NRA membership is booming:
The National Rifle Association has gained more than 100,000 new members in the past 18 days, the organization told POLITICO’s Playbook on Thursday.
The number of paid new members jumped from 4.1 million to 4.2 million during that time.
“Our goal is to get to 5 million before this debate is over,” the NRA told POLITICO’s Mike Allen.
The number is a record.
Another record? For the first time, I’m one of them. After decades of being a Second Amendment activist, I finally pulled the trigger and joined.
“We are willing to talk to policymakers about any reasonable proposals and plans,” an NRA official said in the Playbook report, regarding the upcoming meeting with Biden. “However, the NRA is hearing not just from Beltway elites and the chattering class, but real Americans all over the country that are hoping the NRA is not going to compromise on any of the principles of the Second Amendment, nor are we going to support banning guns. But we’re willing to listen.”
We’ll listen – but we’d be deluded to expect much in the way of common sense.
By the way, the piece comes from “Politico”, which writes:
To join the NRA, one must pay $25. In return, new members may choose to receive a “Rosewood Handle Knife, Black & Gold Duffel Bag or Digital Camo Duffel Bag,” the Playbook report said.
Huh. I got a member card, a subscription to one of the house magazines, a sticker, and an NRA shooting cap. And I paid $35.
Must have been a Black Friday special…
This morning, Fox news has had two people on that are pro-Second Amendment and were in attendance at Crazy Joe Biden’s meeting yesterday. According to them, hypocrite Joe (remember his 2008 speech where he declared that if Barack Obama comes after his shotguns or his Beretta, he’s going to have a problem), was more focused on attacking the Second amendment and the differences between the two sides than he was on real issues. He apparently wouldn’t even talk about the mental health issue. It also appears that Obumbler is using the same tactics that he used with big pharma and Obamacare by bringing in the big gun selling retailers to get them on board. The meme is that if they support eliminating or curtailing private gun sales, they would see more sales at their stores. Definitely the delusions of idiots, but will one or more of the retailers cave in? Since WalMart is a perennial whipping boy for the left, my bet is that they might be one that will, if they can get some good press.
Its $25 a month if you’re buying a life membership and I think the knife and duffel bags are incentives for the Life Membership
I got a handsome lapel pin with my Life Membership but that was a long time ago. Still have it.
Report this morning on State Sponsored Regime Approved Radio talking about how the NRA’s Sandy Hook response (good guys with guns stopping bad guys with guns) made it less popular according to a poll. (Not sure if it was the same poll that said we have the worst Congress ever and most of the respondents couldn’t name their own Rep.) No where in the “no rant, no slant” report was there the fact that the NRA has added +100K members since then. One would think, just for context sake, if not simply the requirements of good journalism that this would be part of the report. If Republicans could get the kind of narrative coordination, they might have a shot at getting information to a few of the low info types that vote Democrat between tweeting the latest on Kim Kardashian and posting shallow, intellectually vacuous diatribes on popular regional blogs like Shot in the Dark.
Membership is crucial, but for those of us that can spare a bit more, please toss a few bucks to the NRA-ILA: http://www.nraila.org/ , which is the NRA’s lobbying arm.
Hoss said “He [Biden] apparently wouldn’t even talk about the mental health issue.”
He’s not the only one. Pity.
For Biden discussing mental health is much like Ted Kennedy discussing alcohol and marital fidelity – not somewhere he wants to go.
Mitch, this video from NRO, posted at The Corner needs to be highlighted on your blog. Ben Shapiro talks guns and gun rights. He handles Piers Morgan better than anyone I’ve seen (Morgan being an admittedly low bar). He explains the pro gun position clearly, intelligently and doesn’t allow Morgan any wiggle room. Not to be a pest, but if you don’t put this on your blog, I will continue to pester you about it.
Video here
PJ/Mitch; Thanks for posting that video! Ben Shapiro is a freaking conservative rock star! I’ve been reading his contributions on Townhall for years! Our cause needs more like him!
Bosshoss – Remember that one of President Obama’s best tactics is to create division – the “rich”, “big” you-name-the-industry, oil, etc. I would fully expect his side to use this tactic, possibly quite effectively.
In the 90’s Smith & Wesson got into bed with Clinton (not an exclusive club) with trigger locks, spent casings, etc. Their sales dropped drastically from the unforseen fallout from gunbuyers who felt betrayed. Took some time and a change in management for them to recover. However, we’re now dealing with dead children and a lot more media involvement. Do you feel lucky?
The late Bill Ruger, co-founder of Sturm, Ruger & Co., AKA Ruger Firearms, made it a self-imposed policy to place restrictions on selling certain legal products to civilian customers. He restricted sales of certain legal assault-type (Mini-14 GB) weapons and higher capacity magazines to military and law enforcement agencies, even before the practice became fashionable or the law.
