Rei now

elkduds

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Joined
Jun 22, 2016
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956
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CO Springs
I'm looking into an REI membership because of their politics on public lands, and their resistance to the NRA. I have disagreed w NRA on limiting access to military-style weapons for 30 years, also on claiming to speak for hunters while remaining silent on PLT and campaigning on behalf of its advocates. I think the NRA-sponsored push for universal reciprocal concealed carry defies the right of states to determine their own concealed-carry policy. I am convinced the NRA gets most of its direction from gun/ammo manufacturers, the majority of which are not American and see 2A as strictly a business opportunity to provoke paranoia among the flock. That is how I am voting, w my $ and @ the ballot. And, among hunters and gun owners, I am not alone.
 
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Messages
495
Location
Colorado
Considering the false statements in your first post, I wouldn't come down too hard on anyone else. You were close on AR being an abbreviation for Armalite. AR= Armalite Rifle. Machine guns aren't illegal, they are perfectly legal to own if you have a lot of disposable income and go through the 6 month to 1 year process to transfer one, along with the tax stamps and signing of on the local sheriff being able to inspect your premises at any time. True, the military has automatic weapons, but the term "assault" doesn't describe any weapon, but an action. It's a made up term by the liberal media. If you want to preach to others, look in the mirror first.

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Signing of the local sheriff to inspect your premises is complete and utter bullshit. Not sure who told you that. Yes a signoff may be required (not for a trust) but "inspect premises" is internet BS. Machine guns are illegal or legal depending on the state you reside in. Just helping clear up the false statements.
 

hflier

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Classified Approved
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Mar 18, 2012
Messages
3,293
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Tulsa, OK
I'm looking into an REI membership because of their politics on public lands, and their resistance to the NRA. I have disagreed w NRA on limiting access to military-style weapons for 30 years, also on claiming to speak for hunters while remaining silent on PLT and campaigning on behalf of its advocates. I think the NRA-sponsored push for universal reciprocal concealed carry defies the right of states to determine their own concealed-carry policy. I am convinced the NRA gets most of its direction from gun/ammo manufacturers, the majority of which are not American and see 2A as strictly a business opportunity to provoke paranoia among the flock. That is how I am voting, w my $ and @ the ballot. And, among hunters and gun owners, I am not alone.

Wow, all I can say on that one.


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Trial153

WKR
Joined
Oct 28, 2014
Messages
8,187
Location
NY
Came across this today. Thought it might be relevent.
Think Before You Boycott: Guns, Public Land, and Vista Outdoor | Outdoor Life


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highlights the short sightedness and a aloftness of the REI statement and postion even more. Sadly this is not confined to the left as we have both sides of most issues today more concerned with being seen a right rather then identifying issue and working toward solutions.

In anyevent after some more thought i went ahead and canceled my membership in the coop. I am sure my email will fall on deaf ears in the least or maybe it might even be welcomed and members ship from people like me looked at as opposition and not really welcome anyway.
 

Northernpiker

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Jan 22, 2015
Messages
1,780
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Eau Claire, Wi.
Canceled and emailed them that I was disappointed in their stance on gun manufacturers. I believe, because the anti's are more vocal and have the media advantage we need the NRA to stand strong. And it's not just the AR's the anti's are after, read their proposals!
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Messages
3,158
I believe I read where 26,000 REI Co-Op members signed the petition urging REI to take a stand on Vista Outdoors. I wonder if any similar petition urging or even pressuring REI, Dick's, Field & Stream, LL Bean or Fred Meyer (Kroger Corp) to support gun ownership was started by any gun-owning customer(s) and widely supported by gun owners?

I sometimes sense a motivational problem amongst us gun owners. We tend not to respond until the threat is imminent, and then we depend on the NRA or some other org to ride in and kick butt. The anti-gun movements have always had plenty of grassroots motivation, but not enough cohesiveness to beat down the doors in the battle over gun rights. Lots of apathy right now, with a GOP president and congress. It's almost like, "We don't need to be too worried....this will blow over too". I don't know when the perfect storm is coming but I think it's headed our way some day. I hope not.
 
Joined
Mar 13, 2017
Messages
1,086
Location
Chico, California
I'm looking into an REI membership because of their politics on public lands, and their resistance to the NRA. I have disagreed w NRA on limiting access to military-style weapons for 30 years, also on claiming to speak for hunters while remaining silent on PLT and campaigning on behalf of its advocates. I think the NRA-sponsored push for universal reciprocal concealed carry defies the right of states to determine their own concealed-carry policy. I am convinced the NRA gets most of its direction from gun/ammo manufacturers, the majority of which are not American and see 2A as strictly a business opportunity to provoke paranoia among the flock. That is how I am voting, w my $ and @ the ballot. And, among hunters and gun owners, I am not alone.
i actually sent the board an email thanking them for taking a stand.
 
