USA –-(Ammoland.com)- Dear Mr. LaPierre,
First and foremost I would like to thank you, the NRA and its members for defending our Nations Second Amendment Rights. I also thank you for sending me an offer to join the NRA.
From the first day I became a firearms owner I have wanted to very much become a NRA member and I still do.
However, I live in the state of New Jersey and I am sorely disappointed and embarrassed in the way the national branch of the NRA has abandoned my home state and its law abiding firearms owners.
This was disgustingly obvious during the 2013 hearings in Trenton NJ where gun owners were under fire and attacked by New Jersey’s so called lawmakers. I witnessed only our local Second Amendment associations such as ANJRPC and NJ2AS fighting to preserve our 2A rights in Trenton. Your national branches inactions continue to this day.
The national branch of the NRA has made a very strong statement via its non-actions that it is not willing to support and fight for its New Jersey members Second Amendment Rights. Rather, it has chosen to use New Jersey and other states as sacrificial lambs. An example of this is clearly printed on page fourteen of the January 2014 issue of American Rifleman. James W. Porter III wrote “Look at California, New Jersey or Connecticut where, prodded by the Brady Campaign and billionaire Michael Bloomberg, real bans criminalize gun ownership have become law”.
The fact that you know this and do nothing other than hang these states out to dry is 100% unacceptable and irresponsible of the NRA’s national branch. You may be wondering why I am referring to the NRA as the “national branch”.
I understand that ANJRPC, whom I am a proud member of, is the legislative branch on the NRA in NJ. The work that ANJRPC has done for the rights of firearms owners in New Jersey is outstanding. ANJRPC has done a great deal of work and gone above and beyond the call of duty to help fight the constant anti-2A battle in New Jersey.
However, given New Jersey’s current anti-2A political climate, ANJRPC cannot do everything. We law abiding New Jersey gun owners need the full strength and support of the NRA in the state RIGHT NOW.
You must also understand that what happens in New Jersey does not stay in New Jersey. Rather it slowly infects other states very much the same way a minor infection spreads and turns into a critical major life threating infection. Unless YOU and the national branch of the NRA and the force of its membership, take an active and aggressive role in helping the people of this state break free from the Second Amendment Iron Curtain, sooner rather than later the other so called “free” states will begin to crumble and become just like New Jersey.
You must realize that people from the free states move for various reasons. These people may start families in more restrictive states such as NJ and by default give up their rights 2A rights. Thus the NRA looses more members and unity due to its lack of support. In addition, as time goes on more anti-2A people move to “free” states and slowly begin to change and erode the mentality about firearms, which leads to the “more gun laws are better” mentality. As a matter of fact the NRA’s own home state of Virginia now has an anti-gun governor.
I am not alone in my feelings and there are many New Jersey gun owners that will not join or support the NRA for the very same reasons I have stated above.
In closing, I again thank you and the NRA for your membership offer. However, at the moment I must decline this offer until I see that the national branch of the NRA is truly willing to fight for New Jersey’s 2A rights and not simply looking to gain an extra thirty-five dollars worth of revenue while using its New Jersey members as sacrificial lambs. If you and the NRA are truly interested in preserving the Second Amendment Rights of our country and New Jersey’s citizens then YOU and the NRA will bring this battle to New Jersey, which is ground zero for the Second Amendment fight.
Sincerely,
Javier Rojas
Right on the money, as a life member of the NRA, I too am ashamed
of our NRA. They sure don’t hesatate to ask me for money to fight in other states, which I don’t give, I instead support the people doing the work the NRA should be doing. They also keep trying to get me to upgrade my membership and or donate to them, that will happen
when I see them in NJ fighting for us..
In answer to a number of respondents who think the NRA should hang NJ gun owners out to dry,, I remind you that not all of us voted for these clowns. My Assembly members voted no on this latest travesty. There are more non-gun owners in NJ than owners and most of them have no clue. I pay dues to the NRA and I expect to be defended. My gun club makes NRA membership mandatory and I don’t mind paying but I expect some action in return.
For every one that wants to downgrade the NRA I have this to say. Lose the NRA and there support in this country and you will be lucky to own a BB gun .
The people of NJ voted this trash into office and now your blaming the NRA
Freedom and Liberty starts with each one of us, not some group to shuffle the blame on to. The NRA is not perfect and believe me I can personally attest to observing where some changes need to be made, but the NRA is the biggest baddest dog in the house. And they do carry weight. If Javier or anyone wants to make a difference, start a movement to change NRA management. This one person crying in the wind doesn’t cut it. Get off your ass and get active. Lead a coalition like Neal Knox did years ago. It forever changed… Read more »
Look at the ‘winning court cases’ for the pro gun side, in the last ten years..After ‘a court victory on the ‘law’..what happens…the politicians outright refuse to abide by ‘any court decision and /or rewrite yet ANOTHER law ,so that a victory in court is just that …in court…Does anyone really feel that any pro gun law lately passed has protected and enhanced YOUR God given rights to be armed or free from harassment pertaining to your weapon of choice….as for the NRA…when they built their HQ near Dc…and compromised with ‘the Brady bunch’ and gun grabbing politicians…any victory is… Read more »
Total lie about GAO, etc. Regardless as BigR says, it is up to the voters go get the liberals out of office. The NRA like any organization must pick the battles it knows it can win or has a chance to win–the losers for Amerika like NY, NJ, CT and others which are controlled by liberal unions, socialists and worse, all sponsored, supported and elected by those citizens there is nothing the NRA or ANYONE else can do until the dummys in this country get it–and they won’t. Pissing away good money for a guaranteed no win situation is just… Read more »
the HORROR stories just keep coming about the NRA sitting on there ass and letting gun owners sink – it has been stated if it were not for GUN OWNERS OF AMERICA the NRA would have sold us all out and proposed a national gun registration
I’m in the NRA to make my voice heard. Maybe if the gun owners in NJ would start backing pro-gun candidates instead of the liberal socialists, then something could change. The NRA is trying to put out fires all over the place. They can’t do it all by themselves, we need to get a lot more vocal, and in the local politicians faces. As long as these libs keep getting into office term after, things “AIN’T” going to change. Do like the libs do, start demanding not asking. The longer this goes on the weaker we’re getting. Start acting now,… Read more »
With the NRA getting FAT from all of the new members, why would they want to stop a good thing. NY is in the same place as NJ. I have sent e-mails to the NRA and of course the NEVER answer. And I should belong to the NRA??? But I do belong to SCOPE. NY thanks the NRA for NOTHING……