NRA

NRA Breaks 15-Year Fundraising Record with Nearly $2.5 Million in March

The NRA broke a 15-year fundraising record by taking in nearly $2.5 million for its Political Victory Fund in the month of March alone. From March 1 through March 31 the fund raised $2.4 million, an increase of roughly $1.5 million over the amount the fund took in during the same time last year. The Miami Herald reports that the $2.4 million collected in March “is the most money raised by the NRA’s political arm in one month since June 2003.” Donations during March 2018 eclipsed other high water marks for the Political Victory Fund. For example, January and February 2013–the two month immediately following the Sandy Hook Elementary School attack–saw fundraising totals of $1.1 million and $1.5 million. The figure of $1.5 million was surpassed by nearly one million dollars last month. The $2.4 million consisted largely of donations totaling $200 or less, which means the number of donors was substantial. February gifts to the NRA’s political action committee provided a precursor to the Political Victory Fund’s March windfall.

Ted Nugent on Parkland Gun Control Activists: ‘They Have No Soul’

Rocker and NRA board member Ted Nugent used an appearance on the “The Joe Page Show” to describe the Parkland gun control activists as people who “have no soul.” The Hill published excerpts from the interview, with Nugent describing the gun control push as “ignorant and dangerously stupid” and “soulless.” He added, “These poor children, I’m afraid to say this and it hurts me to say this, but the evidence is irrefutable, they have no soul.” Nugent believes the media is not only propping up the Parkland gun control activists but also giving them direction in what to say. He said, “The dumbing down of America is manifested in the culture deprivation of our academia that have taught these kids the lies, media that have prodded and encouraged and provided these kids lies.” His comments come after more than a month of intense criticism of the NRA and politicians associated with it. On March 17 Breitbart News reported that David Hogg, one of the Parkland gun control activists, released a PSA in which he asked, “What if our politicians weren’t the b*tch of the NRA?”

Gotta love Uncle Ted not holding back, and calling it as he sees it.   Excellent!     🙂

Donations Pour in for Rifle Team After School District Rejects NRA’s ‘Dirty Money’

A Pennsylvania high school rifle team is being flooded with donations from local businesses and residents after its school district voted to reject a National Rifle Association grant. The Stroudsburg Area School District’s board voted 6-2 Monday to reject the $4,730 grant, the Allentown Morning Call reported, with one board member calling it “dirty money.” The president of a local contracting company, upset by the decision, spearheaded a fundraiser in which several businesses bundled more than $6,000 to replace the grant money. Brian Winot’s group of local business donors put out a press release criticizing what they called the politicization of the situation. “[The business owners] are all members of the NRA and strongly disagree with the school board’s decision and further attempt to politicize guns in this country, on the backs of our kids,” the business owners stated. On top of that, a Democratic state lawmaker set up a GoFundMe campaign so that the rifle team would be funded without help from the NRA. “We have students organizing marches in Washington [and] all around this nation crying out for their lives. God forbid anything happens in this school, how are we going to feel about taking that money?” said State Rep. Maureen Madden (D-Tobyhanna). The funding call brought in more than $5,000 in the past few days. According to an AP analysis, about 500 U.S. schools received more than $7.3 million from the NRA from 2010 through 2016 to promote the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp, rifle teams and hunting safety courses.

Of course the dominantly liberal mainstream media doesn’t want you to know that.

Opinion/Analysis: Parkland Gun Control Activists Driving Americans Toward 2nd Amendment

As Parkland gun control activists and their surrogates mock the idea of arming teachers, march for gun bans in D.C., and call for new gun controls via Twitter, they risk driving Americans toward the Second Amendment instead of away from it. They run this risk via their in-your-face gun control hubris, especially when that hubris is directed toward docile actors. For example, on Monday Rep. Steve King (R-IA) addressed Parkland students who want to raise the minimum age for gun purchases by asking, “If you are a teenager & believe you won’t be responsible enough to own a gun until 21, why should you vote before 21?” That is a reasonable question when one considers that voting and owning guns are both constitutional rights. Yet the responses to his question varied between things too vulgar to print and pronouncements that his political career is over–that he is a pawn of the NRA and is going to be voted out office. Or consider David Hogg, one of the most frequent spokesmen for Parkland gun control activists. He put out a PSA one week before the student march for gun control and asked, “What if our politicians weren’t the bitch of the NRA?” And it is not just the way he talks about the NRA, although that runs the risk of motivating the group’s five million-plus members to show up and vote. It is also the way he appears to set himself apart from other Americans in general. Take his March 22 Axios interview as an example. In that interview he talked of how his teachers are “very understanding” when he has to skip school for gun control events and appearances. He even talked of how he was recently supposed to take a math test but just said, “Nah.” This gives the appearance of special rules for the philosopher king, rules and opportunities that cannot be enjoyed by others. One cannot be blamed for sensing a similar, conflicting set of rules in gun controllers from Hollywood and D.C. If, by chance, you still do not see the hubris, then look at Parkland gun control activist Cameron Kasky, who spends time rejecting the idea of arming teachers to defend students when he is not making fun of Americans’ abiding conviction that we need to be armed to repel a tyranny. On Tuesday he tweeted: “To all people who think they need an assault rifle: I can not promise this, but I truly do not believe the redcoats will be coming for any of us any time soon.” And we have not even mentioned how the gun control activists treated Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch during the CNN gun control town hall. It was just a few short months ago–October 19, 2017, to be exact–that Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was urging his colleagues to drop gun control until after the November 2018 election. He worried that the incessant, post-Vegas gun control push was going to hurt Democrats in the midterm elections. Yet the gun control push from Democrats has only escalated since Schumer voiced his concerns, thanks to the Parkland activists and others. Meanwhile, the NRA PAC took in February donations that were three times higher than it received during January. This could mean that people had spent months saving in a coordinated effort to give money to the NRA in February or…it could mean that Schumer was right and all the gun control rhetoric is rallying Americans to the standard once more. And that standard is the Second Amendment.

