NRA Dues Have Gone Up but Supporters Still Have Time to Save
As you are certainly aware by now, NRA membership dues have increased as of March 1st. New members who join the National Rifle Association and existing members who renew directly through NRA will pay the new rates. Despite the rising cost of pretty much everything else, these increases mark the first time that NRA dues have gone up in over two decades.
When the dues increases were announced, NRA recruiters – such as Team GunLink – were notified that we would be authorized to continue offering the old discounted rates until further notice. That notice has now been given and the cut-off date for the old discounted rates is May 1, 2016. After that date, we will still be able to help patriots join in the fight for Second Amendment rights with lower rates than those available directly through the NRA, but the big savings will be gone. We can offer our special rates if you see us in person at shows, shoots, shops, out on the street, or anywhere else in person, or through the online sign-up form here.
NRA membership dues still include the same benefits, including helping to fight for the right to keep and bear arms, a subscription your choice of NRA magazines, entry for you and your family into the NRAAM, discounts, and more.
Finally, to be crystal clear since there has been some confusion since the price hikes were announced, current NRA Life members – whether they are fully paid up or are still working on Easy Pay Life plan – will NOT have to pay any additional dues that they have already agreed to. If you are a fully-paid life member, you are still fully paid. If you are making EPL payments, you will continue to make the same number of payments for the same amount as you would have otherwise. Life members who wish to upgrade to Distinguished Life or other higher-level Life membership will now have to pay the higher rates for the upgrade.
What NOT to Wear to the Airport
Do you long for the days when people used to dress up for air travel? That big fella in the next seat wearing sweat pants and clipping his toenails isn’t the only one committing fashion faux pas at the airport.
TSA Public Affairs spokesperson Lisa Farbstein recently tweeted out an example of what NOT to wear when traveling by air.
A passenger at Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) recently came to TSA security checkpoint with high-heeled shoes with heels designed to look like revolvers and bandoliers of ammunition around the sides. And, of course, since accessorizing is important, the passenger also had a couple of bracelets with similar bandolier-like appearance.
According to Farbstein’s tweet, the passenger, unsurprisingly, experienced some delays in passing through the checkpoint.
Per federal regulations in regard to flying with firearms, realistic replicas and toys are not permitted in carry-on bags and must be checked. It may be debatable whether or not the shoes and bracelets are realistic, but this is undoubtedly why the passenger got held up at the checkpoint.
Is this taking things too far? Does TSA have better things to do? Or is this a reasonable stop? Share your comments below.
GunsAmerica Moves to Fill Void Left by Facebook Gun Group Shutdown
If you’re a firearms enthusiast and you’re on Facebook, chances are good that you might have belonged to one or more groups for discussing, buying, selling, and trading firearms. If so, you are probably also aware that Facebook recently waged a misguided war against such groups because they facilitated legal face-to-face sales between members (think ‘online gun show’). As of now, every gun group that Team GunLink members were in have been shut down and I haven’t talked to anyone who still has an active group (although they may be playing by Fight Club rules).
The shutdown of these groups has left a big void for individual private sellers to advertise their personally owned firearms for legal sale. There are options such as the GunLink Marketplace and the GunLink Local Boards, where users can post their items that they want to sell, buy, or trade, and we have seen former members of our groups scrambling to start up new sites to replace the groups. Now, according to their news release, GunsAmerica is tossing their substantial hat into the ring by offering free local listings that allow users to sell their firearms without fees to buyers within a 50 mile radius. Continue reading
NRA Show is Just Around the Corner
NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits Lands in Louisville May 19-22
Are you sad that you weren’t able to attend the industry-only 2016 SHOT Show in January? Cheer up, because the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits (NRAAM) is just around the corner!
The 145th NRAAM will be held at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, KY May 20-22, 2016. The show, which is open and free to all NRA members and their immediate family, features over 650 exhibitors covering over 475,000 square feet of exhibit hall space and offers a terrific opportunity to meet with representatives from the manufacturers and vendors of your favorite shooting, hunting, and outdoor gear, guns, and more.
