You did a good thing with this toaster analogy. A parody thread is way better than another gun thread.
Re: reasons to join the NRA-- they organize and promote matches, they have a magazine which used to be really interesting to read, they conduct gun safety courses for kids, etc. They also provide insurance for the club I belong to. But now the political activity overshadows everything and it’s getting wackier and farther reaching. My dad was a member for 40 years but quit after the 2016 elections. I never joined and never will. I don’t like joining things, anyway.
ETA maybe even the thing I get most out of this is that some Dems are really “true believers” and have greater conviction about their position than the greedy gop weasels who constantly need their toast buttered.
ETA 2 I’m having serious quoting issues from my iPhone, anyone else?
They have a near lock on the sporting end of guns in a lot of places. Run most of the shooting competitions, safety and training programs, they own or are tied to a lot of the ranges and gun clubs in the US. And of course all of that stuff is only open to members.
So you’ll run into things that make it sort of neccisary. If you’re in a place that requires safety training before they’ll issue a license. But only NRA classes are available or count for that requirement. And those are only open to members. Well I guess you’re joining the NRA if you want to own a gun legally. Where I’m at you need a regular (I think yearly, maybe 3 years?) Hunter’s safety course to get hunting licenses. Most of them are NRA affiliated. But here Ducks Unlimited, Dick’s Sporting Goods and a private hunter’s club offer them as well. Apparently in other parts of the state you’re basically joining the NRA if you want a hunting license.
I also suspect membership numbers are inflated because they always seem to come free with shit. Seems pretty common to get a free NRA membership with your gun purchase, even seen it on pellet guns. I remember angrily refusing a free membership that came with some outdoorsy or conservation thing I did in highschool. And if you were in Boy Scouts you were probably a junior NRA member whether you knew it or not.
The NRA leans pretty heavy on being a sporting organization to distract from their political and lobbying activities. And to lend themselves credibility.
The fact that they really do control (control not protect) much of the legit sporting end and training/information infrastructure convinces a lot of people that’s true. Or basically backs them into joining the group whether they’d like to or not.
Have been since the 70’s 2nd amendment nut take over. My grandfather and most of my uncles and great uncles left the NRA then. Claimed to have mailed resignation letters and their membership cards directly to Charlton Heston which was apparently the popular method of protest at the time.
