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Old April 8, 2012, 04:10 PM   #26
Sparks1957
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There are ties between the right and the NRA that are disturbing to me, such as Grover Norquist being on the Board of Directors for one example.

This leads me to believe that it is possible for the organization to be broadening its focus outside 2nd amendment issues. I guess time will tell.
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Old April 8, 2012, 04:29 PM   #27
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I'm not worried about it.

The NRA is never in a cash rich position anyway so I don't think they'd risk going rogue on thier members on causes not directly related to firearms ownership.

However,where anti gun forces go to run gun laws around the corner of the open media that Americans have access too,the NRA will follow.

I'd simply say,as others here have already said,that the anti gunners have had a 'divide and conquer " attitude towards the steadfast support handgun,firearm ownership and our right to defend ourselves and our familes from crime has had in America and we should not ever stand divided on our rights to keep and bear arms-no matter where that fight may take us.

The NRA has always stood firm for those rights,your rights and it always will.
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Old April 8, 2012, 04:37 PM   #28
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Sounds like CNN accomplished its purpose to confuse and alienate gun owners with a single article that uses innuendo and no facts. We are a fickle bunch easily dissuaded and divided.
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Old April 8, 2012, 04:38 PM   #29
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In my personal opinion, the NRA can’t get gun lobbying right, and they want to expand to other causes? Okay, do it NRA, and the moment you do, I quit sending in my yearly dues.
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Old April 8, 2012, 04:45 PM   #30
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Sounds like CNN accomplished its purpose to confuse and alienate gun owners with a single article that uses innuendo and no facts.
Yep. The antis don't really have to do much. When the gun culture fails, we've got only our own apathy and bickering to blame.
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Old April 8, 2012, 05:45 PM   #31
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My day hasnt been great so far, and I do apologize for a hasty response, MLeake and others.

While I do understand the fact that a percentage of the lobbyists groups are "hired guns" so to speak, I do admit a bit of an uneasy feeling with it.
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Old April 8, 2012, 06:54 PM   #32
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The political rhetoric picked up when David Keene became president of the NRA. Keene is a long time political operative who got his start with vice president Spiro Agnew in 1960. Keene had been the NRA first vice-president. Keene was president of the American Conservative Union 1984-2011.

About the time Keene came aboard the NRA started warning about the UN taking our guns away.
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Old April 8, 2012, 09:39 PM   #33
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Then we've been worrying about it longer than he has.

And to those who threaten to stop paying NRA dues...

Your dues can't be used for lobbying according to federal law. Cannot. So your money hasn't been going to any kind of lobbying - gun or otherwise.

John
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Old April 9, 2012, 01:16 AM   #34
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Why is this a surprise to anyone? The NRA has been a conservative political action front for years.

Quote:
Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
[a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]
Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: [sotto voce] Oh, thank you very much.
[aloud]
Captain Renault: Everybody out at once!
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Old April 9, 2012, 02:15 AM   #35
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This topic needs the finely-tuned political sensibilities of the L&CR forum staff.

Moving.
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Old April 9, 2012, 07:04 AM   #36
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Your dues can't be used for lobbying according to federal law. Cannot. So your money hasn't been going to any kind of lobbying - gun or otherwise.
Thanks for the education. I retract my pervious statement, except for the part about the NRA not getting gun lobbying right. To the NRA, it’s more like gun law compromising.
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Old April 9, 2012, 07:18 AM   #37
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This could be a HUGE mistake.

Allocating resources away from gun issues.

AFS
Not could be, is. The Second Amendment is not party specific. If true I'm cancelling my membership.

EDIT: it does look like a CNN hit piece. Will see if there's anything on the NRA site once I get off work.

Last edited by zincwarrior; April 9, 2012 at 07:57 AM.
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Old April 9, 2012, 08:17 AM   #38
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Agree with Mleake and others who've seen this trashy excuse for journalism for what it really is: a lie, a bad lie at that.

