NRA Telemarketing Scam - March 1, 2004

[Mini-14]

I received a telephone call from a NRA telemarketer this morning.  He first started by thanking me for being a loyal member of the NRA (which I am).  He then went on to tell me the following:

1. The President of the NRA, has written a book titled Shooting Straight: Telling the Truth About Guns in America, which the telemarketer alleged has been blacklisted by booksellers and the media. 
   
2. The NRA is working with the "National Library Association" to get the book into libraries.

I stopped the telemarketer at that point and told him that I had worked in a library for seven years, had a M.S. in Library Science, and worked for a leading producer of library management software.  I also informed him that I had never heard of the "National Library Association", and asked where the organization's headquarters are located.  The telemarketer said that he didn't know and that he would transfer me to his supervisor.

The supervisor then came online and admitted that there is no such organization as the "National Library Association", and stated that the reference to such an organization was designed to reduce the amount of explaining that was needed to get NRA members to take action.  I asked the supervisor exactly what action it was that I was being asked to take.  The supervisor said that I was being asked to donate $45 so that an autographed copy of the book (Amazon price is $19.57) could be donated to a public library in my public area.  The supervisor went on to explain that library "x" had already agreed to accept the book.

I responded by telling him that my experience with libraries is that they never agree to accept to donated materials, and that they only agree to consider a donation.  He then admitted that that statement was also part of the script that was given to him.

I told the supervisor that based on the last several days of events in Washington in which NRA actions were being called into question, that it is important for the NRA to tell the truth to its members, because when the NRA is caught in "little" lies, that everything they do cannot be trusted.  The supervisor said that he agreed and would bring this issue up with his supervisors.

I did not donate money to the NRA today.

 

[Shooter 2.5]

1. Gun Owners of America: $4,130,000*
2. National Rifle Association: $1,150,000**
3. Citizens Committee to Keep and Bear Arms: $1,020,759
4. National Shooting Sports Foundation: $200,000
5. NRA - Insititute for Legislative Action: $80,000**
6. Safari Club International: $40,000
7. Fifty Caliber Shooters Poicy Institute: $20,000

*GOA spends the most on lobbying; but spreads the wealth over their 5 in-house lobbyists. NRA and NRA-ILA combined hired 35 lobbyists and 6 different firms, spending $490,000 on their in-house lobbyists. CCRKBA spent all their money on a single full-time in-house lobbyist.

[El Gato]

There is absolutely NO evidence, that the above statement is not 100% correct, yet Mini14, feels the need to add "telemarketer alleged". Mini14 also offers NO evidence, nor any further discussion as to why he disputes this statement.

The fact that you can buy it on Amazon would seem to be prima facia evidence that it has not been "blacklisted by booksellers" You can also get it on Barnes and Nobel, thebookserve.com, in addition to Amazon and A bunch of other places

[RogueIsland]

Huh, I got that video too. Never watched it. I don't know if they've been hitting me up for money for it. I'm a life member and never open their mail anymore because it's always a fund raising letter. I donate when I feel like it by calling them up directly.

[Salo]

I've gotten a call like that recently from them, and one asking me to email them every time I see a negative story about firearms in the press. I told them to put me on a do-not-call list and haven't been bothered since. Pissing off members is a bad long-term strategy.

[Squantos]

Thanks for the info Shooter ......... Stay Safe !!

[Doohickey]

You're wasting your time with FairOpinion, FRiend.

[Shooter 2.5]

Those are interesting numbers the GOA and the Citizen's Committee have.
Personally, I don't care what they do with their cash. As long as they get the job done with results. I'm really happy for Missouri and I can't wait for New Hampshire to change to a no license required Green state. Next up, Kansas and Nebraska.

[FairOpinion]

Of course there is no "official black list", but I found that frequently book stores don't like to carry conservative books, and if they carry them, they put them somewhere way in the back on some shelf, to make it hard to find.

I remember something about O'Reilly's book at the very beginning that someone went to several stores and nobody had it.

[B4Ranch]

Trust, but VERIFY. That's what Mini did and you are jumping on him for it!

I'm the guy who doesn't trust the NRA, jump on me.

[Squantos]

I think when an industry is charged to fix roads then they survive on the potholes. Trust is not an option with regards to liberty. It must have checks and balances. If my questions is one of those checks then so be it......

Hope yer Well Friend......Stay Safe !

[FreePaul]

A scam is someone asking for a $45.00 donation for a $19.57 book which may be donated to a library. If the telephone exchange was accurately described this may be closer to fraud than scam. Unless there is something very unusual about this scam the telemarketer is going to get most of the money "donated" to whatever cause. If an organization lends themselves to this kind of operation then they are part of the scam. My first thought would have been that this was not connected to the NRA and I would have called them to find out. If they were involved I would have told them what I thought of their scam.

Before we started monitoring our calls we were regularly solicited by telemarketers representing police agencies, alleged charitible organizations and others. These were scams where the telemarketer kept ninety percent or more of the gross revenue. In some cases the agency lending their name to these scams got nothing.

[edwords]

Yeah, well, one of my definitions of a scam is receiving an unsolicited video and then letters demanding payment. I belong to numerous trade groups, hobby groups and so on, but the NRA is the only one to pull a stunt like that on me. Shame on them for abusing members who simply want their voices heard on an important issue.

[B4Ranch]

Pissing off members is a bad long-term strategy.

What makes you think they are concerned with long term? What would it take for the President to issue a national security order that all longarms shall be confiscated immediately. A simple treaty with the UN and Bingo, it's done.

[Inyo-Mono]

"...I found that frequently book stores don't like to carry conservative books, and if they carry them, they put them somewhere way in the back on some shelf, to make it hard to find."

How true. I live in a small town with only one little book store, so first thing I do when I go out of town is hit the big book stores. When I was in Sacramento last year I went into a Barnes & Noble store and asked the clerk where his books on guns where located. He looked at me like I'd just urinated on the carpet and said "Guns? We don't have any books on guns!"