More from the NRA State Association Officer’s Handbook. We have been asked a few times about what a State Association can do for a club. The Handbook addresses this question.
The State Association can aid its affiliated clubs in three practical ways. First, it may establish Directors in various parts of the state to help organize new clubs, and to visit existing clubs. Second, the State Association can provide up-to-date legislative
information. The Association should keep all affiliated clubs informed of any changes in or news concerning gun legislation. Third, the State Association may
coordinate activities between clubs in different parts of the state. This prevents conflicts in scheduling and allows each club event to be patronized. Annual planning of events is a major service provided by the State Association.
Much of the current threat to gun owners’ rights is found at the local level. This fact places an additional responsibility upon the State Association in the area of local legislative action. Grassroots lobbying and effective one-on-one lobbying are essential to success at the local level, where grassroots lobbying takes on even greater significance.
First, the elected officials themselves often have little or no staff resources, and are frequently part-timers, making the kind of personal contact lobbying applicable at the state level, somewhat different at the local level. Second, in a town or city where a few hundred or dozen votes can often decide elections, the members of the municipality’s governing body generally pay close attention to constituent input.
State Associations are responsible for taking steps to increase gun owners’ clout at the local level. Having a finely tuned, quick-to-respond grassroots network is most beneficial at the local level, for the reasons noted above. Perhaps the best method for a State Association to increase legislative effectiveness at the local level is to urge local clubs to become more active and then assist them wherever possible.
Keystone’s viewpoint is that clubs are the lifeblood of the Second Amendment in our own backyards. We would like all of the five hundred and sixteen (516) clubs in Pennsylvania to become affiliated with the Association. If the Affiliation fee is a problem, send a note to President@keystone2a.org and we’ll work with you. It’s that important!
Next week we’ll talk more about competitions.