Tennessee Firearms Assoc. Inc.

One of the most important tasks for TFA is to cultivate a knowledgeable and active membership base. We have worked quite hard on distributing and promoting the sharing of information. We need to expand as much as possible the membership base. It is my firm belief that we will not achieve independent success with legislative matters or in our goals to broaden the goals of TFA unless we can achieve through membership size what the NRA has done in terms of legislative attention and group diversity. Keep in mind, TFA is not just about carry permits, we want to promote all aspects of firearms activity and interests.

What membership level would give us real clout on the hill?

Hard to say if we are talking sheer numbers because what I perceive to be more important is the number of active members who will call legislators, make appearances to testify, make personal contacts when the legislature is not in session, and donate funds to the PAC. Legislators are driven by the perception of voter/constituent interest in an issue - take for example the anti-tax crowds around the legislature in 2001 and 2002.

It is important to recall that one of the most important things to legislators is making sure that they are re-elected. For this reason, the legislators who perceive that the firearms issue is important in their districts are very concerned about positive NRA rating and the NRA's ability to send postcards to its members endorsing specific individuals. Some legislators perceive themselves to be in areas that are not influenced by firearms ownership (e.g., McMillan, Briley, and Naifeh) and therefore do not seem too concerned over their relationship with gun owners.

What's it going to take - perhaps at least 1000 or so politcally active members.