The NRA

[frogwoman]

Would like to know a bit more about them really? I read an article suggesting that the reason why the leaders are so obsessively promoting a pro gun policy is because of profit they will personally make from the supply of arms, and also that a large gulf exists between the members and leaders of the association.

so who are they then? who makes the majority of their membership up, is it working class, middle class people etc? and how is the organisation structured, that sort of thing?

 

[Maurice Picarda]

Be careful - middle class in America means C2D.

 

[Manter]

have a look on here: http://www.slate.com/search.html?q=NRA

its a liberal US based news site/aggregator, but links to all sorts of interesting stuff. If you follow some of the links in the one about supreme court nominations for example you see how much the NRA has contributed to political campaigns

 

[frogwoman]

Yeah, I just wanted to know more about who joins it really. And how it's structured at a local level - does everyone who joins the NRA sign up to their leaders' political ideology as well or can it just be a club for people who like guns?

 

[DotCommunist]

Klansmen.

 

[silverfish]

They generate a Grahams number of facepalms every time they make a statement

 

[Ax^]

Aye let's further stigmatise the mentally ill within the united states of america..


Just so I can own a tamed m16

Their logic is flawless


Oh and more guns in school for safety reasons

 

[frogwoman]

I spose - if i wanted to join the NRA (which i don't) would I be allowed in with the sort of political views I've got? does everyone who joins it have to have those views, etc?

 

[Ax^]

Webbed feet would seem to be an entry requirement

 

[peterkro]

Where their money comes from would be interesting to know ( I and many others assume arms manufacturers ),oddly enough they are very secretive about it.

 

[frogwoman]

Where their money comes from would be interesting to know ( I and many others assume arms manufacturers ),oddly enough they are very secretive about it.

yeh that too.

 

[dylanredefined]

I spose - if i wanted to join the NRA (which i don't) would I be allowed in with the sort of political views I've got? does everyone who joins it have to have those views, etc?

They will take anyone, become active in the political organisation as long as your not against gun control they won't care.
Women's equality "With a gun your equal to any man, little lady!"
Homosexual rights ''As long as you shoot straight we don't care what else you do''
etc ,etc. Probably right wing ,but,one issue party so don't expect a consensus except god guns and guts made America lets keep all three. (And probably have a branch for atheists who love guns)

 

[Corax]

@frogwaman, you realise with your avatar it now reads "I heart The NRA"?

 

[frogwoman]

 

[Manter]

um... wow- just read this bit.

You know, when you think about it, Andrew McKelvey and Americans for Gun Safety, they represent a whole new kind of enemy. They're just the visible side of a shadowy network of extremist social guerrillas, fueled by anonymous wealth, sophisticated research, free media access, and high-dollar consultants. You know, terrorism against freedom isn't just [inaudible] with bombs and box-cutters. Anti-freedom elitists in academia, the media, rich foundations, and government, can do permanent damage to individual freedom just as real as an insurrection or coup. Together, they form a sort of Taliban, an intolerant coalition of fanatics that shelter the anti-freedom alliance, so that it can thrive and it can grow. …

small wonder he doesn't want psychiatric reports on gun buyers- he's a few sandwiches short of a picnic....e2a- final comment mine, obv, but formatting issue

 

[frogwoman]

Anti-freedom elitists.

 

[Manter]

just found this from the independent- really good on background.http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...iend-that-took-aim-at-washington-8429536.html
apparently the current slightly deranges incarnation is the product of a breakaway set of hardliners who took over- first few paras here

The Union Army's records show that just one in 1,000 bullets fired during the American Civil War struck its intended target. That statistic spawned the NRA, which in 1871 was established by a pair of veterans with the mission to improve the marksmanship of their fellow Americans. For almost the first century of its existence it was known primarily as a club for hunters and sportsmen, not as the ultra-conservative, anti-government lobbying force it is today. In fact, in the first two decades of the 20th century it received government subsidies to keep it going.​

