NRA Issues

I think I have mentioned before my belief that the NRA is too quick to compromise and isn't militant enough about the RKBA. The endorsements the NRA has handed out for the current election cycle have done nothing to endear the organization to me. In fact, J and I are both so disgruntled with the NRA we sent the following letter to the NRA-ILA and the NRA-PVF.

It is difficult for us to express our current level of disappointment and frustration with the NRA. We have sitting in front of us the most recent issues of American Rifleman and Woman’s Outlook. The cover of both magazines is a giant warning about what will happen if the Democratic Party regains control of the Congress. Yet, inexplicably the bottom portion of both covers recommends we vote for Nick Lampson, a Democrat. Our friends in a neighboring Congressional district inform us you advised they vote for Shane Sklar, another Democrat. You repeatedly warn us of the ills that will befall us if the likes of Nancy Pelosi are in power, yet you endorse the very people who would put them there. Is there some deeply held philosophical principle that would produce this result, or has the NRA gone completely insane?

What makes this result so particularly galling is that in both of these races, there are candidates with much better track records than either of your endorsements. Your choices appear to be based on nothing more than the correct answers on your questionnaire. Endorsing Nick Lampson over either Bob Smither or Shelley Sekula-Gibbs means that you must have completely overlooked his actions when he was in Congress. Endorsing Shane Sklar over Ron Paul indicates that concern for the Second Amendment takes a back seat to industry protectionism.

Frankly, we are having difficulty finding reasons to continue our financial support of an organization that can make such inconsistent and, frankly, idiotic recommendations. There are other organizations which understand that compromise on principle is never an acceptable means to the end of safeguarding our rights under the Constitution, something the NRA appears to have forgotten. If, however, we are wrong and there is some principled and comprehensible justification for the endorsements you have made, we would be eager to hear them. If we receive no reply, we will regretfully be forced to conclude our funds can be better used supporting organizations with more integrity.

Sincerely,
T, Member #
J, Member #

We'll see what, if anything, they have to say. GOA can always use more money since the NRA appears to be falling down on the job.