Agreed..  Author AWR Hawkins has a great point here…one I heard someone echo last night.  Each time there is an overreach for guns by anti-gun, liberal politicians, there is a political backlash against them by we-the-people.  That said..  If you’re thinking about getting a firearm, NOW is the time to do that, and stock up on ammo while you can.  You just never know..  Also, take a minute and join the NRA or renew your membership online.  If we all do it, it’ll send a powerful message to the politicians in D.C.

NRA Targets ‘Every Hollywood Phony,’ ‘Lying Media’ with Time’s Up-Inspired Ad

An NRA ad released on March 4 called out “every Hollywood phony” and the “lying media” to put them on notice that their “time is running out.” The ad was released just hours before the 90th Oscars began. It promotes NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch’s new show and is clearly intended to send the signal that the claims of leftists in Hollywood, the media, and pro-athletes will not go unchallenged. Loesch opens the ad by saying, “We’ve had enough of the lies, the sanctimony, the arrogance, the hatred, the pettiness, the fake news. We are done with your agenda to undermine voters’ will and individual liberty in America.” She continues, “So to every lying member of the media, to every Hollywood phony, to the role model athletes who use their free speech to alter and undermine what our flag represents, to the politicians who would rather watch America burn than lose one ounce of their personal power … your time is running out” In the latter part of the ad, Loesch gets specific, referencing certain media and news personalities by name, putting them on notice as well. She said, “To the Joy-Ann Reids, the Morning Joes, the Mikas, to those who stain honest reporting with partisanship, to those who bring bias and propaganda, to CNN, the Washington Post, the New York Times, your time is running out.”

Yes!!!  To see Dana;s new ad, click on the text above,  Go get ’em, Dana!!    🙂

NRA Memberships Surge in Wake of Anti-NRA Protests, ‘Media Bias’

National Rifle Association memberships surged in the wake of the anti-NRA protests and “media bias” that followed the February 14 Florida school shooting. The Daily Mail reports that Google searches for “NRA membership” rose “4,900 percent” since the Florida attack. That rise occurred at a time when many Democrats, media personalities, and Hollywood celebrities were denouncing the NRA as causal in the shooting that took 17 lives in a gun-free zone. The Hollywood attitude was epitomized by writer-director Judd Apatow, actress Mia Farrow, and comedian Chelsea Handler, all of whom responded to the Florida school attack by calling out the NRA to drive a wedge between voters and pro-gun legislators. For example, Handler tweeted: “We have to elect candidates that are not funded by the NRA in November. We have an opportunity to elect candidates who won’t allow kids to go to school and get shot. It is disgusting how many times this has happened and Republicans do nothing. You all have blood on your hands.” CNN’s February 21 gun control town hall highlighted the media’s animosity towards the NRA, as it featured survivors from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting confronting Republicans over NRA affiliation. The Guardian reported that one student spoke to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), asking, “Can you tell me right now you will not accept a single donation from the NRA?” In addition, more than a dozen companies severed ties with the NRA in the wake of the school attack, ending discounted rates and fares for NRA members. But a large swath of the American populace is equating these various attacks on the NRA with attacks on the Second Amendment, and others see the attacks as proof of “media bias.” The result is an explosion in NRA memberships. The Daily Mail quoted Cleta Mitchell, a former NRA board member and former Oklahoma lawmaker, who said, “There is no one. NO ONE. Who joins the NRA for a discount on a rental car. You can rest assured that the NRA will not lose a single member as a result of this. If anything, it should spur people to join the NRA as a means of demonstrating that we who believe in the Second Amendment will not be bullied by these left wing multi-billion dollar corporations.”