Some ammunition makers were supposedly supporting a fairly recent military practice of destroying spent ammo casings rather than selling them on the public market for reloaders, as had been their practice.
Remember, these are businesses first and will look at their bottom line more readily than to the second amendment. They did it before and they may well do it again if they feel the risk is worth it.
Additionally, prohibiting private sales might look a lot better to those with FFLs if individual transactions require the facilitation of a federally licensed dealer … for a fee of course. Right now the customary chage is around $25. May be more if mandated. Again, many are in it to make a profit and might see gold in these restrictions
It might even make things a bit more palatable if law enforcement officers, retired officers, and certain persons with military experience (thank you for your service) are given total, or even varying degrees of exemption. A retired police officer now has concealed carry privliges that are unavailable to the general population. I have no problem with that, but everyone can be bought.
I hope we do have a showdown at high noon and see who’s left standing. We may do well in something like that. Unfortunately, I think we’ll probably see a lot of nasty negotiations. Remember how some of or “friends” were quick to “evolve” after the election and the tragedy.
Joe, I fear that you may be right.
Unfortunately, the Regime has been crapping on our veterans returning from combat. There have been several verified reports of the VA doctors declaring these heroes as possibly unstable or some other mental illness bullshit, which will prevent them from legally buying firearms and obtaining a C&C permit.
I used to buy stuff from Dick’s, mainly because the Richfield store is closer to me than any other gun carrying sporting goods store, but after their actions, justified or not, after Sandy Hook, I’ll never buy anything there again. A buddy that works for Gander Mountain told me that at least 100 people have told their managers in the gun departments that they were buying from them for that same reason. I may go into the Richfield store this weekend to see how it’s actually affected them. I would surmise that with the demand created shortage of guns and related accessories, it hasn’t.
I agree again, Bosshoss. I guess Dick’s has even cancelled some pre-existing orders of customers’ “bad stuff” in their attempt to curry favor. I feel the same way about them. I wonder why the guilty conscience? A dealer friend told me that many firearms makers and makers of related products customarily shut down for a month or so around Christmas to re-tool, clean up, etc. This combine with panic buying may result in a true shortage. Nothing left to buy …
I’ve heard the same about vets being declared unfit for firearms ownership due to their various types of treatment and honest responses to innocuous-sounding questions. Some are like the questions people get on pre-checkup paperwork.
That’s exactly why I think the second shoe to drop, the mental health piece, will involve even more people than just firearms owners. The sheriff in Dakota County has been very vocal about banning assault weapons, magazines, etc.He also has been raising issues with what he feels is the lack of mental health screening for carry permit applicants.
I can’t speak to how that screening works. However, in order to obtain a firearms purchase permit, a less rigorous process than for a carry permit, you need to allow your DHS (Department of Human Services) records to be checked for any mental health treatment you have received. Other records may also be checked for mental health and chemical dependancy treatment which could disqualify you from getting the permit (or legally buying/ possessing a pistol, assault weapon [by MN definition] or other firearm). Can’t believe it’s not the same or more for a carry permit. Apparently the sheriff, and others I’m sure, find these sources inadequate to prove the psychological fitness of a person wishing to legally to carry a gun. In addition to these, the person requesting the permit must answer honestly (under penalty of law) other questions related to their mental health and chemical dependancy.
The big question is what additional information is needed? How about treatment by a licensed psychologist? Just common sense. What if it’s for smoking cessation, weight loss, or mild anxiety? Taking psych medication? I’ve taken a couple anti-depressants for back pain – they were found to be better for that than for depression. How about police records? A good way to check a person’s background. However, it’s not uncommon for police to receive “check the welfare” calls from relatives, friends, estranged, or ex-spouses when the person (sometimes 1,000 miles away) “just doesn’t sound right.” The person may be found to be not suicidal, just understandably sad about something. Relationship problems can do that to a person. The police report will reflect the findings. However, depending on how the call was received, the person might be named in a suicide-type report. Maybe unsubstatiated, but remember:”if it saves just one life”.
Also, social or crisis workers often work with police to screen these people and do a fantastic job. They are being used more and more frequently now, especially when a tragedy like Newtown happens. Who’d want to be the cop who last dealt with the killer and didn’t use every resource possible? How would an on-site assessment by a mental health professional look? Even if it doesn’t result in further action?
Much of this information is irrelevant or false. Still, it’s out there and can be easily accessed if it’s determined to be the next “connon sense, reasonable” step to “responsible” gun ownership.
So, long story longer, addressing mental health as it relates to fitness for firearms ownership could go the way of Veteran’s Affairs. As yousaid, it could also impact your fitness for other things; driving, daycare license, other employment, etc.
When that shoe falls, it could hit more than gun owners. I hope everyone else is paying attention.
Gunshow in Hastings on the 19th …