The NRA is fine. As an organization, it's mainly focused on safety, range time and sport. Yeah they send out screaming fundraising letters that highlights gun control and similar things, but it's really not their primary focus, and never really has been. Their biggest stick, as mentioned in the article are the number of members who spend their own hard-earned money to join. Unfortunately, there are many higherups in the NRA that bear more resemblance to the GOPe than what you'd expect. They'll go all squishy when given half a chance.
That said, if you're an American concerned about liberty, you should be a member, even when the NRA goes squishy. However, there are other groups that are quite a bit more hardcore that deserve your support as well, if you can afford it.
One of my absolute favorites, because they don't back down at all from the racist origins of gun control is Jews for the Preservation of Firearm Ownership (JPFO). Thankfully, you don't have to be Jewish to be a member, which would rule me out. Their style of hard-hitting advocacy is something I really respect and admire.
Another great group is Gun Owners of America (GOA). Like JPFO, GOA is quite a bit more in your face than the NRA ever even thinks of being. GOA does not have the word "compromise" in their vocabulary, except perhaps as a swear word. They are worth checking out if you already haven't, and supporting if you can.
I used to say that same about the
NRA. But more recently, the
NRA, more than any other organization, has defended and advanced our rights by dealing directly with legislators. The NRA has also defended our right in its work with various state legislatures. It's not the old NRA.
I have nothing against the smaller organizations, though, and actively support some of those, too. The more, the merrier. Maybe organizations like the
National Association for Gun Rights will gain more numbers and strength.
We should all support our state organizations--very important. Those can be found with a search engine search.