Here's a SHOCKER from the NRA!!!

They were VERY prompt in responding and they were very cordial. Here is the message they send to me:

Thank you for contacting the NRA-ILA. Regarding your comments, Congressman Ron Paul was invited to the National Rifle Association's Celebration of American Values. The NRA did not receive a response from him. As a result, there is no mention of your candidate in the article. If Congressman Paul had accepted the invitation, or contacted the NRA prior to the event, every effort would have been made to accommodate his appearance. In fact, NRA did work with a number of candidates who did not RSVP and we facilitated their appearance in person or via videotaped message. The same courtesy would have been given to the Ron Paul campaign had they contacted us. If and when the NRA has another candidate forum, we would hope that Congressman Paul would participate - either in person, or via videotaped message.

Best Regards,

Ryan Irsik

NRA-ILA

So they are off the hook as far as I am concerned. I think that we are so used to being shunned by mainstream organizations that we immediately assume that it is intentionally and malicious. Please email the campaign and inform them that this event took place without Ron Paul on the bill allegedly due to non-action on the campaign's behalf and they should in the future be involved in NRA functions.

Thanks,
Rich

I sent the NRA a letter and asked why Ron Paul was not listed on this page, and I got the following reply:

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your recent email.

Congressman Ron Paul was invited to the National Rifle Association’s Celebration of American Values. The NRA did not receive a response from him. As a result, there is no mention of your candidate in the article. If Congressman Paul had accepted the invitation, or contacted the NRA prior to the event, every effort would have been made to accommodate his appearance. In fact, NRA did work with a number of candidates who did not RSVP and we facilitated their appearance in person or via videotaped message. The same courtesy would have been given to the Ron Paul campaign had they contacted us. If and when the NRA has another candidate forum, we would hope that Congressman Paul would participate - either in person, or via videotaped message.

Thank you again for your email. If you have any more comments or questions, feel free to respond or contact us at (800) 392-8683.

Cordially,

Angus McClellan
NRA-ILA Grassroot

You're information is incorrect and very misleading. The NRA site you mention: http://www.nrapublication... is not the "NRA's online list of GOP candidates" as was stated in your message. For one thing, it has a Democrat (Bill Richardson) candidate on the list.

I called the NRA (800-392-8683) two times, getting two different people, and they both said that this website: http://www.nrapublication... only lists the candidates that spoke at the event - either in person or via satellite or tape. They said the website is event specific and only deals with candidates who attended/spoke during the event.

I then asked why Ron Paul wasn't invited to the event. Both NRA reps said that he was invited to either speak in person or via satellite. I then asked what was his response and they said they never got a response. I asked if they were sure that the Paul campaign received the invitation and they said yes. They said this event was made public far in advance and that it received public media coverage prior to it taking place. They said that all candidates were invited - both Democrat and Republican but Ron Paul was the only candidate that did not even bother to respond. (They said that even Hilary Clinton responded with a "no.")

I called the Ron Paul campaign (703-248-9115) and the rep told me that they never received an invite. I asked why the Paul campaign didn't contact the NRA in advance to get him on the speaker roster and the rep said that they contacted the NRA a few days before the event and tried to get Ron Paul into the event but they were told that it was too late. I asked the rep why the Paul campaign waited until only a few days before the event to contact the NRA and he said he didn't know. He said that "it could have been because someone in the Paul campaign dropped the ball or that there was miscommunication between the NRA and the Paul campaign." I asked him if there was any documentation of this fiasco documented anywhere on the www.ronpaul2008.com site (blog, forum, etc) and he said "no." I told him that it seems like the Paul campaign should have documented this somewhere on their site because now Ron Paul supporters believe that the NRA maliciously didn't invite him. He agreed that it might be a good idea but it won't happen because "it could have been the Paul campaign's fault, but no one really knows for sure."

I want people make up their minds regarding what happened and who is responsible. Unfortunately, based on the response I received from the Paul campaign, I feel like the national Paul campaign "dropped the ball" on this very critical event. I will continue my membership with the NRA and hope the national Paul campaign doesn't "drop the ball" again (allegedly).

