There is no doubt that without the NRA, gun ownership in the United States would not be as we know it today. The Second Amendment likely would have long ago been hollowed out into a relic of history and would have turned into a tool of oppression wielded by anti-gun politicians. Gun ownership has always been the antagonist of systems such as socialism, communism and dictatorships.
Throughout U.S. history, whenever our government has attempted to limit a segment of the population from owning firearms, the NRA and its millions of members were there to stop it.
The NRA, like any organization, thrives only because of its membership. Strength in numbers sends a powerful message to politicians: Our Second Amendment is off-limits for infringement. Membership dollars are essential to not only help support legal battles trying to dismantle our gun rights but also educate the public about our firearm freedoms. The more NRA members we have, the greater our political clout.
There are many ways members can support the NRA by strengthening our numbers and increasing membership. Current NRA members can upgrade their membership, volunteer, become traditional, become a certified NRA Firearms Instructor, and become an NRA advocate.
Become an Upgraded Member
There are some members that are too busy to donate time, or they may not be close to areas where volunteers are needed. There are still ways these individuals can help, just by upgrading their NRA Membership or gifting one to a friend or family member. The different NRA Memberships are as follows:
Annual Membership (1-, 3- or 5-year)
Lifetime Membership
Life of Duty (U.S. military, law enforcement, and first responders)
Golden Eagle Advanced Levels of Support – Endowment Membership, Patron Membership, and Benefactor Membership
Specialized Donor-Focused Tiers called Sustaining Life Memberships (NRA Whittington Center) – Frontier Membership, Pioneer Membership, Prospector Membership, and Patriot Membership
Ring of Freedom Membership
The monies generated from these memberships sustain NRA’s Programs and membership drives. This is the easiest way to help the NRA increase their membership numbers.
Become a Volunteer
Becoming a volunteer is one of the best ways to help increase NRA memberships. Volunteer opportunities include competitions, youth events, women’s programs, setting up booths at gun shows, sporting goods stores, and conventions to promote the benefits of joining the NRA to recruit and enroll new members. Additionally, if you know of an event that might be a good opportunity for recruitment, but there will not be an NRA presence, consider doing it yourself.
A face-to-face experience is always the best way to reach and recruit new members. Adding the personal touch to engage in conversation and promote the benefits of joining to protect the Second Amendment so we can ensure the future of hunting and the shooting sports for many generations.
Become Traditional
One way to increase membership is to visit the once common tradition of giving a lifetime NRA membership when a baby is born. It was once a common tradition for the father or grandfather to buy the newborn boy a membership. This tradition needs to be restored with one modification—both newborn baby boys and girls should be gifted an NRA Membership, regardless of the parent or grandparent being the mom or grandmother, or dad or grandfather.
A tradition emerged in the 1970s during the NRA Annual Meeting whereby a formal recognition was in place to celebrate the oldest and the youngest NRA Life members in attendance at the meeting. In 2014 a baby girl was honored from Texas at just 5 days old, and in 2025 a 100-year-old World War II veteran was honored in Atlanta.
You can always start your own new tradition. Give an NRA Membership to anyone for any reason. You can do this in combination with Christmas presents, birthday presents, graduations or any other special occasions.
Become an Instructor
NRA Firearms Instructors are sometimes the unsung heroes when it comes to recruiting new members. This is especially true with NRA Training Counselors. When credentialing your ratings with the NRA, there are two different prices. There is one price for NRA members to activate their new rating. There is a different price for those who are not NRA members. The Non-NRA member price is much more expensive so many instructor candidates choose to join the NRA. For example, one week in February alone, I signed up eight new NRA members who were taking NRA Firearm courses I was teaching.
It is often said that the only time average citizens encounter individuals representing the NRA is through its instructors. Instructors should encourage their students to join the NRA. A good way to encourage students to join is to offer a small discount for NRA members who are taking your training.
All NRA Instructors should have a way of informing their students about joining the NRA and should have an opportunity for them to join right on the spot. The easiest way is to have students go to the NRA website and a “Get Help” chat box will pop up and offer membership choices, right from their phones, tablets or laptops. It is in everyone’s interest, especially to NRA Certified Instructors, that NRA membership numbers stay on the rise.
Become an Advocate
Becoming an advocate does not mean you have to plan and organize rallies and marches. Being an advocate can be as simple as taking pride in your organization. When our members show their community how much they support the NRA, it will become more mainstream in that area. Of course, it is easy to show support for the NRA in my home state of Texas.
The easiest way to display advocacy for the NRA is to wear NRA gear. All you have to do is go to the NRA Store and start shopping. General clothing and accessories are available to anyone but there are restricted items that only certain individuals can purchase and wear. Examples of restricted items would be specialized instructor apparel or patches only available to active and certified NRA instructors, coaches or Range Safety Officers. As an instructor, you are allowed to purchase items only for the discipline you are certified to teach, and your NRA number “unlocks” or verifies your certification status.
The NRA offers other items to show your support for the organization, like vehicle decals, coffee mugs, tumblers, etc. Imagine the message you would send if you donned your favorite NRA shirt, drove to work with NRA decals in full view on your vehicle, and walked into your office carrying an NRA coffee mug or tumbler. You just may recruit a new member or two for the NRA.
The NRA has been around since 1871. The best way to ensure that the NRA will be around for another 155 years is to recruit new members. The NRA benefits all Americans, not just its members. Protecting the Second Amendment and gun owners is the sole purpose of the NRA and the reason that all Americans enjoy this right.
Always remember, the NRA has always been there for us. Now it is time for us to be there for the NRA.
