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**Bud Helms** · April 21, 2000, 11:46 PM

Our local gun club, of which I am on the Executive Committee, has tried to figure out a way to require affiliation (read: membership) in a national pro-RKBA organization as a prerequisite to membership. I think it is more trouble than it is worth. We do, as a committee, review the membership applications and vote on them. It is mostly a criteria of, "Is there any reason why this person's application can't or shouldn't be brought before the membership for a vote?"

Well, frankly, non-membership in the NRA or GOA is not a good reason. There is the small problem of bylaws and charter (mission statement) in our case, but more importantly, it just needs to be an individual choice. Peer pressure is a strong motivator, and in our meetings, silence, as a response to, "I'm not a member of the NRA or any of those groups", says more than any spoken retort. There's usually a proloonnnnnged silence.

Rlgarman, I'm with you in spirit, but if it won't work in a gun club, well ... imagine the NRA online bulletin board, called The Firing Line. Yecch!

Anti-gun lurkers here can't call this an organ or appendage of the NRA and there is an advantage there. Think about it. They don't understand that the NRA isn't "the gun lobby". Thay can't conceive of 60 million of us agreeing in principle on the wording of the 2nd and five million (?) of us paying dues to the same organization to represent our beliefs. They believe their polls. The Firing Line is different. It is an anomaly to the antis. It doesn't fit their profile. We don't fit their profile. They can't make it work for them. I love it.

I have this growing suspicion that the effect TFL is having on the issue of RKBA, on and off the internet, will not be realized for some time to come. But it will eventually. And when it does, it won't fit into one of their predefined categories of "gun lobby organizations".

And by the way Rich, thanks to you and the Crew, once again, for letting me be part of what you have here. You got it right. Keep it.

[This message has been edited by sensop (edited April 22, 2000).]

April 21, 2000, 11:46 PM	#4
Bud Helms Senior Member Join Date: December 31, 1999 Location: Middle Georgia, USA Posts: 13,198	Our local gun club, of which I am on the Executive Committee, has tried to figure out a way to require affiliation (read: membership) in a national pro-RKBA organization as a prerequisite to membership. I think it is more trouble than it is worth. We do, as a committee, review the membership applications and vote on them. It is mostly a criteria of, "Is there any reason why this person's application can't or shouldn't be brought before the membership for a vote?" Well, frankly, non-membership in the NRA or GOA is not a good reason. There is the small problem of bylaws and charter (mission statement) in our case, but more importantly, it just needs to be an individual choice. Peer pressure is a strong motivator, and in our meetings, silence, as a response to, "I'm not a member of the NRA or any of those groups", says more than any spoken retort. There's usually a proloonnnnnged silence. Rlgarman, I'm with you in spirit, but if it won't work in a gun club, well ... imagine the NRA online bulletin board, called The Firing Line. Yecch! Anti-gun lurkers here can't call this an organ or appendage of the NRA and there is an advantage there. Think about it. They don't understand that the NRA isn't "the gun lobby". Thay can't conceive of 60 million of us agreeing in principle on the wording of the 2nd and five million (?) of us paying dues to the same organization to represent our beliefs. They believe their polls. The Firing Line is different. It is an anomaly to the antis. It doesn't fit their profile. We don't fit their profile. They can't make it work for them. I love it. I have this growing suspicion that the effect TFL is having on the issue of RKBA, on and off the internet, will not be realized for some time to come. But it will eventually. And when it does, it won't fit into one of their predefined categories of "gun lobby organizations". And by the way Rich, thanks to you and the Crew, once again, for letting me be part of what you have here. You got it right. Keep it. [This message has been edited by sensop (edited April 22, 2000).]