• If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership  The benefits pay for the membership many times over.

NRA vs GOAL

z0mbi

z0mbi

Joined
Nov 9, 2007
Messages
4,082
Likes
534
Location
Burlington, MA
Feedback: 11 / 0 / 0
I've been a member of the NRA for awhile now, and my yearly subscription is up again. I'm trying to decide whether or not to re-up. The thing I hate about the NRA is the SHEER AMOUNT of junkmail they send me. I literally cannot go two days without getting something from them in snail mail, and they pepper my inbox on my gmail account constantly with spam.

I am not a member of GOAL, and I keep hearing everyone say that you should really join GOAL...yet I never hear anyone recommend joining NRA.

Basically what I'm asking is...if you had to pick one, which would you give your money to? GOAL or the NRA? Reasons? Oh...and does GOAL spam as much as the NRA does?
 
In short, both.

NRA fights on the federal level, GOAL fights in Mass.

I have never received any junk mail from GOAL. I have received a few email notifications asking to write to legislators.

If you MUST choose one, ask yourself which laws, Mass or Federal, that restrict your 2nd amendment right the most.
 
Last edited:
I am a member of both (and I don't live in MA anymore). I don't believe you should be a member of one and not the other. They are both very important to us. Pony-up and dish out the $75 bucks a year or whatever it is for the two of them.
 
Moderator said:
I am a member of both (and I don't live in MA anymore). I don't believe you should be a member of one and not the other. They are both very important to us. Pony-up and dish out the $75 bucks a year or whatever it is for the two of them.
Click to expand...

+1 and I live in MA. Your membership really makes a difference. I believe that you can contact the NRA and ask them not to send you the junk mail.
 
Moderator said:
I am a member of both (and I don't live in MA anymore). I don't believe you should be a member of one and not the other. They are both very important to us. Pony-up and dish out the $75 bucks a year or whatever it is for the two of them.
Click to expand...

+1

(but I DO live in MA... unfortunately.)
 
Alright, you guys have guilted me into it. I'll re-up with the NRA, and sign up for GOAL.

I'm gonna see about the spam thing. I don't mind the rallying cries, but when I get 4 envelopes a week that are nothing more than resubscription packages when I still have 8 months left on my yearly, it kinda cheeses me off. My mailbox is very VERY tiny.

Wish I had enough cash on hand to just get a lifetime membership.
 
Basically what I'm asking is...if you had to pick one, which would you give your money to? GOAL or the NRA?
Click to expand...
I'm a life member of both. The NRA focuses on the federal level and GOAL focuses at the State House. Both are necessary.
 
Alright, you guys have guilted me into it. I'll re-up with the NRA, and sign up for GOAL.
Click to expand...

You should not do it out of guilt, you should do it because it's the right thing to do. Sure the NRA has some faults, one of them is soliciting money as much as they do. But if you think they are bad, try the other side and see how much they try to raise money. Add to that the free press they seem to get and you can see why we need to do so much more.
 
z0mbi said:
Alright, you guys have guilted me into it. I'll re-up with the NRA, and sign up for GOAL.

I'm gonna see about the spam thing. I don't mind the rallying cries, but when I get 4 envelopes a week that are nothing more than resubscription packages when I still have 8 months left on my yearly, it kinda cheeses me off. My mailbox is very VERY tiny.

Wish I had enough cash on hand to just get a lifetime membership.
Click to expand...

They have that "pay as you go" Lifetime.. Its like $25 every quarter.. just a FYI
 
I will have some GOAL application forms with me tomorrow at the Shoot!

You can fill them out, pay be cc, check or cash and I'll pay the postage to get them to GOAL for you.

I am a Life member of both. GOAL only sends 1-2 max/year solicitations and that is around the Annual Meeting time.

I only get maybe 1 NRA mailing/month these days. I suspect I asked them to stop most mailings many years ago.
 
Gammon said:
I am not a GOAL member. I distrust any organization with a "President for Life".
Click to expand...

If you live in MA, GOAL is your ONLY friend in the 2A lobbying arena. I have had the pleasure of meeting the "president for life" on a few occasions and he is top-notch.

I don't know about the rest of you, but if somehow they managed to keep Ronald Reagan alive and in his presidential prime, "president for life" wouldn't sound so bad... [wink]

If someone does not join and support GOAL, I (and I supect many of the other members here) don't want to hear anyone complain about the lousy 2a climate here.

Not in any way trying to be personal, but we need all the friends and support we can get.

Please research the organization and reconsider. [grin]
 
In my opinion, all gun owners should hold at least one state (in our case, GOAL) and one national membership (NRA, GOA, JPFO, etc).
 
do it!!!

Do both if you can swing it z0mbi, I know the NRA send's a ton of mail but I dont think of it as junk mail, I see it as a reminder of we (The NRA) Is fighting for 2A right's It is a headsup that peple are still fighting hard for the right's of the people that love the gun. Bring the mail that you are redy to throw out to work and tac it to the company peg board, we just might get one more NRA member on our side.
 
Don't forget that GOAL has a 'get three to join, and get a year of free membership.' I only know two people joining shortly, but even if I knew a third I'd still give goal money for membership.

When and if I do actually make it to NH, I'll be a member of GONH, GOAL, and NRA. Of the three I like the NRA the least because I don't like their politics, but they are a necessary evil
 
Gammon said:
I am not a GOAL member. I distrust any organization with a "President for Life".
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's not worth coughing up two-weeks worth of coffee money to support the organization that does the most for us because the same guy has been leading it for a while. [thinking][rolleyes]

Fooped said:
If you live in MA, GOAL is your ONLY friend in the 2A lobbying arena. I have had the pleasure of meeting the "president for life" on a few occasions and he is top-notch.