The NRA has and always will be a single-issue organization. That single issue is the Second Amendment and the RKBA. They have worked against legislation in the past that would limit their ability to fight for 2ndA freedoms, and that is completely understandable.

I liken it to a church that fights a re-zoning of their neighborhood that would force them to move....


There's absolutely no substance to this story folks, organizations like the NRA and others use big-shot lobbyists (hired guns, if you will) all the time... Why? Because they are successful, they get the job done.

Think of the hired guns like you would your lawyer; the lawyer may not agree with you on everything, he may have litigated cases in the past that you don't agree with, but while he's on a contract with you, he is obligated to fight for your best interests. And there's nothing at all wrong with that.

Either support the NRA or don't, it's your money... But stop with this childish public threatening to stop sending money... Either do it or don't. Stop crying about it. The NRA is far from perfect, I don't agree with them on a few issues, but they're the best we have, and often the lone wall standing between our gun freedoms a nd oblivion.
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Old April 9, 2012, 08:40 AM   #39
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Just a political hit piece presented as news - the enemies of gun rights and the NRA are always working to marginalize the NRA as it is the most politically powerful voice when it comes to second amendment rights. If they can paint and demonize the NRA as a "conservative" and/or single party organization they can effectively marginalize NRA support in the gun owning community and neutralize their effectiveness and political clout.

This kind of political garbage has been going on for years and there will be more hit pieces on the NRA the closer it gets to the election. The NRA has endorsed and will continue to endorse political candidates from both parties based on their support of gun rights. That is the key and the foundation to the NRA's political power - the knowledge of candidates/politicians in both parties that they can get the NRA's support or enmity based their support of gun rights. The NRA leadership is well aware of this and have no intention of losing that power by becoming a lapdog of either political party or of some political movement outside of gun rights.
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Old April 9, 2012, 08:59 AM   #40
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I am more appalled at the forum members who are reacting viscerally to a headline, obviously without having read anything past that.
Ditto.
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Old April 9, 2012, 09:18 AM   #41
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Has the NRA forgotten that it has many members who are Democrats?

Haven't they considered the fact that moves like this could drive those people away from the NRA, thus reducing its effectiveness?

Further, when the NRA's core message is not its only message the core message gets diluted and the NRA becomes less effective at getting across its core message.

This is a colossally bad idea. I wish Wayne LaPierre would just go away and let the NRA be the NRA of all its members.
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Old April 9, 2012, 09:26 AM   #42
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Since so many TFLers are responding to the thread title instead of reading the article or the thread itself, maybe the OP or a mod could edit the title to "Unsupported CNN story claims that..."

Because all the people coming in guns blazing about this are really growing old.
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Old April 9, 2012, 09:38 AM   #43
zincwarrior
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Agree with Mleake and others who've seen this trashy excuse for journalism for what it really is: a lie, a bad lie at that.

The NRA has and always will be a single-issue organization. That single issue is the Second Amendment and the RKBA. They have worked against legislation in the past that would limit their ability to fight for 2ndA freedoms, and that is completely understandable.

I liken it to a church that fights a re-zoning of their neighborhood that would force them to move....


There's absolutely no substance to this story folks, organizations like the NRA and others use big-shot lobbyists (hired guns, if you will) all the time... Why? Because they are successful, they get the job done.

Think of the hired guns like you would your lawyer; the lawyer may not agree with you on everything, he may have litigated cases in the past that you don't agree with, but while he's on a contract with you, he is obligated to fight for your best interests. And there's nothing at all wrong with that.

Either support the NRA or don't, it's your money... But stop with this childish public threatening to stop sending money... Either do it or don't. Stop crying about it. The NRA is far from perfect, I don't agree with them on a few issues, but they're the best we have, and often the lone wall standing between our gun freedoms a nd oblivion.
Having said that, when you pop open the (new wow high techie looking) NRA website there's Glenn Beck and Oliver North.
Glenn Beck????

