What does the NRA do....

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  • nedsurf

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 8, 2013
    2,204
    The apathy is infuriating when I try to reach out to people. I have been taking a couple of the MSI brochures when I go look for ammo. I run into a lot of others doing the same. We start talking, I tell them about an upcoming event in Annapolis or ask them to write their reps. i get tons of "It doesn't matter if I show up" and "they wont listen to me anyway" excuses to do nothing but look out for their own ammo stocks.
    I'm hoping the NRA is saving up to fund the court challenges.
     

    Not_an_outlaw

    Ultimate Member
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 26, 2013
    4,679
    Prince Frederick, MD
    I have an idea I want vetted. This looks as good as any place to start. I’ll ask it again on other threads. I was thinking about writing to those that I give charitable contributions. (example – Olympic Committee, Paralyzed Veterans, Guide Dog Foundation, VFW, Heart Association, Diabetes Association, etc.) I want to tell them that due to the Second Amendment Rights being threatened in Maryland, all my resources must go into that cause and I can no longer contribute. Then maybe add some details on how losing the 2A rights affects their organization. I would think that if the Paralyzed veterans, VFW, or Olympic Committee received several hundred letters, they would put pressure on the legislators.
     

    Les Gawlik

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 2, 2009
    3,384
    Industry partners should increase their prices slightly, and provide an off-setting discount to those who can show a voter's card, or otherwise show they are registered to vote. I need to get clarification about whether they can have a stack of voter registration forms. There is a certification for voter registration, and I don't want them to get into trouble for not having that certification, if in fact it is required.
     

    flyingblind

    Active Member
    Oct 3, 2012
    516
    The NRA's pockets are much deeper than we make them. Anyone naive enough to believe that manufacturers aren't providing additional, unaccounted funds is crazy.

    The NRA is slacking. Organizations with far less funding are satisfying agendas because they know how to play the game. The NRA can keep advertising and lobbying all they want. It will accomplish nothing.

    Our only saving grace are the gun manufacturers. I see them doing what needs to be done with "proper" political relations.

    The NRA is the one the group the media focuses on, In the research Ive done in prepping to start a PAC Ive read the rules on where contributions of size have to be reported. This Slush fund you refer to is highly unlikely. Omega are you a registered voter?? Have you made the trip to Annapolis every time these bills have been heard? Because they have been there, trying to wrangle support from a majority that cares more about feelings than facts. I am growing frustrated with those who want to find someone other than ourselves to blame. We failed ourselves, our fight wasnt strong enough, so now we can blame someone else or strengthen our fight till the bitter end. And be ready to fight them with what really matters to them, money, we need to out raise them for the next election, and out spend them, on educating the voters, and getting our side to come to the polls
     

    dogbone

    Ultimate Member
    Nov 14, 2011
    2,981
    GTT - Gone To Texas
    If it's true that between 25-40% of us are not even registered to vote, it is shameful. We need to find out the requirements to register people to vote and get set up at every gun store, indoor range, gun show and the AGC and have a massive voter registration drive.

    http://www.elections.state.md.us/get_involved/registration_volunteers.html

    Maryland State Board of Elections said:
    To be a voter registration distributor, you must be 18 years of age or older. You will receive training on how to complete Maryland's voter registration application and ensure that the application is completed and accurate and information about the State's identification requirements. At the conclusion of the training, you must sign an affidavit that you will act according to the training and regulations and will receive a certificate identifying you as a voter registration volunteer.

    I am waiting to hear back from the Baltimore County Board on scheduling for this training. I then plan to contact a few local gun shops about setting up a table for voter registration at their front door.
     

    Straightshooter

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 28, 2010
    5,015
    Baltimore County
    Let's not waste time on what the NRA can do. It's time to focus on what we need to do now. Time is running out and we need to start now. Focus on donors of undecided Delegates and Senators, give special attention to the turncoats that voted for cloture the last time around.
    If you call a donor and they support the bill and cannot be turned around, no big deal. They can't get more than one vote out of their rep and you've lost nothing by trying. If by chance you reach someone who supports our side, then their phone call with a threat of withholding future donations could be worth more than 1,000,000 emails.
     

    omegared24

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 23, 2011
    4,747
    Ijamsville, MD
    So we can just buy votes from anti-gun politicians?

