Not sure how long you've been in the fight for RKBA. Me? Decades, not years. Here is a quote (2000)from one of NRA's fiercest critics. Neal Knox. A rocker of boats. A man with a command presence.
"...Other organizations may boast of their defense of the Second Amendment, but all put together are no more than an irritating gnat to Congress and state legislatures. Where NRA goes we all go. When NRA goes in the wrong direction, we all go in the wrong direction. That's why it is sheer foolishness for members to resign their memberships. That's why you should vote in NRA Board elections. Who sits on the NRA Board is important-if they just don't sit."
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When Neal Knox walked into a room, people didn't tremble, the building did. I miss that guy...
I'm very aware of SAS's status...I'm the Director of Operations for SAS and I've been in the fight for decades too!
The last time I checked JPFO was an educational group. Not a lobbying group. Is that correct?
Also, the NRA has a president, vice president, executive officers and about 75 directors on the board. Most of the small groups only have one person in charge and they are run like a family owned business. The SAF has Alan Gottlieb and the GOA has Larry Pratt's son. It's a little easier for the smaller groups to control the press releases and what gets out to the media. The Texas Rifle Association had it's president call for a ban on assault weapons around 1995. That didn't make it to the media probably because the media doesn't pay attention to the smaller groups.
Look, I am not saying for anyone to quit any group(s) nor am I trying to drum up membership for any group(s). That is for individuals to decide for themselves. Those that choose to join or stay in the NRA need to work to educate the members and create change within the organization. The same can be said for other groups when it is needed.
We need to end the caving on gun control, we need to support all gun ownership (even if we don’t own some types) and we also need to educate children not just about the Constitution but also about guns (use, care, etc.).
Comments attributed to Neal Knox well worth repeating.
I'll second that. I was about 10-15 feet away when he stepped up to the mike at the Gun Rights Policy Conference in the Dallas area back in the '90s. He both defended the NRA and attacked it's specific actions and leadership. And he wasn't on the podium, just another guy at the back of the room, well not *just another guy* but he had no special standing either.