increasing numbers of  new guns which include some surprisingly high quality . But surplus Guns and guns made overseas do not have any clout with the NRA , they are in demand because the ability of the US gun manufacturers has fallen far behind the demand.

Thus everyone that wants a gun has two , and each of us that wants two has six, this is a net increase in the national wealth that will be quite durable as most guns last fifty years or more.

The co-incidence of decreasing crime rates in every category might not be caused by the increasing gun supply , but it surely does demonstrate that an increasing gun supply does nothing to decrease public safety at all.

[Xavier_Onassis]

Ownership of guns is no more an increase in the national wealth than collections of Ming vases, cowboy belt buckles, Franklin geegaws or brass spittoons.

They are far worse, since none of the other collectables are likely to become murder weapons.

The NRA's interest is in selling ads to gun manufacturers. They are crafty and not so stupid as to admit that their nonsense is dangerous.

There is NO CHANCE that the ownership of the guns is going to make it possible for the NRA members to overthrow the government. The government has drones, cameras everywhere and crowd control weapons that would make this impossible.  They have watched Red Dawn too many times.

The NRA's membership is vastly inferior to the Ukrainian Army. Watch and see how that turns out.

[sirs]

This is the message that the NRA sends out.

Naaa, that's the message folks ignorant in the 2nd amendment and the NRA sends out

They take your money and they waste it.

Actually, that's the Federal Government.  They literally take.  The NRA has no such power to take anything, and you really don't want to go there as far as the amount of $$$$$$ the Government wastes.  NO, not talking about roads and infrastructure either

Three weeks ago, they sent ME a membership card.

You are under no obligation to send the NRA any $, or join.  Ignorance is a field best provided for those that wish to remain such.  But here's a helpful hint.  You can become more edicated about what the NRA is really about, without ever becoming a member or even sending them money.

[Xavier_Onassis]

I KNOW what the are about.

They are about GUNZZZZZZ.

[sirs]

Just goes to show you the level of your ignorance, if that's what you think they're all about
- They are about freedom
- They are about the Constitutional parameters of the 2nd amendment
- They are about the safe handling of firearms
- They are about the defensive use of a firearm

It's only the ignorant folks who think they're only about "gunzzzzz"

[sirs]

[Plane]

I KNOW what the are about.

They are about GUNZZZZZZ.

  So are the members.

    You have really got it backwards , the members come first and there is no better place to advertise than one of the NRA associated magazines, so the magazines feature a lot of firearms and paraphernalia.

    But check this out, there are about ten gun magazines NOT associated with the NRA, because there are a lot of people who want to read them , some are NRA members some are not .

     The NRA publishes three monthly magazines , which is evidently not half enough to serve the demand.

[Plane]

Ownership of guns is no more an increase in the national wealth than collections of Ming vases, cowboy belt buckles, Franklin geegaws or brass spittoons.

and no less

They are far worse, since none of the other collectables are likely to become murder weapons.

Coronel Mustard in the Conservatory with the brass spittoon.

The NRA's interest is in selling ads to gun manufacturers. They are crafty and not so stupid as to admit that their nonsense is dangerous.

No, the NRA is useful to the gun enthusiast and helps protect the second amendment, which both preexist the NRA and exist outside the NRA.

There is NO CHANCE that the ownership of the guns is going to make it possible for the NRA members to overthrow the government. The government has drones, cameras everywhere and crowd control weapons that would make this impossible.  They have watched Red Dawn too many times.

The NRA's membership is vastly inferior to the Ukrainian Army. Watch and see how that turns out.

That is exactly the original idea of the Second Amendment , Thomas Jefferson and company thought that the government would be more manageable if it had a fear of the peoples military might, if this is really reversed now then this is a serious wrong that should be righted .

  Your suggestion about having bazookas would be a good start.

[sirs]

You are ignorant, except for reality