It's not surprising since the NRA has actively sought out, and been sought out by the major arms manufacturers. SInce they make SO MUCH MONEY off of the War in Iraq, they surely don't want someone who will derail their gravy train being given ANY publicity by one of their bought-and-paid-for organizations!

xtrabigg++++++++++++++++++++++++

...indirectly. hell with being on another list. '-)

M. Raborn
I posted this earlier on another thread concerning the NRA but maybe it is more appropriate here.
I contacted the NRA today and received the same response as posted elsewhere.
Thank you for contacting the NRA-ILA. Regarding your comments, Congressman Ron Paul was invited to the National Rifle Association's Celebration of American Values. The NRA did not receive a response from him. As a result, there is no mention of your candidate in the article. If Congressman Paul had accepted the invitation, or contacted the NRA prior to the event, every effort would have been made to accommodate his appearance. In fact, NRA did work with a number of candidates who did not RSVP and we facilitated their appearance in person or via videotaped message. The same courtesy would have been given to the Ron Paul campaign had they contacted us. If and when the NRA has another candidate forum, we would hope that Congressman Paul would participate - either in person, or via videotaped message.
Best Regards,

Ryan Irsik
NRA-ILA

If this is true, this is a MAJOR ERROR on the campaigns part. The NRA is politically very influential. Many of their readers, follow their recommendations closely. This is a large voting block. Personally we have canceled our membership, because we were unhappy with some of the candidates they have supported in the past. However, this time it appears that indeed, it was Congressman Paul's own campaign that is at fault. I do not care to hear any more excuses about, being short staffed or being overwhelmed. It is the volunteers that are getting his message out and raising money. Can't the campaign simply respond to invitations. I guess not, because there have been repeated stories of the campaign staff ignoring inviations and not respondiing to calls. When Congressman Paul learns of such poor performance, I hope he will reorganize his campign staff and bring the campaign home to Texas where we understand effeciency and courtesy. Such reorganization is not unusual. Several presidential candidates have already gone through major reorganization in their campaign staffs. I just fear that Congressman Paul is not being informed as to how poorly his staff is performing. Because he is now getting all the attention and raising loads of money, he believes his campaign is doing a good job, however it is the volunteers that are having to overcome the short comings of his staff. (Now I do not need Jean Akin to tell me how professional the staff is. Check their resumes and tell me what qualifies any of them to oversee a national presidential campaign. Then check the FEC reports and I think you will find they are being paid above their qualifications, while they tell us we need to make more and more monetary sacrifices.) I will apologize if the NRA falsely accused the campaign staff, however, since this is such a common complaint, I think the saying "where there is smoke, there must be fire" is probably true in this case.

I called and spoke to them at the NRA and they were very civil with me. They explained that he wasn't listed because the did not attend the symposium that they were specifically discussing in the article you related. Please be careful about stirring up trouble with potential allies. The woman I spoke to on the phone explained that the reason they hadn't endorsed anyone yet was because the race was so tight that they hadn't made a decision yet. I am hoping that with calmness and civility we can win over new friends and old enemies.

Yours in liberty,

Austin Petersen

they'll realize that the NRA, like so many other organizations that hold themselves out to be a champion of a "hot topic issues", are just self serving money raising machines. They don't want problems solved, then they would have to give up the ship, and go away. I'd love to be a fly on the wall as the NRA executive committee laughs at their members, as they discuss ways to "push buttons" that will make them reach for their checkbooks. Folks, it's a science! It's not unique to the NRA.

People mean well, but are misled by leaders. This is an easy example of contempt for an organization's members. How in the world could the good old NRA not even mention the one guy who unquestionably supports the 2nd ammendment - hands down.

The NRA is bought off. They know that if Ron Paul were to be elected, the issue of the 2nd ammendment would be put to rest, and hence, NO MORE NEED FOR THE GOOD OLE NATIONAL RIFLE LOBBY. NRA members need to realize that a RON PAUL PRESIDENCY solves the issue.

Same logic applies to global military/construction/defense/embassy/financial/etc. interests. They don't want Ron Paul because once the problems are solved, their snouts are out of the public trough. Wouldn't that be refreshing. I might could keep my Fed Withholding Tax and use it for my family's well being.

If you are a member call write them a letter canceling your membership and instead go join Gun Owner's of America. The true no-compromise gun lobby.

It appears the NWO and Bildeburgs run the NRA. The only pro-gun rights candidate, Ron Paul is not listed on the NRA site. Time to cancel the NRA membership. Join the only organization that really cares about the 2nd Amendment, the Ron Paul Campaign!

I'm a Benefactor member of the NRA. Life member of the GOA. Life member of CCRKBA.......and working on life membership to the JPFO (Arron rocks...he is a true patriot)....
I have emailed the NRA twice. In this election, no one can hide. True colors will be shown. (look at the split in the Christian groups) The NRA is on notice. Their choice will be very very telling of just how pro-gun they really are.

Exactly why I prefer GOA over NRA, anyday.

