NRA magazines

[marlinman93]

Get ready for changes if you get the NRA magazines! The NRA just sent out an email to all contributors telling them to stand down and not send any new stories in as they're reworking their magazine and have laid off a number of full time editors, and staff! They also stated they're considering going to online only, or quarterly instead of monthly magazines.
For those of us who paid a significant amount for lifetime or higher level membership this sort of ticks me off that I was promised a monthly magazine, and now will be getting something less.

[GunnyMack]

I was given a life membership when I turned 18 by my father. He continued as an annual member. We would swap hunter/rifleman every few years.
I've noticed the NRA magazines have really dropped in quality in my opinion. Seems like each month was less and less content I was interested in.
How many articles about ARs can a guy read!?

I was also a life member in North American Hunting Club, they did away with their magazine in the 90s, I haven't seen a stitch of anything from them in a very long time.

It's sad that this kind of thing can happen.

[Ysabel Kid]

That's funny, in an annoying kind of way. On the one hand I can see why they are doing so - the next generous (not all but a significant number) gets everything online. But when they first started offering an online version I signed up, and they were never able to deliver it consistently. Hard to believe with digital.

[Rockrat]

Been a life member for over 50 years. I get the annual issue that has the voting stuff, but nothing the rest of the year. Been that way for about 20 years

[Griff]

I was forced to join the NRA in order to compete in pistol matches while in the Navy... Upgraded to Life a couple of years after I got out, as it seems a good vawhen I could afford $25/quarter until the $300 was paid. Took advantage of a couple upgrades as well, when they offered "deals". When readership falls, advertising income inevitably follows, and as subscriptions will never cover the cost of production, so frequency of publication will be reduced... been that way with printed matter since the upsurge in internet "e-mags".

[marlinman93]

Our gun club requires everyone to be an NRA member. So if you're not you pay extra each year for the club to sign you up! So I still get the benefit of my life membership saving me annual NRA membership each year.
I did the American Rifleman for decades, then switched to the Hunter, but switched back after about 5-6 years. I rarely read everything in the magazines as my interests are pretty narrow. But I did enjoy getting the magazine every month.

[RIHMFIRE]

Just got mine this weekend.

[Bill in Oregon]

Got my monthly pamphlet a few days ago, glanced at it and tossed it. My interests are pretty narrow as well. Once you take the product-shilling and cheerleading pages out of an issue, there's mighty little beef left.

[marlinman93]

I also got my December issue, and no idea when the change will happen from monthly to quarterly, or if there's any plan to go online. I got asked years ago if I wanted mine online and declined then. I still would as I like reading a hard copy I can grab whenever I want.

[JimT]

I went totally digital when living in Mozambique. I like real books but got used to the digital during the years we lived there. It was far easier than trying to get printed material. In the American Rifleman I read the Armed Citizen column and scan the contents page. If there is nothing old school or interesting I delete it.

[Ysabel Kid]

I'm trying to decide now what to do with decades of old gun magazine. When I was in college I discovered a stash of my Dad's old NRA "American Rifleman" magazines from the 60's. I read those instead of my textbooks, and thoroughly enjoyed them. it was a look into the not-too-distant past. In fact, after reading an article on making paper cartridges, that started a life-long hobby.

Problem is that Y2K really doesn't want them, or rather, doesn't have the room to store them. And they are heavy. I just hate the idea of tossing them.

[AJMD429]

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If you want the NRA to do well, they have to balance spending money on lobbying, range-building, education, hobbyists, and 'marketing', and the magazine is probably under 'hobbyists' mostly, although I think plays a role in education as well as marketing - I switched my membership address to my 'public' office address, so it frees me up to leave copies different places (other doctor's or dentist's or laboratory waiting rooms, for instance). That also saves me from two consequences of having a pile of old NRA magazines - my wife isn't quite as inclined to kill me - and - I don't have to decide what to do with a suitcase full of them down the road.

Mostly what they need to do is weed out the waste - there seems to have been a bunch of cronyism and nepotism and other stuff that resulted in lucrative contracts for some, but wasted money overall.

I must admit I really DO like the paper magazine though (vs on-line), although the younger generation the NRA needs to reach may not feel that way, and THEY are indeed the future of the firearms role in America, so I'm all for getting them involved, even if it means transitioning from paper to online.

Maybe a 'quarterly' would be a good compromise. Probably save money overall even if the issues were much larger, just from postage savings.

ANOTHER consideration for us 'Life Members' - we probably will contribute less in the long run than we would have if we just joined as an 'Annual Member' and kept renewing. I feel kind of guilty in that I got my Life Membership so long ago and there is only voluntary contribution since then, but I do try to send at LEAST my "10% tithing" to the NRA every year, based on any firearms or ammunition I buy - but if I don't be disciplined and set it aside at or before such purchases, it is painful to do. And during the Obummer ammo panic I did fall off the wagon...

I know the GOA and SAF and other organizations are good too, so I actually kind of alternate which ones I contribute to.