# I attended my first NRA banquet last night... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 17, 2014, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770 "2014-08-17T19:28:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cold\_Dish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@Cold\_Dish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cold_Dish)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/1 "2014-08-17T19:28:55Z")
I attended my first NRA banquet last night (my boss is a platinum sponsor). Very interesting, definitely entertaining. Intense bidding. The crowd was 100% Caucasian. There were about 1,000 attendees. I estimate 75%-80% of these do not hunt. Good food. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/2 "2014-08-17T19:34:13Z")
I’m assuming that dinner was ratatattatouille? Also, did you bolt your food? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/3 "2014-08-17T19:59:10Z")
Poster+content+thread title win. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/4 "2014-08-17T21:33:15Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I’m assuming that dinner was ratatattatouille? Also, did you bolt your food? Cheap shot, dude. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/5 "2014-08-17T21:50:39Z")
I thought cheap shots were kinda automatic in this kind of thread. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/6 "2014-08-17T21:58:14Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > I thought cheap shots were kinda automatic in this kind of thread. Semi-automatic, unless the mods put a muzzle on it. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/7 "2014-08-17T22:05:22Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Semi-automatic, unless the mods put a muzzle on it. You should be banned for a pun of that caliber. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/8 "2014-08-17T22:31:44Z")
This thread offends me, I demand that it be banned, no sunset clause…\*\* Or at the very least, suppressed… \*\* just making a bad joke here ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/9 "2014-08-17T23:51:41Z")
I’m a barrel of laughs. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/10 "2014-08-18T00:16:00Z")
There is a stereotype of gun show attendees that some comedians like Patton Oswalt have used in bits, that many are quite obese. Much more so than you might find in the crowds of other outdoor related sports shows. Did this crowd conform to that stereotype? ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/11 "2014-08-18T13:56:52Z")
Can we at least get a trigger warning in the title. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/12 "2014-08-18T14:00:29Z")
Did a lot of people get hammered? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/13 "2014-08-18T14:02:40Z")
Did the party go out with a bang, or more of a whimper? ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/14 "2014-08-18T14:04:31Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > You should be banned for a pun of that caliber. Pun-grabber! ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/15 "2014-08-18T14:08:51Z")
> [@Cold\_Dish](#): > > I attended my first NRA banquet last night (my boss is a platinum sponsor). Very interesting, definitely entertaining. Intense bidding. The crowd was 100% Caucasian. There were about 1,000 attendees. I estimate 75%-80% of these do not hunt. Good food. It sort of makes you wonder what the reaction would be if suddenly at an NRA banquet 30% of the attendees were young African American men wearing what white people consider to be thuggish gang clothing. Maybe I don’t give NRA members enough credit, but it seems a little like the school vouchers for religious schools crowd - I want my rights to protect me from them - forgetting that I have to give them the same rights and I might not be so thrilled about that. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/16 "2014-08-18T14:28:33Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > Pun-grabber! Let’s not go off half-cocked. ---
**Author:** ![Sterling\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/17 "2014-08-18T14:33:22Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > It sort of makes you wonder what the reaction would be if suddenly at an NRA banquet 30% of the attendees were young African American men wearing what white people consider to be thuggish gang clothing. This sounds like an excellent Dave Chapelle sketch. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/18 "2014-08-18T14:49:50Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > It sort of makes you wonder what the reaction would be if suddenly at an NRA banquet 30% of the attendees were young African American men wearing what white people consider to be thuggish gang clothing. Maybe I don’t give NRA members enough credit, Apparently, the NRA is race-blind: it doesn’t ask about race, sex or age. You might find [this thread](http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-59225.html) of interest. In particular: > [@SMLE on The High Road](#): > > It is also worth noting that during the worst days of the Civil Rights Movment, when blacks were being attacked. It was the NRA who helped train blacks to use firearms for their own defense and helped them protect their right to bear arms. > Charleton Heston even marched with Dr. King. Considering the violence of the time and King’s ultimate fate, is quite fair to say that Heston put his life on the line for civil rights. I wasn’t aware of either. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/19 "2014-08-18T15:29:15Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Apparently, the NRA is race-blind: it doesn’t ask about race, sex or age. > > You might find [this thread](http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-59225.html) of interest. > > In particular: > > I wasn’t aware of either. [The other side of the story when it comes to Civil Rights, Ronnie Raygun and the NRA.](http://www.salon.com/2013/03/03/the_nras_flip_flop_on_african_americans/) ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770/20 "2014-08-18T15:48:45Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Apparently, the NRA is race-blind: it doesn’t ask about race, sex or age. > > You might find [this thread](http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-59225.html) of interest. > > In particular: > > I wasn’t aware of either. Interesting and kudos to the NRA for being on the right side of civil rights, but the NRA of the Civil Rights movement is not necessarily the NRA of today. The rhetoric is different, the membership is different. Lots of black people own guns (something like 30% from a quick web search), but few join the NRA. I’m not slamming the NRA for that, they have a minority membership drive and would like to see more diversity in their membership - and I belong to several organizations that have the same issue - they are predominately white - not happy about it - but you can’t force minorities to join an organization simply to make yourself feel good about the membership. However, that also tends to mean that members of those organizations start to extrapolate - not always accurately. If my thought process is “Gun owners value their rights, the NRA protects those rights, therefore most gun owners join the NRA” (obviously a logical fallacy, but one that is oh, so human), I tend to look around an NRA convention, see a lot of white guys, and think “these people are like me” and therefore “gun owners are familiar and safe” (well, they aren’t, posit that I’m a white guy who owns a gun). If I look around that hall and see a more diverse population, including people that aren’t like me and who stretch my comfort level, I might get less comfortable. And this isn’t to pick on gun owners - one of my lily white organizations that would really really like to be more diverse is the Unitarian Church. When you go to a Unitarian conference (they have them) you see a bunch of Birkenstock wearing liberals eating off the vegetarian non-GMO line - and other Birkenstock wearing liberals think “this is an organization I can support - these people are like me and want the same things I do” (I am Unitarian, I am not a Birkenstock wearing, non-GMO vegetarian Liberal). If suddenly you got a huge swath of liberatarian Rand Paul supporters (and there are Liberatarian UUs, just not many of them) people might start questioning what the group stands for - do these people really represent me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-attended-my-first-nra-banquet-last-night/695770.md?page=2)