Is GOA the New NRA?

Image courtesy facebook.com/GunOwners

Gun Owners of America isn’t new, but its level of outreach just might be.

As we noted in our last edition of Guns & Gadgets Daily, the New York Attorney General’s case against the NRA has been (mostly) won … and the NRA is currently in limbo waiting for Judge Cohen to rule on “remedies.” In the meantime, the NRA continues to hemorrhage member donation money in legal fees even as the 2024 election heats up. But US politics abhors a vacuum almost as much as Nature does. Gun Owners of America (GOA) seems to be making a play for the top spot as America’s Second Amendment defender, with two huge announcements in the last week.

First, the organization is holding its first-ever national convention, the Gun Owners Advocacy and Leadership Summit (GOALS), which will take place in mid-August in Knoxville, Tennessee.

This two-day weekend event is expected to draw tens of thousands of attendees and will feature speeches from leaders in the gun rights movement, educational panels, meet and greet sessions, and musical performances from major artists. Additionally, the convention’s festivities will kick off on Friday August 16th with an exclusive industry expo for manufacturers, retailers, and other firearms businesses. GOA is also excited to share that all attendees will be able to lawfully carry while in attendance.

Second, we have this announcement: GOA is holding its inaugural GOA/Empowered 2A National Women’s Range Day in Grapevine, Texas, on March 9th. It’s a new way to celebrate women’s empowerment this International Women’s Day weekend.

The GOA Empowered 2A National Women’s Range Day will be celebrated at Texas Gun Experience–a 35,000 sq. ft range in Grapevine, Texas, that includes a massive retail and firearm rental selection, high-tech shooting stalls, and a robust selection of machine gun rentals.

Ticketholders will have full access to fifteen 25-yard. lanes and six, 50-yard. lanes for target practice and training, and plenty of time to sample the plethora of handgun and rifle rentals available.

The tickets for the Women’s-Only range day are only $20 and will include an all-access day pass to celebrate our Empowered 2A motto: Gun rights are women’s rights!

The ticket price will include all firearm rentals, ammunition, and full access to all training lanes. Ladies in attendance will have the opportunity to meet with female advocates and leaders in the Second Amendment space and get advice on how to proceed in their concealed carry journey. Each woman will receive a complimentary GOA yearly membership with their ticket. The event will allow women to shoot with the firearms of their choice and learn how to be an effective advocate for the Second Amendment through seminars that teach advocacy the GOA ,”No-Compromise” way.

Is GOA the new NRA? For years, they’ve touted their “no-compromise” approach to the Second Amendment, but have always taken a backseat to the much larger and more powerful NRA. Now that the NRA is on the ropes, will GOA’s purist attitude win out over the NRA’s “half a loaf is better than none” way of lobbying? Only time will tell … but your ideas in the comments will give everyone a clue.