As a staunch 2nd Amendment supporter, the NRA is nothing but a paper tiger. That is why I endorse Gun Owners of America. In Dr. Paul's own words, the GOA is "[t]he only no-compromise gun lobby in Washington."

Not very shocking knowing the nra. Ron Paul for President!!

With the attitude of the NRA hierarchy, we can expect a endorsement of Guiliani by them any day now. If the past is any indication of what they might do, this is very possible. They supported Bush I over Pat Buchanan years ago, and most of them still think jorge Bush is a great President. This fund raising, read;money making group has been led by a nose-ring by the neocons for the past 20+ years. The NRA is as hypocritical as Pat Robertson in his support for Guiliani.

Come on, the NRA is the cause of way more gun control than the Brady Bunch every thought of. The 1934 National Firearms Act, the 1968 Gun Control Act, The National Instant Check system....I'm sure I could come up with a few hundred more.

If you want to belong to a REAL gun rights organization.....join GOA

I'm glad somebody started this thread because I have been frustrated with the NRA too and wanted to share how I am voicing my disgust. All the fund solicitation letters from them get an extra box added that says "When the NRA openly endorses Ron Paul I will gladly contribute." I then check that box, enclose a slim jim with it, and send it back. Time to check out the GOA.

He's going to be added. For whatever reason he previously did not send them a video or appear at a convention so they didn't include him yet.

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Anyone who has followed the politics of the NRA for the past few decades from any veiw resembling objectiveness will do like I did. Yawn and look for anything new. The NRA is not an organization looking for members that take action, but rather those who are willing to throw their money down the lobbiest rathole. Every once in a while they throw the activist a bone and encourage members to write congress about one thing or another. Too little, too late.

NRA is just a feel good wanna be GI Joe loserish organization, dedicated to steal the money from your wallet by deceiving you into thinking they are good 2nd amendment defenders.

GUN OWNERS OF AMERICA

gunowners.org - Join now - Dump the NRA

Lets Make GOA the LARGEST GUN group in the nation.

"The only no-compromise gun lobby in Washington." -Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)

Ron Paul 2008, Join or Die!

DONT TREAD ON ME

AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN - WASHINGTON'S CRUISERS

As we all now know the NRA is bought and paid for(nuff said on that). There is one gun group that fights to help us keep our guns and that is http://www.gunowners.org . They work VERY hard to secure our 2nd Ammendment and I would suggest that you guys take a long hard look at these guys...They are the real deal!

"The only no-compromise gun lobby in Washington."
-Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)

Here's the two cents I sent:

Has the NRA lost its mind? The 2nd Amendment doesn't have a better friend than Congressman Dr. Ron Paul, and every liberty minded gun owner knows this. Yet you've left Dr. Paul off of your Presidential Candidates web page (http://www.nrapublication...). For shame! I can see America needs to form a New NRA; one that will not try to sell out to the phony conservatives, but stand for the truth.

Sincerely disappointed in the NRA,

my signature

This doesn't surprise me at all. The NRA has a similar fate as to MADD. Both have been turned into a business and both put politics before citizens.

Money, power, corruption doesn't just spoil governments.....

"What is the rationale or agenda behind omitting Ron Paul from your section on the 2008 presidential candidates and their pitches to gun owners? He has a peerless support record for 2nd Amendment issues and I'm disappointed that you have chosen to stab him in the back like this. If it was simply a terrible screwup, please correct it at once."

I am saddened as a Life Member of the NRA to see what has happened to this organization. They are selling out the 2nd Amendment across the board. The following is a copy of a letter I recently mailed to them regarding their recent political decisions. They responded with a letter filled with non-answers but they even claimed that Dr. Paul declines invitations from the NRA to speak at organized presidential forums.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