    It isn't just "buying" votes. It isn't that simple. You can "buy" a decision or two but true agendas are accomplished by those that know how to associate with politicians. You scratch my back, I scratch yours.

    So many decisions are made by having the right people building relationships. It happens in business and politics all the time. At the end of the day the anti's have created better relationships than the pros.

    Our side needs the right people in the right places doing the right thing. I won't disagree, protesting, rallies, showing up in annapolis is a battle. To win a war you need more.
     

    omegared24

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 23, 2011
    4,747
    Ijamsville, MD
    The NRA is the one the group the media focuses on, In the research Ive done in prepping to start a PAC Ive read the rules on where contributions of size have to be reported. This Slush fund you refer to is highly unlikely. Omega are you a registered voter?? Have you made the trip to Annapolis every time these bills have been heard? Because they have been there, trying to wrangle support from a majority that cares more about feelings than facts. I am growing frustrated with those who want to find someone other than ourselves to blame. We failed ourselves, our fight wasnt strong enough, so now we can blame someone else or strengthen our fight till the bitter end. And be ready to fight them with what really matters to them, money, we need to out raise them for the next election, and out spend them, on educating the voters, and getting our side to come to the polls

    I am a voter and have been to many rallies for multiple agendas. If the NRA is doing what we are doing with all of the funding and power they have than god help us. Thething that distinguishes us from organizations like that is access to the politicians and platforms above and beyond what you and I have access to.

    How many times have you voted for someone that let you down? No need to answer. We have all been there.
     

    Brooklyn

    I stand with John Locke.
    Jan 20, 2013
    13,095
    Plan D? Not worth the hassle.
    I am a voter and have been to many rallies for multiple agendas. If the NRA is doing what we are doing with all of the funding and power they have than god help us. Thething that distinguishes us from organizations like that is access to the politicians and platforms above and beyond what you and I have access to.

    How many times have you voted for someone that let you down? No need to answer. We have all been there.

    If they had power in Maryland we would not be in this fix. The only people that think the nra
    is powerful are the big lie spin machine that says so in order to ignore the fact that there is no support for gun control. These are the same guys that call us NRA robots and say 85% of Marylanders support the Governors bill.

    Please.....
     
    Last edited:

    5.56blaster

    Ultimate Member
    I hate to say it but Maryland is a lost cause as long as dems run the show and that's just not going to change soon enough for me. As for me and my family and business we are heading south where people have more freedom less bs and more of their hard earned cash in their paycheck. Dems and unions and those that live by the handout have destroyed this state.
     

    Brooklyn

    I stand with John Locke.
    Jan 20, 2013
    13,095
    Plan D? Not worth the hassle.
    Eventually, some people get arrested and jailed for election tampering. Don't worry, karma gets those in the end. Look at the school officials in Atlanta that just got busted for tampering with student test scores. Cheaters usually get caught, and those that don't get caught spend their lives worrying about getting caught.

    Me, I am shocked that 40% of the people that wrote the General Assembly were not registered to vote. Then again, I keep beating on my brothers to join the NRA and they haven't even though I know the membership dues are a drop in the bucket for both of them.

    Given the kind of people we are and how we think it is likely that not everyone used there full name and address. On the other hand if it is true that 40% are unregistered it is an easy fix and could help us surprise incumbents with new voters....
     

    Bolts Rock

    Living in Free America!
    Apr 8, 2012
    6,123
    Northern Alabama
    And if you don't believe they take the time to check and see if the people that are writing them are registered voters, they do. We were told after the vote on friday that his office checked on a lot of people and, for him, 25% were not registered voters. So threats from people that can't hurt them mean nothing.

    Sadly they will do that long before they do any research ont he facts that affect a bill.
     

    Beemerguy

    Active Member
    Oct 6, 2012
    150
    A lot of people feel that if we'd just used a different strategy we could have defeated this.