Not seeing a lot of Democrats at the Leadership Forum
"Leadership Forum with featured speakers:
• Rick Santorum
• Mitt Romney
• Newt Gingrich
• Rick Perry
• Oliver North
• Darrell Issa
• Chuck Grassley
• Roy Blunt
• John Bolton
• Ken Blackwell
• Scott Walker
• Bobby Jindal
• Eric Cantor"

Last edited by zincwarrior; April 9, 2012 at 10:03 AM.
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Old April 9, 2012, 09:42 AM   #44
Glenn E. Meyer
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Just a warning - avoid inflammatory and insulting language.

Stick to the issue. Let's see the response from the NRA, if any.

Then decide.
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Old April 9, 2012, 10:09 AM   #45
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Having said that, when you pop open the (new wow high techie looking) NRA website there's Glenn Beck and Oliver North.
Glenn Beck????
I don't interpret that as NRA endorsement of Beck and North. I interpret that as Beck and North endorsement of the NRA.
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Old April 9, 2012, 11:45 AM   #46
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Thats not helping.
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Old April 9, 2012, 12:25 PM   #47
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Not seeing a lot of Democrats at the Leadership Forum
Is that the fault of the NRA, or of the gun culture in general? We've allowed the issue of the 2nd Amendment to get lumped in with a right-leaning overall political ideology. Is it any wonder that those whose politics might not comport with that aren't in a hurry to stick their heads up in public?

Like any organization, the NRA wants high-profile speakers. If the only ones willing to step forward are the National Review readership, whose fault is that?
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Old April 9, 2012, 12:38 PM   #48
zincwarrior
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Thats an interesting question. Who's fault is that? Are these volunteers or did the NRA reach out? Has the NRA in the past had prominent Democrats speaking and if so, when did that change?

if there are no Democrats, how come the NRA is not cultivating those relationships?
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Old April 9, 2012, 12:47 PM   #49
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This week, Coca-Cola and Kraft announced they are pulling their corporate memberships from a conservative group that was behind the spread of "stand your ground" laws like the one highlighted in Florida by the Trayvon Martin case.
The CNN article is aimed directly at eroding support for Stand Your Ground laws. CNN apparently got a lot (all?) of its material from the Center for Media and Democracy. CMD is mounting an all-out attack on Stand Your Ground laws and is trying to smear or shame any supporters of those laws.
Groups Attempt to Deliver Letter to ALEC re: ALEC/NRA "Kill at Will" Law
ALEC Ratified NRA-Conceived Law That May Protect Trayvon Martin's Killer
Faces of NRA/ALEC "Stand your Ground" Law
Resources for Investigating ALEC/NRA Gun Bills
Not Just the NRA: Former ALEC Leader, the Head of Gun Owners of America, Sides With Shooter of Trayvon Martin
The Corporations Bankrolling ALEC, which Has Promoted the "Stand Your Ground" Gun Law as a "Model" Bill
Yes, Tara Mica is a lobbyist and the Texas state liaison for the NRA-ILA. Yes, Tara Mica was/is the NRA-ILA representative to ALEC. Interested in what Tara Mica did at ALEC?
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2011 ALEC Annual Meeting Substantive Agenda
The following new model legislation was introduced:
- "Gun Owners' Privacy and Access to Health Care Act" (by Tara Mica, National Rifle Association)
- "Honesty in Firearms Act" (by Tara Mica, National Rifle Association)
- "Disposition of Firearms in State or Local Custody Act" (by Tara Mica, National Rifle Association)
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Old April 9, 2012, 01:01 PM   #50
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if there are no Democrats, how come the NRA is not cultivating those relationships?
They have cultivated those relationships, and they get screeched at by rank-and-file members for it. Every time the NRA endorses a candidate who doesn't agree with a certain ideology on everything, people who aren't even members beat their chests and claim that's why they're cancelling their memberships.
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