Why You Should Belong to NRA
an editorial by Mark Freburg

If you have any interest in owning firearms you should belong to the National Rifle Association.  The NRA is not perfect, they do have a lobbying arm and they constantly beg their members for money.  So do all other groups from People for the American Way to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP is the most powerful lobbying group in Washington, by the way). 

But NRA does the shooter a world of good to protect his or her rights in Washington.  And it doesn't matter if you own guns for defense or for shooting tin cans at the range.  It doesn't even matter if you are a gun owner.  If you believe in the individual's right to own and use firearms, even if you choose not to yourself, NRA is the group you should belong to.

There are other organizations, and most of them claim to be more militant and less "compromise" than NRA.  They don't have the size, power, and effect that NRA has, however, so even if you do belong to Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, Gun Owners of America, or the Second Amendment Foundation, you should still be a member of NRA.

And know that besides the NRA lobbying arm (Institute for Legislative Action), NRA is also very involved in police training, training of private citizens, firearms and safety education for people of all ages, sponsorship and promotion of just about every shooting sport you can think of, gun collecting and historical preservation, support for hunting and wildlife, just to name a few.

NOTE: January 2021.  This article was written many years ago.  Everything said applied then.  But I must ask, does the NRA still have the political clout that it did back then?  What with the New York state lawsuits, NRA's attempt to file bankruptcy and change venue, that remains to be seen.  Other groups such as GOA may be worth more of our attention and dollars than before.