September 27, 2007

Mr. Wayne LaPierre
National Rifle Association
11250 Waples Mill Road
Fairfax, VA 22030
Re: Recent NRA political direction
Dear Mr. LaPierre,
As a physician and business owner I am always concerned about the health of the practice I run, the patients I treat, and the employees who make it all happen. As anyone who runs an organization large or small knows, it is important to keep your finger on the pulse of the concerns of all you serve. As a Life Member of the NRA I am taking the time to share with you some of my personal thoughts and concerns regarding the recent history of NRA political activity.
Those of us, who live on the Virginia side of the DC/Metro area, and indeed many around the nation, applauded the recent U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit decision in Parker declaring DC’s gun ban as unconstitutional. The fact that law abiding members of our nation’s capital now have the potential to have their God given right to self-defense restored is nothing short of monumental and we have one individual to thank for this effort. Mr. Robert Levy found the initiative to gather the appropriate plaintiffs and file the case as a private citizen whose “constitutional sensibilities” were offended by the DC gun ban. As a Life member of the NRA I find myself in the slightly awkward position of praising Mr. Levy while at the same time wondering why an organization as lauded as the NRA with its resources and mandate didn’t bring this action much, much sooner. I imagine there are many others in our organization who are silently asking the same question.
As a 1993 graduate of Virginia Tech I was pained to see the horrible images of the recent tragedy. My pain, of course, pales in comparison to the pain suffered by those who lost a loved one on that fateful day. Congress has decided that H.B. 2640 will be the response to this horrendous crime and I understand that the NRA is supporting this measure. I sincerely believe that H.B. 2640 will disarm large numbers of law abiding individuals and in the process, infringe on the medical privacy rights of all individuals through the creation of a centralized government-run database of medical records. Our rights as gun owners have been abridged multiple times over the past 80 years by Congress and as a Life Member of the NRA I wish to express my hope that this venerated organization will become more proactive in the restoration of lost 2nd Amendment Rights rather than becoming complicit in the face of a slow erosion of the individual Right to self-protection. The NRA would better serve the memory of the lost students by working to lift the “gun-free zone” restrictions that left all 25,000 individuals on an open 1400 acre campus as helpless targets rather than your current support for H.B. 2640.
Finally, the upcoming 2008 Presidential race will be upon us and many 2nd Amendment advocates are scanning the voting records and statements of the candidates as they relate to gun rights. ‘Inauspicious’ is the best word to describe our choices this election year. There is a candidate however who clearly has stepped forward consistently in the defense of Constitutional Rights including 2nd Amendment Rights for all individuals. This candidate understands that the 2nd Amendment applies to all law abiding citizens of the United States and the NRA’s glaring omission of Dr. Ron Paul in any of its publications strikes many as baffling. I fear that my beloved NRA, like my beloved Republican Party, has lost its way in the broader conservative movement for limited government, personal responsibility, and individual liberty. The fact that you chose to exclude the single candidate with the most consistent congressional voting record in defense of 2nd Amendment Rights from your “Celebration of American Values” forum highlights this dissonance. In this age of democratized information the lack of any recognition of Dr. Paul by the NRA does not serve this organization’s interest.
Until such time that the NRA redirects it’s priorities and once again focuses its efforts in a proactive way to advocate for the restoration of the individual’s Right to Bear Arms my political efforts (and dollars), will be spent with other organizations that prefer a more “no-compromise” approach to the 2nd Amendment.

Sincerely,

Deeni Bassam, M.D.
NRA Life Membership# 141395386

I became a NRA Life member years ago, in my idealistic youth at the same time I joined and supported the National Right To Life Committee. I got so involved that I went to both organizations national conventions within a two year period. By the second year I realized that they were more concerned about 'fund-raising' than in changing the downward spiral of our Nation. They are top-heavy, closed to outsiders opinions and are dedicated to continuing the status quo, not achieving their stated goals. I was a fool then, just as were many thousands of other patriotic Americans. Just as jorge Bush lied to, and sold us out with his crap about "compasionate conservatism".
Anyway, those of us still in the NRA have a duty to make our voices heard, for what it may be worth.

The NRA has foolishly downgraded Dr. Paul on their annual ratings because he doesn't support the federal government sticking its nose in state business whether it's pro or anti gun. This is the constitutional position and will result in getting gun friendly laws that will stand the test of time. The NRA is after pro gun legislation, constitutional or not, that will give them something to raise money from. Below is my not to the NRA:
To whom it may concern at the NRA:

I'm a lifetime NRA member who is embarrassed that the NRA would FAIL to include Ron Paul among your list of candidates friendly to gun owners! To put it more bluntly, I’m embarrassed for you and outraged at such a gross error on the NRA’s part. What excuse can you give? You have candidates with far less money (Huckabee) and polling far worse (Hunter) and you even have a Democrat governor who most likely wouldn’t support the 2nd Amendment were he not from a state that would quickly kick him out of office for doing so. Yet you fail to include a champion of gun owners everywhere.

I’ve been following Dr. Paul’s political career since he returned to Congress over a decade ago and have never been disappointed in him. I have, however, been often disappointed in the NRA’s support for Republican leaders who have been soft on gun issues (Hatch, Specter, etc.) over ardent gun supporters who are fighting for their seats. You pretty much tell GOP leaders that as long as they’re in power and pay lip service to gun owners that they have the NRA’s undying support come hell or high water. Ron Paul has been the strongest supporter of our Constitutional rights (particularly the 2nd Amendment) for as long as he’s been in Congress. There is no debating this; it’s a fact. For you to ignore his presidential campaign is an insult to members like me.