Cornyn: Trump told me he supports my ‘Fix NICS’ background check bill

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn on Friday said President Trump clarified to him Thursday evening that Mr. Trump supports Mr. Cornyn’s bill aimed at improving the federal instant check system for gun transactions. “He called me last night sort of to clarify his position, at least from a legislative standpoint, that he supported the … bipartisan background check bill that I’ve introduced,” the Texas Republican told reporters in Austin. Mr. Cornyn said Mr. Trump is open to other ideas, like measures to improve school safety and dealing with mental health issues. “I don’t think he’s foreclosing any of those, but I think he realizes that the best way to get a result is to start with a consensus bill like the background check bill that I introduced after Sutherland Springs and then go from there,” he said. Mr. Cornyn spoke after voting early ahead of Tuesday’s primary elections in Texas. The White House has said Mr. Trump supports Mr. Cornyn’s legislation to incentivize states and federal agencies to share more of their records with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). At a meeting with lawmakers this week, the president had turned some heads when he suggested that a more expansive bill extending the background checks to gun shows and online sales could serve as the basis for a comprehensive gun bill, rather than Mr. Cornyn’s. But White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday the president supports the Cornyn bill, and that he wouldn’t necessarily back the broader background check bill written by GOP Sen. Pat Toomey and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. Mr. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence also met Thursday with Chris Cox, who heads the National Rifle Association’s legislative-lobbying arm. “I had a great meeting tonight with @realDonaldTrump & @VP. We all want safe schools, mental health reform and to keep guns away from dangerous people. POTUS & VPOTUS support the Second Amendment, support strong due process and don’t want gun control. #NRA #MAGA,” Mr. Cox tweeted Thursday. Mrs. Sanders said Friday that the president only promised to the NRA that he’ll continue to support the Second Amendment. “That’s not something that he’s backed away from,” she said. “The background check system is something that he’s still very much interested in improving.”

Opinion: NRA boycott: When Delta, United and others protest the gun group, they are boycotting upstanding Americans

A few weeks before the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar (Tex.) invited a special guest to attend the State of the Union address: Stephen Willeford, the hero who just months earlier had stopped a mass shooter at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Tex. An ordinary citizen who heard the shots from his home across the street, Willeford grabbed his weapon, ran to the scene barefoot (knowing every second he delayed could mean another life lost) and exchanged fire with the gunman, wounding him in the leg and torso. When the killer jumped into his vehicle to escape, Willeford stopped a passing vehicle and followed in hot pursuit until the shooter crashed his car and shot himself in the head. Willeford says he’s not a hero. “I’m no brave man. I was terrified,” he said after the shooting. But, he added, “I was there when nobody else was.” Thank God he was. Here’s something else you need to know about Willeford. First, he is a long-time National Rifle Association instructor; it was his NRA training that allowed him to subdue the shooter. Second, the weapon he used to stop the killing spree in Sutherland Springs was an AR-15 — the very weapon gun-control advocates now want to ban. Without an AR-15, he says, he might not have stopped the killer. “If I had run out of the house with a pistol and faced a bulletproof vest and Kevlar and helmets, it might have been futile,” he said. Because of his weapon, his training and his courage, countless lives were probably saved. They could have used a Stephen Willeford in Parkland. Keep his story in mind as you watch the current movement to boycott the NRA and ban so-called assault weapons. In the wake of the Parkland shooting at least a dozen companies — including United Airlines, Delta, Best Western and First National Bank of Omaha — have joined the NRA boycott. Chubb Limited insurance even announced it would cancel a program, “NRA Carry Guard,” which provided insurance for NRA members who faced lawsuits for using their weapons in self-defense. When companies do this, they are not boycotting lobbyists in Washington; they are boycotting upstanding citizens such as Willeford. He and his fellow gun owners deserve better. The NRA is a grass-roots organization made up of millions of decent, patriotic Americans who believe that guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens make our country safer, not more dangerous. To suggest that it is responsible for what happened in Parkland is obscene. Police officers were called to shooter Nikolas Cruz’s house on 39 separate occasions since 2010. The FBI was warned about the shooter in January and failed to adhere to its own procedures to follow up. An armed sheriff’s deputy was on the scene at the shooting, but he failed to act. And yet somehow the NRA is at fault? Please. The NRA is far from perfect. I’ve criticized the NRA leadership’s resistance to legislation banning “bump stocks.” And there is nothing sacrosanct about the age of 18 for buying certain guns (or voting for that matter). But NRA members have done more to prevent gun deaths, and promote firearms safety, than any other citizens’ association in the country. When Democrats respond to shootings like the one in Parkland by demonizing the NRA and calling for a ban on weapons such as the AR-15 that are critical to Americans’ right to self-defense, they send a clear and unmistakable message to millions of gun owners across the country: We don’t respect you or your gun rights. This makes it harder to reach bipartisan agreement on solutions that could improve public safety without threatening the fundamental constitutional right of Americans to keep and bear arms. We all want to keep guns out of the hands of mentally unstable people such as Nikolas Cruz. But we should all want to keep guns in the hands of responsible citizens such as Stephen Willeford. That’s not the case today. Willeford deserves a medal, not a boycott. If corporate America can’t figure that out and continues capitulating to the NRA boycott movement, maybe it is time for gun owners to boycott them.