I don't know about the rest of you, but if somehow they managed to keep Ronald Reagan alive and in his presidential prime, "president for life" wouldn't sound so bad... [wink]

If someone does not join and support GOAL, I (and I supect many of the other members here) don't want to hear anyone complain about the lousy 2a climate here.

Not in any way trying to be personal, but we need all the friends and support we can get.

Please research the organization and reconsider. [grin]
Click to expand...

Well said.
 
Call the national headquarters and request that they remove you from their solicitation lists. I did this years ago, and the only thing I get from the NRA is the magazine. GOAL does not spam the membership. If anything, maybe they should send a more frequent e-update than they do now. If you subscribe to Gun Week, Alan Gottlieb will assault your mail box like a NEMLEC tactical team.
GC


z0mbi said:
Alright, you guys have guilted me into it. I'll re-up with the NRA, and sign up for GOAL.

I'm gonna see about the spam thing. I don't mind the rallying cries, but when I get 4 envelopes a week that are nothing more than resubscription packages when I still have 8 months left on my yearly, it kinda cheeses me off. My mailbox is very VERY tiny.

Wish I had enough cash on hand to just get a lifetime membership.
Click to expand...
 
GOAL only just started email updates. So far, I have no complaints. They aren't asking me to buy 2A wine, for example... [wink]
 
If anyone from GOAL is monitoring this I have a constructive (I hope) suggestion. I received your email this morning, however I almost deleted it without viewing because the subject line said "License Fee Violation." At first I thought it was spam, but for some reason I opened it anyway.

If you could include GOAL in the subject line that would help.

I'm glad we have GOAL working for us. A small price to pay in this miserable communist state.
 
Ya know what I don't get ?

Why hasn't GOAL challenged the reasoning of a high cap mag ban..You can place 2 30 round mags in front of a judge,one being pre-ban and one post ban and dare them to tell the differance.They both do the exact same thing,but one is illegal to own.I could bring in a moving box filled with 250 30 round pre-ban mags and show them the restriction does absolutely nothing.

This seems so simple,yet they haven't done anything about it..Would it cost too much for them to take it to court ? If it does,then you would have to ask what they are doing with all the dues that everyone pays.They need to take on more worthy battles IMO.

I hope they are providing free counsel to Ragsdale,but I doubt it.
 
Every Gun Owner Should Belong to at Least Three Organizations!

nanerclip said:
In my opinion, all gun owners should hold at least one state (in our case, GOAL) and one national membership (NRA, GOA, JPFO, etc).
Click to expand...

Here's my two cents on the subject.

[soapbox]

Every gun-owner in the United States who enjoys owning and shooting his/her firearms and wants to continue enjoying this freedom needs to belong to at least three different organizations.

1. National: Many anti-firearm initiatives are started at the national level. It takes a dedicated, organized, and recognized body to combat these issues in the places where they begin and are decided. The NRA is without a doubt the premier national organization defending our rights on the national stage. The NRA is not always perfect or successful but they still have more stature than anyone else. Can you name another national gun-rights organization that has the NRA's experience in legal issues, firearms training, and shooting sports organization under one roof? You may discount the last two but they add to the NRA's base of expertise in many ways that other groups cannot match.

There are other national organizations to be sure. GOA, SAF, CCRKBA, JPFO, and the Pink Pistols to mention just a few. And they do add to the national effort. But when the anti-gun forces seek to demonize gun owners, which organization do they pick on? It doesn't take much debate to see who the anti-gunners fear most.

2. State: Just as the NRA works at the national level (and below) just about every state has its own organization which seeks to unite firearms owners to provide a unified response to state anti-gun efforts. If you are fortunate, your state organization seeks to unite legal efforts, sporting and hunting groups, and competitive shooters under one strong banner and provide a united front to protect all of us. When the gun banners fail at the national level they often try to go state-by-state to press their agenda. This is where a strong state voice can help blunt these efforts. In Massachusetts its GOAL. Massachusetts gun owners who fail to join and support GOAL's efforts are harming themselves and other law-abiding gun owners.

3. Local: The late Massachusetts Congressman Tip O'Neil was often quoted as saying, "All politics is local.". This is as true in the continuing fight to retain our freedom to own firearms as in anything else. The support I am referring to here is joining your local range or shooting club and insuring that they provide a strong voice to oppose local efforts to block firearms ownership or limit areas where you can can shoot or hunt. Providing a strong voice at the local level lets politicians and anti-gun groups know that we have strong grass-roots support for pro-gun rights and that we are not going to let them push their agenda here.

It takes time, effort, and often times financial support to get out there and join the fight against the anti-gun forces. And unfortunately, most of us except for the most dedicated amongst us could certainly do more in this fight. Vote responsibly. Write to your elected officials and your local papers. Take action to support your pro-gun organizations. Join them and be counted.

And remember, if you don't think you have enough time or money to do this now, think of how much of both you will have if your guns are taken away and there are no places you can go to shoot.

So get out there, join, and make a difference.

[/soapbox]
 

Similar threads

NRA Wayne guilty.
2
Replies
36
Views
1K
KBCraig
KBCraig
Cheap vs Expensive Red Dots
Replies
8
Views
471
johngalt2
J
Holosun 510 vs Holosun AMES
Replies
6
Views
206
PappyM3
PappyM3
Upcoming NRA Board Elections
2
Replies
50
Views
1K
robjax
R
Federal Judge Rules Millions Of NRA Members Exempt From ATF Pistol Brace Rule
Replies
12
Views
528
1919FAN
1919FAN
Back
Top Bottom