NRA members are truly changing the entire culture surrounding our Second Amendment rights.
Most everyone is familiar with our political influence in Congress, the states, the courts and in elections. There is no single-issue organization in history that can match our winning track record in these arenas. The media fixates on it, so most folks are aware.
But there is so much more we NRA members do that you’ll never hear about in the media. And all of it is essential to our mission to cultivate a culture that not only appreciates our Second Amendment freedom, but reveres and defends it.
Take our Friends of NRA dinners, for example. I’ll never forget attending the very first Friends of NRA event nearly 30 years ago. My heart was filled with patriotism and pride to be surrounded by so many good, generous, hard-working people from all walks of life. Families stood side by side with business leaders, teachers, farmers, doctors, law enforcement and first responders, watching veterans lead the color guard. All of us were united in the cause of freedom.
Together, with our hands on our hearts, we proudly recited the Pledge of Allegiance, said a prayer and enjoyed a spectacular evening of fellowship. We took tremendous pride in the knowledge that our efforts that night would help grow support for our Second Amendment rights.
What started with a single event has now grown to hundreds of Friends of NRA gatherings and dinners taking place each year. In communities from coast to coast, each of these events shines as a beacon of hope that America’s best days are still in front of us.
NRA members also help provide dozens of world-class shooting, hunting, education, training and gun-safety programs that reach countless Americans—young and old, and from all walks of life.
All across the country, more than 100,000 NRA certified instructors provide an invaluable service in their communities by training gun owners at every level—from the millions who become first-time gun owners each year, to experienced marksmen seeking to advance their skills. In fact, NRA is nationally recognized as the gold standard for safe, ethical and responsible firearm training.
Our Eddie Eagle GunSafe program has been saving lives and keeping children safe for more than three decades now. Developed by a world-class team of professional educators, curriculum specialists, school administrators, law-enforcement officials and NRA firearms-safety experts, this world-class program teaches children what to do if they encounter a gun: Stop; Don’t Touch; Run Away; Tell a Grown-Up.
In addition, our NRA School Shield program helps deliver the very best in security, infrastructure, technology and personnel recommendations to our nation’s schools.
No other membership organization invests more in helping support and train our nation’s police officers. From our Law Enforcement Firearms Training program to hosting the National Police Shooting Championship each year, NRA members truly back our men and women in blue.
We also empower women nationwide through our NRA Women’s programs. Thousands of federal, state and local law enforcement officials utilize our Refuse To Be A Victim seminars in crime prevention and community-policing strategies. Our Women On Target shooting clinics provide a safe and friendly environment for women who want to learn everything from basic firearms safety to advanced marksmanship.
Our world-class hunter-safety course is now provided free in 13 states—with more on the way! NRA members also help fund range protection and development grants, so more Americans nationwide can have access to safe places to train and shoot. We sponsor dozens of competitions and shooting events across the country each year. Through our partnership with USA Shooting, we also give critical support to the USA Olympic Shooting Team. Our annual Great American Outdoor Show is the largest of its kind in the world, offering 14 days of seminars, classes and events for outdoors enthusiasts each year.
And all of this is just the tip of the iceberg!
You and I know that for as long as there are anti-gun media moguls, Hollywood elites and billionaires attacking our Second Amendment rights, there will always be a sinister force pulling our fellow citizens in the wrong direction—a force prying them away from the principles, values and freedoms that make our nation exceptional among all others.
But as long as there is a strong NRA pulling in the opposite direction, connecting with our fellow Americans in the myriad ways I mention above, we can ensure that our freedoms will be honored, cherished and defended for years to come.
That’s why you and I can always carry our NRA membership cards with pride, but also with the full knowledge that we, more than anyone, are changing the culture in favor of freedom.
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