I've often felt that the NRA has little effect politically despite the noise you hear from the left. If you compare the contributions between the NRA and left-leaning groups, especially unions, the difference is night and day. NRA has less political clout than it wants people to believe.

I see the same thing with the AMA, American Motorcyclist Association. They've done absolutely zero in the past 30 years for public land access or other motorcycle related issues, choosing to concentrate on helmet laws.

The main reason people join either group is to participate in sanctioned competitions and training.