Life

Well, I did it. On Tuesday, I paid the final installment on my NRA life membership. That's right--you can now only get my NRA membership card away from me when you pull it from my cold, dead hands.

This was not easy for me--and I'm not referring to the anorexic quality of my finances, after my purchase of the "SNBI Militia CQB Special" ( ;-) ). No, what made it difficult for me to consummate my relationship with the NRA (speaking figuratively here--get your minds out of the gutter) is that I am rarely happy these days with the direction in which the NRA seems to be headed. I won't bore anyone with the details now--I've aired my complaints about the NRA often enough that all three of my regular readers must have the gist by now.

There are more than a couple people for whom I have enormous respect who actually see the NRA (or NRA leadership, anyway) as traitors to the cause of gun rights advocacy. I'm not ready to go that far--I see Cox and LaPierre more as Neville Chamberlain types than Vidkun Quislings. Then again, a Neville Chamberlain or two can do a hell of a lot of damage, too.

And still, I did it. While on the subject of "still," I'm also still not sure if I've done the right thing. In my defense, I'm also a life member of GOA, CCRKBA, and SAF. I'd probably do a life membership to JPFO, if they offered an installment plan (why don't they, anyway?). As mentioned yesterday, I'm also intrigued with the National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR), who seem to share my unhappiness with the NRA, and it would probably be more surprising if I don't end up soon joining them, than if I do. I figure my support of those less "polite" groups might help (to some degree) to offset the hypocrisy of becoming a life member of a group that I have a habit of "bashing," according to some people.

The real reason I completed the process (aside from inertia, and the fact that I didn't particularly want the money invested in the membership, before my disillusionment, to be wasted) is that it wasn't that long ago that with guys like Neal Knox at the helm, the NRA was the kind of organization that could warm even the cold, black heart of an "SNBI" zealot like me. I'd like to think that it can be restored to that kind of organization . . . and now I have a vote.

And to think that I've been accused of being unwilling to work within the system.