How we talk and post affects public perception

[JeffJ]

I got a life membership with some deal they were running, like Roy said it's not that hard to stem the tide of crap that they send you.

I like having my life b/c it keeps me as a member to be counted when they go tell Congressman so and so that they have X members. It also gives me the ability to give them more money when and if I want without my name dropping off the roles.

The NRA is far from perfect, but if you are a gun owner in America - you need to be a member.

[joshs]

Thanks for the info. I'll definitely think about it. It IS a good cause, but for now I'm more convinced to give my money to people who I feel are focused on that cause rather than on selling my support of that cause as a product.

The funny thing is, I tried to leave feedback with the NRA about this, why I left, etc, and their comment box was hard-coded to fail without explanation if you wrote anything over 500 characters.

NRA uses a direct mail service and only pays per response received. It's up to the direct mail service to determine how and to whom mail gets sent. As mentioned it is relatively easy to get off the mailing lists. You don't even have to call to get off the membership mailing list, here is what the FAQ says:

Q: How can I reduce the amount of mail I receive from the NRA?
A: Simply email us at membership@nrahq.org or dial 800-NRA-3888 and request to be placed on the "Do Not Promote" list. This will significantly reduce the amount of mail you receive without affecting important mailings, magazine service, or your membership renewal.

Unfortunately, members are not automatically signed up for the ILA Alerts or the legal update. If you are interested in seeing what ILA is actually up to, you can signup at www.nraila.org.

Full disclosure: I'm an employee of NRA-ILA.

[ford.304]

I really didn't mean to derail this whole thread.

I guess I should say - it's not that I am that bothered by having to throw away some spam, or that there isn't some way to tell them to stop sending it. It's what they are saying about themselves as an institution when that is what they choose as their default behavior. I understand they do good work, but the impression they gave me is too slimy for me to continue to give them money, especially when there are other effective gun rights organizations who need supporting. I have *never* had an organization - not even credit card companies - send me the level of junk, solicitation, and "panic! send us money!" begging that the NRA has done.

[RoyGBiv]

NRA uses a direct mail service and only pays per response received. It's up to the direct mail service to determine how and to whom mail gets sent. As mentioned it is relatively easy to get off the mailing lists. You don't even have to call to get off the membership mailing list, here is what the FAQ says:

I found that it requires a separate PHONE CALL (the only way to do it) to the compleely independent organization that handles insurance-related marketing for NRA-related insurance to get the tap turned off on the insurance SPAM. YMMV, but I very clearly recall a "that's a load of bullkittens" conversation I had with the Member Services phone rep about exactly this. Maybe something's changed in the 3-4 years or so since I had to do this.

And to ford.304.... While I agree with you completely about how sleazy it feels, somewhere, someone calculated that it makes sense financially to do it. I take solace in the fact that it's relatively easy (could be easier, yes) to turn off. The NRA is the big kahuna of 2A advocacy. Their successes far outweigh this (yes, flagrant) failure, IMO.

/OT

[Drang]

We could learn a ton from cyclists and their interactions with motorists and non-cyclists... They have not only gained more awareness and many other legislative victories they get people to spend money to do it. We aren't asking to spend money.

Critical Mass = Open Carrying at people.

edited for clarity.

[orionz06]

Critical Mass = Open Carrying at people.

edited for clarity.

That's exactly what it is. Using my coworkers isn't the broadest variety of people but it is still a broad variety of opinions. Most hate cyclists. They are the types to say how they're always in the way but can never articulate how late they were made or describe their net inconvenience. One or two were indifferent and a few were pretty cool about it and wished they loved closer. Anyway... Many were stuck in a critical mass event a year before I rode and they always brought it up in our usual banter. I can't say they eventually changed their thoughts completely but having them encounter me on my ride to work a few times a week for a summer sparked more conversation and they did tone it down. Not because I got in their way but because they became educated and had a reason to be.

How do we do that with guns? Who knows but the groundwork is there for other things and they're winning, we are just hanging on.