There is little question about the impact of the National Rifle Association on the political landscape of our country. The NRA is the largest gun lobby in existence and boast over five million members.
NRA is more than a political action group
Beyond the political and legal work done by the NRA they offer a lot of different firearms training. Classes help to introduce new shooters to the sport and build the skills of more experienced ones.
NRA instructors are the backbone behind the organization.
Despite the support I have for the NRA, there are a few things I think they can do much better. For example, I personally think the NRA doesn’t fight some of the unjust laws in states like California and others.
There is no reason they cannot take some of these laws to court and easily defeat them. This will give tens of thousands of gun owners more of the freedoms the rest of us enjoy.
My personal opinion of why they don’t challenge these laws is so they can use it as a recruiting tool and a fundraising tool. Also, those controversies are used to help sell more guns.
Gun manufacturers are the main influence
The largest group of donors is the firearms industry itself. Every time a tragedy happens that involves a gun, sales increase. Whenever there is a major controversy abut the types of firearms we can own, again, sales go up and the firearms industry makes a lot of money.
With the election of President Trump, the nation and gun owners dodged a very big bullet. Clinton would have certainly appointed less gun friendly judges to the courts and worked to pass stricter gun laws.
Gun owners could breath easy and sales of guns declined once the election was over. With the decline in gun sales, the revenue the firearms industry gave to the NRA.
They are a single organization with two components. There is the business section and the members section which includes the trainers and members. The business section is focused primarily on money and it is not always keeping gun rights as its focus.
As a recruiter and someone who has two instructor level certifications I will continue to support the NRA and work to make the changes I believe will make it better.
If you would like to join the NRA you can sign up with a discount on membership by joining the NRA here.