Agreed!!  And well said, Marc.  Author Marc Thiessen is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI).  Excellent!!     🙂

NRA accuses companies of ‘cowardice’ for severing ties under boycott threat

The National Rifle Association has swung back at companies severing their partnerships with the gun-rights advocacy group under the threat of boycott, accusing them of “political and civil cowardice.” In a Saturday statement, the NRA said its 5 million members would not be deterred after a string of businesses, including Symantec, MetLife, Hertz, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, TrueCar, and airlines Delta and United announced they no longer will offer discounts for NRA members, as the boycott campaign gained steam after the Valentine’s Day shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida. “The law-abiding members of the NRA had nothing at all to do with the failure of that school’s security preparedness, the failure of America’s mental health system, the failure of the National Instant Check System or the cruel failures of both federal and local law enforcement,” said the NRA statement. “Despite that, some corporations have decided to punish NRA membership in a shameful display of political and civic cowardice,” the statement said. Calls for an NRA boycott, egged on by activist groups, launched in the aftermath of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 students and adults. “The #BoycottNRA movement is working,” tweeted the Women’s March. “It shows, yet again, that activism works. To everyone reading this: Keep calling on corporations to cut their ties with the NRA. Our collective voice will win.” In response, the NRA accused the companies of trying to “punish our members who are doctors, farmers, law enforcement officers, fire fighters, nurses, shop owners and school teachers that live in every American community.” “Let it be absolutely clear,” said the NRA. “The loss of a discount will neither scare nor distract one single NRA member from our mission to stand and defend the individual freedoms that have always made America the greatest nation in the world.” Supporters came to the NRA’s defense by sharing photos of their membership confirmations. “Just signed up now. Not going to be bullied when it comes to the right of self-defense,” tweeted BizPac chief editor Kyle Becker. Gun-control advocates on the left have charged NRA officials with having “blood on their hands” following the Parkland shooting, while on the right, critics have pointed to the absence of action by the FBI and by sheriff’s deputies at the scene. CNN came under fire Friday after student survivor David Hogg called NRA members “child murderers,” and host Alisyn Camerota did nothing to challenge his assertion. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee called the corporations “cowardly,” while conservative actor James Woods said he would rethink his patronage of Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Robert Kuykendall, spokesman for the conservative corporate watchdog 2ndVote, accused the companies of “caving to the left’s misinformation campaign rather than addressing actual solutions that would prevent these heinous acts.” “Over 5 million NRA members and 2ndVote followers will now be looking for better alternatives when it comes to their next car rental,” Mr. Kuykendall said.

Exactly!!  As a proud, long-time, NRA member, I encourage anyone on the fence to become an NRA member.  Let’s shove it down the throats of these gutless corporations pandering to the fascist, anti-gun, activist mob out there.  No new gun-control law could have prevented what happened in Florida.  And, the NRA had nothing to do with that horrible day.  For these companies suddenly pulling their affiliation with the NRA is indeed cowardly and hypocritical.  Shame on them.  And, let’s be honest..  The NRA isn’t hurt by this one bit.  It’s the law-abiding, average joe members who get some minor discount through these companies that have/had an affiliation with NRA who are impacted.  So, let’s just take our business elsewhere!

Women’s March Surrounded by Armed Guards As They Protest NRA, Gun Rights

True to the left’s habit of having one set of standards for itself and another set for the common man, participants in Friday’s Women’s March against the NRA and gun rights were surrounded by armed guards. In fact, NRA TV showed Women’s March co-chair Tamika Mallory getting into a car with armed guards all around. Ironically, one of the protest themes at the march was, “Real Men Don’t Need Guns,” which is lefty talk for disarming the public while making sure high-profile liberals continue to live ensconced behind layers of armed security.

Exactly..  Guns, and law abiding gun owners, are evil….unless they’re protecting liberal fascist.  Typical liberal hypocrisy on parade.  And, of course, the dominantly liberal mainstream media (i.e. CNN, MSNBC, the NY Times, the Washington Post, etc) is giving them a pass.  Go figure.  Anyway, to read the rest of this article, click on the text above.