    There is nothing we could have done to defeat this. Frankly, I am surprised we've been this effective thus far; I really expected this bill to sail, intact, through both chambers and then on to the Governor's desk. And I'm sure the Governor expected that too.

    The hard work and dedication of the 2A community has been remarkable, and has resulted in the amendments and changes we've seen...but with Maryland being so firmly in the control of left-wing extremists, there was no way we could have stopped it completely.
     

    Beemerguy

    Active Member
    Oct 6, 2012
    150
    WTF? How in the hell do you go though life without being registered to vote? unbelievable. Did they just show up for the pageantry? Are we the people permitted to have voter registration at our rallies?

    I had a neighbor some years ago who was an NRA member and avid hunter, and who told me he had never been registered to vote...because he didn't want to be called for jury duty. I wanted to scream...
     

    MadCat0911

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 2, 2013
    1,145
    Hanover
    I am growing frustrated with those who want to find someone other than ourselves to blame. We failed ourselves, our fight wasnt strong enough, so now we can blame someone else or strengthen our fight till the bitter end.

    I disagree on this part. We didn't fail ourselves. Sure, there were things we could have done better, but I hold no delusions that even if 100% of us were registered voters and showed up every trip to Annapolis that we'd be in any different position right now. The fight has always been rigged against us. All we can do is show them we're not taking it lying down and bring down the rain on 2014.
     

    MDFF2008

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 12, 2008
    24,735
    There will always be second guessing. Some will say we should have countered with statistics, some will say we should have countered with references to Nazis and constitutionality. But hindsight is always 20/20.

    The question is, with everything we knew at the time, did we do the best we could?

    I think the answer is pretty much yes. We could have done some things better, but that's true of everything you do in life. Civil rights arguments resonate but the governor is a bull in the china shop.

    Going forward, we need to do three things:

    1.) Education

    Getting people involved in attending events, getting people to run their own events, getting the word out.

    2.) Voter Registration

    Every gun owner, registered to vote.

    3.) Get political

    Remove someone from office in 2014.
     

    Beemerguy

    Active Member
    Oct 6, 2012
    150
    I hate to say it but Maryland is a lost cause as long as dems run the show and that's just not going to change soon enough for me. As for me and my family and business we are heading south where people have more freedom less bs and more of their hard earned cash in their paycheck. Dems and unions and those that live by the handout have destroyed this state.

    An acquaintance of mine, a lifelong Marylander, has been forced to move to Atlanta due to a job change. She tells me that while she really hated the thought of moving at first, now that she is there, she likes it, and a big part of that is due to the South's different attitudes on guns, taxes, etc...

    I am 60 years old, and have never lived anywhere but Maryland. When I think back to my youth, I realize how radically things have changed here. Just look at the legislation passed in last couple of years: In-state tuition and drivers' licenses for illegal aliens, tax increases, gun owner licensing, abolition of the death penalty...

    Maryland has become a liberal Disneyland, and no, that won't change anytime soon... :sad20:
     

    teratos

    My hair is amazing
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 22, 2009
    59,775
    Bel Air
    There is nothing we could have done to defeat this. Frankly, I am surprised we've been this effective thus far; I really expected this bill to sail, intact, through both chambers and then on to the Governor's desk. And I'm sure the Governor expected that too.

    The hard work and dedication of the 2A community has been remarkable, and has resulted in the amendments and changes we've seen...but with Maryland being so firmly in the control of left-wing extremists, there was no way we could have stopped it completely.

    Agree with all you've said. This is the first time in our history we have been able to get people out in numbers. Talk to Norton or John Josselyn about about turn-outs in the past. To think "hey, we had thousands show up now they have to listen" is naive. Yes, we are now on the map. Now we need to show that we can affect the election. Then they will take notice. Otherwise we are just full of hot air.
     

    ShallNotInfringe

    Lil Firecracker
    Feb 17, 2013
    8,554
    I am certified to register voters, brought materials and a sign saying "Register to Vote Here" to the 3/5 rally. Had absolutely 0 takers...

    ** He is Risen **
     

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