Welcome to our new members! Our Associationserves a critical role as the state-level delivery system for NRA programs and legislative information. The NRA depends on State Associations to promote firearms and the Second Amendment within their states and motivate NRA-affiliated clubs and grassroots volunteers to activate NRA programs in their local communities.
How do we do that? Our members step up and contribute their time, talent and treasure to make things happen. Are you a grassroots organizer who wants to provide information to local clubs? Do you like going to trap competitions? Is training your big thing? All of these types of activities and much more is what a State Association does.
What’s been going on in Pennsylvania? Well, lots of good things, but until Keystone, there hasn’t been a focus on coordinating all of this at a statewide level. Keystone is the glue that pulls all of these programs and activities together. It’s a big job, and volunteers help us make it happen.
About a year ago there was a push to make some positive change occur in our state. NRA’s Clubs & Associations Committee gave a handful of us the green light to begin organizing Keystone. With the savvy expertise of “our man in Harrisburg” John Kline, we put together a plan to move forward with the incorporation of the Association. Our attorney completed all of the necessary paperwork to become a registered 501(c)4 non-profit organization in June. Once we had a corporate identity we had to set up other necessary things such as our website – and we needed a bank account with credit card processing. This was our first major hurdle…who wants to bank with a pro-Second Amendment group? Worse, when we tried to set up an account with the credit card processing company, we were told flat-out that they would not work with us because we had “Rifle and Pistol” in our Association’s name. This statement came from a condescending woman with a British accent, and the irony of her geographic upbringing was not lost.
We overcame these hurdles. We reached through the NRA’s Business Alliance member’s list that contains pro-2A entities and found a group that would act as a go-between so we could process cards. They were so shocked about our experience that they gave us a much better processing price than we anticipated. We found a friendly small town banker who was happy to help us out. Our web designer completed her work and we have our fantastic site.
Once that whirlwind of activity was over, we had to wait for the NRA’s September 2023 Board of Director’s meeting. As a part of the process to become an affiliated NRA State Association, we had to be voted in by resolution through the Board. As a board member myself, I could not vote on the resolution to grant Keystone affiliation – and actually left the meeting early to catch a plane so that there was complete clarity about my role as an organizer versus board member. I came home to good news, and we were now affiliated.
As your President, I’ve been honored to meet a lot of great people who want to make a difference in Pennsylvania. We have a lot to do, and like many of you, I’m just a volunteer. Like many others, I have a full-time day job but having a functional State Association is important to me. I do a lot of other things too – I’m a Training Counselor certifying NRA Instructors, I attend a lot of Friends of NRA banquets, and always try to get some range time. However, we need your help. Maybe it’s as small as asking your club to become affiliated with Keystone. Maybe you want to help write articles. Let us know. Lastly, thanks for being a member!