I’ll continue to enjoy reading the American Rifleman each month, but you won’t get any more of my money until you get your heads straight and at least give a fair chance to the most pro gun man in congress.

Regretfully yours,
A

OK, this may not look good for the NRA, but please consider backing off the flames. I have been a member of several decades and in my opinion have been the only thing preventing the feds disarming the rest of us. They took a lot of heat for standing up to Bill Clinton, Janet Reno, and the FBI hostage assasination team when they killed dozens of civilians in Waco. At the time...Daddy Bush was so offended by the NRA calling the situation what is was, murder, that he gave up his life membership in protest. Just a little history to keep in mind before doing anything hasty.

Even if they did screw up this time, please consider taking it easy on them.

Chairman

I have emailed the NRA to ask them if Rep. Paul declined their invitation, or if he was purposely left out/was denied participation. I made sure to include his impressive Congressional record on the people's right to bear arms. I look forward to their reply, or some quick, apologetic article explaining how this could have happened. I hope they're completely bombarded by demands for them to include Dr. Paul's stance on that most important of issues!!

http://www.infowars.com/a...

and sticks it to the NRA, someone (preferably the person that wrote this post) should verify why RP wasn't there. Was RP invited or not? If he was invited, did he decline to attend?

We do not need the NRA getting bombarded by us unfairly. Before somebody makes a post like this (that has the potential to incite many RP supporters) they should be responsible enough to clarify if -in fact- there is proof that RP was snubbed (in this case) or not.

The NRA can be a big supporter if we don't piss 'em off, or if they aren't in bed with the neocons.

-- All the Wiser

I couldn't get either of the email address you gave to work so I went to their website and they had a form to send them questions available

would seem to be clearly advanced by Ron Paul above all other candidates (like Right to Life) seem to steer clear of Ron Paul.
?
Interesting.....
But also not surprising considering what the NRA is really all about - steering gun owners toward all forms of gun control short of confiscation.
Gun Owners of America was always much better in their understanding and defense of the 2nd Amendment.

E-MAIL THIS ADDRESS publications@nrahq.org OR CALL (800) 392-8683. COMPLAIN ABOUT RON NOT BEING INCLUDED THEY INCLUDED ANTI-GUN RUDY,,,OR IS IT FLIP FLOP GUN RUDY CANT KEEP IT STRAIGHT

Ron Paul 2008, Join or Die!

DONT TREAD ON ME

AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN - WASHINGTON'S CRUISERS

The NRA takes their membership for granted. They know that gun owners are so scared that they will keep paying those dues, because the NRA is the last bulwark against the disarming of America -- or so the NRA *thinks*.

If there was a massive shifting of money from the NRA to the GOA, it would send a powerful message. I think that time has come. Don't just dump the NRA; transfer those dues to the GOA and let both parties know what you're doing and why.

---Signature---
Liberals want to be your Mommy. Conservatives want to be your Daddy. Libertarians want to treat you like an adult.
---
Stop the Thought Crimes Act (H.R. 1955) with one click: http://capwiz.com/jbs/issues/alert/?alertid=10528846

E-MAIL THIS ADDRESS publications@nrahq.org OR CALL (800) 392-8683. COMPLAIN ABOUT RON NOT BEING INCLUDED THEY INCLUDED ANTI-GUN RUDY,,,OR IS IT FLIP FLOP GUN RUDY CANT KEEP IT STRAIGHT

Ron Paul 2008, Join or Die!

DONT TREAD ON ME

AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN - WASHINGTON'S CRUISERS

This is nothing new, they were against him in his re-election bid last year and supported the anti-gun Democrat running against him.

Tim
In the MILITARY? Join my Meet-Up group
http://ronpaul.meetup.com...

I joined Gun Owners of America (GOA) as a life member!
http://www.gunowners.org/

Most people don't understand that the reason for a gun is to protect yourself from the government.

If they still don't understand tell them this.

The constitution no longer prevents US soldiers from firing on US citizens.

The president of the United States can declare martial law.

You can arrested without due cause and held indefinitely without trial.

The federal government can read your mail/email and listen to your phone calls without a warrant.

The above represents about 1/4 of the rights you have lost since 9/11.

Then I wrap up the talk with this.

"The only thing between you and a federal internment camp is about 60,000,000 gun owners."

Best to all,

T

The NRA is now a gun control organization,support the GOA:they don't compromise! Also support the JPFO: Aaron Zelman has all but posted his endorsement of RP on line.He has mentioned Ron several times in emails of late.