It wasn't until 1934 that the NRA established a political wing, the Legislative Affairs Division, when its leaders testified before Congress during passage of the National Firearms Act: the first major example of federal gun control legislation. The NRA was supportive of the act, and of the 1968 Gun Control Act, which between them created a licensing and tax system for the private ownership of firearms.​

But everything changed at the NRA's annual convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1977. The group had established a lobbying arm, the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, two years previously. Its director was a keen Texan marksman, Harlon Carter. In Cincinnati, Carter headed a group of dissident hard-liners, passionate about their Second Amendment rights, who wrested control of the organisation from its more traditional leaders​

​

 

[DJ Squelch]

Was watching this earlier -

 

[Brubricker]

who makes the majority of their membership up, is it working class, middle class people etc?

Yes, it was composed largely of sportsmen in generations long gone. There was some kind of internal coup in the seventies that put radical political types in control. Their message became one of backlash against the high crime rates of that era. They transformed themselves into the perfect political vehicle for organizing angry white men.

Their money comes from membership dues which basically function as political contributions plus occasional wealthy donors. Their ability to target and eliminate politicians in the heartland of the country has been quite remarkable. This is literally the first moment I've seen their dominance challenged. The only political leaders who've been able to cross them on gun policy and get away with it have been those few who come from overwhelmingly left-leaning districts. Regardless of how crazy they seem they're not going to be casually swept aside. They're as powerful as any lobbying group of any kind. This is where radical populists have been at their most effective in political organizing.

 

[Manter]

I've just spent some time on the NRA website, which, if you can bear it, is fascinating. you can buy memberships for friends- called 'give the gift of freedom'

their only sign up requirement is that you support the 2nd amendment- I think you can be anyone who supports guns. no checks at all as far as I can see- I got as far as the credit card screen and there was never any 'we'll get back to you' or 'are you a loon' type stuff

I think the pr republican/anti democrat stuff mostly comes from who tends to be pro/anti gun control. And Clinton passed the (now lapsed) assault rifle ban, so anti democrat fervour is still pretty high. But they count a good few dems in their membership, too

 

[Manter]

Seriously froggy, there is some fascinating stuff out there- would have never looked if it weren't for this thread. Though quite scary too

 

[DotCommunist]

moar socialist gorillas please. Like in 'Rise of The Planet of The Apes'

 

[DotCommunist]

 

[peterkro]

Their money comes from membership dues which basically function as political contributions plus occasional wealthy donors.

Yes they do raise a lot of money from members but a lot more from the Arms industry (as far as people can determine as I say they are very secretive about it)

http://www.vpc.org/studies/bloodmoney.pdf

 

[Brubricker]

Yes they do raise a lot of money from members but a lot more from the Arms industry (as far as people can determine as I say they are very secretive about it)

http://www.vpc.org/studies/bloodmoney.pdf

We can't really know because federal law permits non-profit organizations to keep the identity of their donors secret. You'll not be surprised to know that they've strongly opposed legislation to require disclosure. They could get their money from anyone and there would be no way to prove it.

 

[Manter]

We can't really know because federal law permits non-profit organizations to keep the identity of their donors secret. You'll not be surprised to know that they've strongly opposed legislation to require disclosure. They could get their money from anyone and there would be no way to prove it.

bet the Koch brothers are in there somewhere

 

[stavros]

Do they have a figurehead these days, since Charlton Heston snuffed it?

 

[DotCommunist]

Do they have a figurehead these days, since Charlton Heston snuffed it?

They asked Clint Eastwood but he was busy talking to an empty chair AGAIN

 

[extra dry]

It, the weapons/ammo industry, may go underground, organized crime and big gangs or savvy internet mail order companies will fill the voids in supply.

I asked an american friend the other night, 'if you arm everyone will that indicate they are free'?

 

[Pickman's model]

No mention here of the fact that 1% of the us population is a member of the nra

what british body would boast a similar level of membership?