President John F. Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” There has never been a truer statement. As an NRA member, you are doing a lot for your country by supporting an organization that defends your constitutional rights. When you defend the Second Amendment, you are defending all of our constitutional rights against those who try to chip away at them. This is why supporting the NRA is so vital.
The NRA has been protecting our Second Amendment rights since 1871, so we take it for granted that NRA will always be there to fight for us. But will it?
Being an active NRA member means more than just paying yearly dues or purchasing a Life membership. These dues are extremely important to the operations of the NRA. It is critical that the NRA has a steady stream of new members. For me, being an active member means seeking out and recruiting new members.
Every organization must grow its membership in order to stay strong and influential. This can only be done through recruitment, which is why every NRA member plays an important role. It is up to every one of us to recruit new members.
This concept reminds me of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) model, an organization in which I am very active, and one that is very focused on recruitment. Everyone from the youngest Cub Scout to the oldest of the volunteers is expected to recruit new members and expand the organization. BSA has a presence in the community, everywhere from elementary schools to community outreach.
The NRA, too, has a presence in the community, from elementary schools to community outreach. From promoting the Eddie Eagle program to providing instruction in safe firearm handling to the community, we are reaching potential new members. NRA Instructors and students are supposed to be “citizens of good repute.” Every student we teach is a possible candidate to become an NRA member.
I recently met two ladies who are staunch pro-Second Amendment and are the embodiment of NRA Women. I asked them if they were NRA members and they responded that they are not. When I asked them why not, they said that they did not know much about the organization. I happily explained what the NRA does and what it stands for. I then asked them if they would mind if I bought them each a 1-year membership. They both were very grateful and accepted my offer. This was a win-win situation. I now have two more NRA Women friends, they now belong to a great organization and the NRA gained two more members.
This is now a personal challenge, and I invite every other NRA Woman to do the same. I plan to find one or two women each month who are not NRA members and gift them a membership. Imagine how our membership would grow if every NRA Woman recruited at least one new member and gifted a membership every year, or better yet, monthly!
There are also other ways to help recruit new NRA members. Contact a local NRA Recruiter and see if you can help at a gun show, community fair or other large gathering where an NRA booth will be present. You can also contact your local gun dealer and make sure they have NRA membership applications available to their customers. If you’re an NRA Certified Instructor, reach out to your community by offering free firearm safety courses to Boy Scout troops, Girl Scout troops, new gun owners and other interested groups.
If you believe in what the NRA stands for and what it does, you need to help the organization continue to grow. The only way to do that is through recruitment. The NRA must increase its membership every year in order to protect our Second Amendment. Keeping the quote of President Kennedy in mind, "What can you do for your country?" The answer is: Defend our constitutional rights to ensure that our republic will endure!
By supporting the NRA, you are defending all of our constitutional amendments and our country. In other words, what can you do for the NRA? Recruit!
—Heidi Lyn Rao
