The NRA really wants to grow its membership — parrticularly its roster of life members.

To do that, it’s offering one heck of a deal — through other Life members. As far as I know this deal is only available to US residents, but it might be open worldwide, and it can’t hurt to ask. This may be running out this weekend, so act on it NOW, if you plan to act on it.

Normally a Life Membership is $1,000, which you can confirm at NRA’s signup page here.

They offer a discounted membership — the Distinguished Membership, not to Distinguished Marksmen, but to senior citizens (65+) and disabled veterans. Maybe they figure we don’t expect to live as long, heh. That’s only $375. Since a regular membership is $35/year, you’re ahead of the game at 11 years (crudely accounted… a little longer if we take the time value or money into account).

But they’ve sent current Life Members a mailing allowing them to sponsor new Life Members. The new guy pays… drum roll please… $300. To take advantage of the deal, contact a life member. Several online forums have life members reaching out to would-be members, like the one we used at ARFCOM. The sponsoring life member must provide you with his or her name, zip code, and NRA Member ID (member number). Most life members don’t even known they can do this. 

It works like this:

  1. Call the NRA membership line at 1-877-NRA-2000 – option 3.
  2. Have the following info ready:
    1. Sponsor’s name
    2. Sponsor’s Zip Code (you don’t need the full address, and not all operators ask for this)
    3. Sponsor’s NRA Member ID (a nine digit number). They’ll look this up.
  3. Give them your information and credit card number. Finished business!

Now, the NRA is not the be-all and end-all of gun rights. It’s run primarily for the benefit of the insiders (and their massively profitable PR firm). It’s still largely controlled by Elmer Fudds who have no qualms about dealing someone else’s gun rights away in hopes the tiger eats them last. Another downside of the NRA is that it will roughly double the amount of junk mail you get.

But in 80 to 90 percent of gun rights battles, the NRA is not only on the right side but does the vast majority the heavy lifting. (Here in NH, we’re cursed by a NRA rep who works against gun rights, but there are 40-odd other states where he has no influence).  Who else represents you? NFATCA is a Vichy organization, comfortable in the pocket of the ATF. SAF and JFPO are much purer on gun rights (they were for Heller while the NRA was trying to torpedo the case), but they’re relatively tiny — state and federal legislators don’t react the same way they do when they hear the NRA guy is on the line or in the office.

So on balance, we’ve decided to be on the inside whizzing out of the tent, instead of on the outside whizzing in. The NRA may not thank us for that, exactly, but that’s the kind of riffraff that come in when you lower barriers to entry. Especially to $300.

This entry was posted in Administrivia, Industry on by Hognose.

About Hognose

Former Special Forces 11B2S, later 18B, weapons man. (Also served in intelligence and operations jobs in SF).

4 thoughts on “NRA life membership deal

Morgan Lewis

I switched my support to Gun Owners of America when the NRA did one to many news conferences with the Brady bunch, Schumer, Murray, etc. The NRA is too willing to be “reasonable” with the groups that, ultimately, want to confiscate all guns from private citizens. Yeah, the NRA does a lot of good stuff for the shooting sports, hunters, etc, but their periodic legislative coziness with the anti-gunners is the main issue for me.

The GOA is a national, pro 2nd Amendment organization that doesn’t compromise with the enemy. They are effective in their lobbying efforts at the national and state level. Thanks for the info, but I’ll pass on the NRA deal.

Hognose Post author

I did much the same over repeated NRA sellouts. But all it takes is a visit to a large gunshop (for me, Kittery Trading Post) on a busy day to see how the shooting community has changed. The hunters and target shooters are all much more attuned to AR-15 series weapons, and much more sympathetic to self-defense guys. The collectors are more interested in modern weapons than Civil War weapons.

The NRA’s National Firearms Museum has a gift-shop promoting all kinds of gun and shooting recreation. This is showing up at NRA also. There are Fudds who will never change and Fudds who are open to change, and a lot of the latter have already changed. We have a chance to reform the reformable and outnumber the incorrigible. I say, go for it.

No disagreement with you on GOA, 2AF (which pushed Heller when NRA tried to torpedo it, we haven’t forgotten) and JFPO as no-compromises gun rights groups. But the one that makes a Congressman change his vote is hearing that the NRA is scoring the vote. (They need to score Supreme Court votes too… unbelievable that they gave Harry Reid an A and endorsed him last time he was up. That’s like a rabbi endorsing Goering).

Larry Snowden

I am an Endowment Level member of the NRA and will be happy to sponsor anyone with a legitimate desire to become a Life Member for the $300 offer. If you are interested, send me an email at [email protected].

Mitch

What liberating knowledge. Give me leibrty or give me death.