The NRA Show also features numerous educational seminars, celebrities, and fun filled special events for the whole family. Visitors can spend the day exploring products from every major firearm company in the country, book the hunt of a lifetime in the outfitter section, and view priceless collections of firearms in the gun collector area. There will also be no shortage of knives, wildlife art, shooting accessories, hunting gear, ATV’s, and much more. Continue reading
Just What the Heck is MOA and Why Should I Care?
Zen and the Art of Better Shooting Through Understanding Minutes of Arc (a.k.a. Minutes of Angle)
Look straight out, toward the horizon. Now look straight up. You don’t have to be a rocket surgeon or remember every word your geometry teacher said to know that the two spots you just looked at are about 90° apart. There’s a pretty big swath of the universe between those two points – roughly half of everything that the Earth isn’t blocking your view of.
Now let’s pretend that you are looking down range at your blue target stand 100 yards away and it occupies, say, 1º of your field of view. There is an aerial view of this at right. Using the math that we all, of course, remember from trigonometry class, we can figure out that if the red line (distance to target stand) is 3600 inches (100y) and the brown angle (half of the portion of your field of view occupied by the target stand) is 0.5º, then the pink line (half the width of the target stand) is 31.41 inches wide (3600*tan 0.5º). Therefore, the blue target stand that occupies 1º of your field of view at 100 yards is 62.83 inches wide. Don’t worry, there won’t be a quiz on this part.
So, why do we care about this and what does trig class have to do with shooting? Because most shooters have heard of MOA (minutes of arc, or minutes of angle) and some of them even have a basic idea of what it means or, at least, pretend to when clicking around the adjustment knobs on their scopes. One minute of arc is 1/60th of one degree. If your blue target stand at 100 yards in the diagram takes up 1º of your view, then it is 60 MOA wide. If you can keep all of your shots in a 63″ circle at 100 yards, you and your firearm are capable of 60 MOA shooting. Congratulations, dead-eye! Continue reading
Brownells New Product Week in Review :: February 19, 2016
Paul Levy, Brownells product manager, introduces some new holsters available this week.
Eidolon Glock 19/26 RH 1.5 OverHook Struts Holster – At the core of the Eidolon is the holster shell. The shell is precisely fitted to the weapon on the inside and is smooth on the outside to work in conjunction with the body, belt, and clothing -in nearly any carry position- to maximize comfort and concealment. At the same time, the shell provides attachment points for a host of accessories to allow the user to tailor the holster for their specific carry needs.
Phantom Glock 17/22/31 Full Shield, RH Holster – The Phantom was designed from the outset to provide the highest possible level of concealment by being adaptable to wear with virtually any style of clothing. What makes the Phantom so unique is its ultra-thin, body-hugging pancake profile. This profile, in conjunction with the Eclipse Modular Mounting System, allows the Phantom to be worn either on the belt or inside the waistband. Pancake-style design minimizes bulk and distribute the weight of the firearm over a wider area on the belt.
Phantom Light Glock w/X300U Full Shield Black RH Holster – Light Compatible models now allow you to comfortably carry and conceal your weapon with a light mounted to the accessory rail. No more fumbling with a tertiary light, or carrying a rail mounted light with the vain hope of mounting it during a stressful moment. Your light is on the gun and instantly usable when seconds count.
VanGuard M&P Shield, Black Holster – Originally envisioned by Shay VanVlymen of Mindset Laboratory, the Vanguard is a simple, effective concealment tool. It covers only the trigger guard of the weapon, providing a safe way to store or carry a loaded pistol in situations where a traditional holster is not practical. It comes with a length of paracord that acts as a static line to deploy the weapon. Just tie it off to a solid anchor point, and a sharp tug will cause the Vanguard to pop free and leave your weapon ready to fire.