Joined
Mar 13, 2017
Messages
1,086
Location
Chico, California
Considering the false statements in your first post, I wouldn't come down too hard on anyone else. You were close on AR being an abbreviation for Armalite. AR= Armalite Rifle. Machine guns aren't illegal, they are perfectly legal to own if you have a lot of disposable income and go through the 6 month to 1 year process to transfer one, along with the tax stamps and signing of on the local sheriff being able to inspect your premises at any time. True, the military has automatic weapons, but the term "assault" doesn't describe any weapon, but an action. It's a made up term by the liberal media. If you want to preach to others, look in the mirror first.

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The funny thing is early in the life of the AR the gun industry was perfectly happy using the term assault rifle. I think my first bushmaster (yes I owned a couple at one time) had the word the assault rifle written right on the box it came in. Aside from that. No one on the left gives a rats ass what it is called. Fine call them something else if you like. getting worked up over the nomenclature is silly. Everyone gets it by now. AR does not mean assault rifle. I do not think i have even heard many on the left argue that. It seems to be a red herring answer to an argument that doesn't exist. Most of the world has defined the broad term "assault rifle" one way. It has a fairly specific meaning, but it is a pretty loose description. People are tired of seeing schools, churches, malls...wherever, shot up with semiautomatic rifles. This type of weapon is damn good at doing that. they are easy to shoot, they put a ton of lead downrange fast and for the most part they are idiot proof. I swear i could teach a 10 year old girl who has never fired a gun in her life to get off a ton of shots extremely fast and i could do it in less than a day. There are not a lot of guns you can say that about. sure, individual bullets from any gun are just as deadly. But the simple fact is that an AR15 platform makes it incredibly simple to kill/wound a ton of people. and we have made it incredibly simple for people who have no business owning these rifles to acquire these guns. As a father, a husband to a wonderful wife who is a principal at a school, and as a human i have had enough. I can hunt anywhere in the world with a gun that holds 3 rounds. I do not understand the love affair with this rifle. Yes i owned them, had fun with them. call me a hypocrite if you want. But, I saw why it was a problem. I no longer own one, and I don't feel anything lacking in my life because of it.
 

jmden

WKR
Joined
Aug 24, 2015
Messages
652
Location
Washington State
highlights the short sightedness and a aloftness of the REI statement and postion even more. Sadly this is not confined to the left as we have both sides of most issues today more concerned with being seen a right rather then identifying issue and working toward solutions.

In anyevent after some more thought i went ahead and canceled my membership in the coop. I am sure my email will fall on deaf ears in the least or maybe it might even be welcomed and members ship from people like me looked at as opposition and not really welcome anyway.

Yes, if anything this pokes more holes in REI's foolish new stance. And, if REI is receiving nearly 11 million from Pittman-Robertson funds (must be for projects they are involved with?), since that money comes from sales of firearms/ammo, REI is shooting themselves in the foot in regards to keeping this money flowing as their stance is designed in reduce gun/ammo sales which is exactly where that 11 million comes from for them to do lands projects! Right? And they are helping to drive a wedge,if the article is correct, between hunters and other outdoor recreationalists at a time when we need to stick together on public lands issues to a significant degree.

Whole thing still seems like a dumb move on REI's part...it certainly does not help what should be their main goal...to enhance and reclaim lands/habitat. Helps to drive a wedge instead. They certainly seem to have lost focus their mission in this regard by foolishly stepping into a debate that is really a step or two removed from their business and environmental 'goals'. Just really have to wonder about the politics of those in charge at that company. Be interesting to be a fly in the wall at a board meeting.

I remember many years ago when and REI store moved in locally to me. Mom an Pop outdoor stores locally were not happy and quite concerned. They call REI the 'Evil Empire'. And, more than one of these Mom and Pop stores closed down soon after REI moved in. Just couldn't compete. The 'empire' is now throwing their weight around in a way that really seems to lack common sense on several levels. Why does that kind of thing not surprise me anymore?
 

Trial153

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Joined
Oct 28, 2014
Messages
8,187
Location
NY
one Thing i do agree on ...The Assault rifle Semantics from our side does us no good, in fact it makes us look petty and lacking substance.
 

jmden

WKR
Joined
Aug 24, 2015
Messages
652
Location
Washington State
The funny thing is early in the life of the AR the gun industry was perfectly happy using the term assault rifle. I think my first bushmaster (yes I owned a couple at one time) had the word the assault rifle written right on the box it came in. Aside from that. No one on the left gives a rats ass what it is called. Fine call them something else if you like. getting worked up over the nomenclature is silly. Everyone gets it by now. AR does not mean assault rifle. I do not think i have even heard many on the left argue that. It seems to be a red herring answer to an argument that doesn't exist. Most of the world has defined the broad term "assault rifle" one way. It has a fairly specific meaning, but it is a pretty loose description. People are tired of seeing schools, churches, malls...wherever, shot up with semiautomatic rifles. This type of weapon is damn good at doing that. they are easy to shoot, they put a ton of lead downrange fast and for the most part they are idiot proof. I swear i could teach a 10 year old girl who has never fired a gun in her life to get off a ton of shots extremely fast and i could do it in less than a day. There are not a lot of guns you can say that about. sure, individual bullets from any gun are just as deadly. But the simple fact is that an AR15 platform makes it incredibly simple to kill/wound a ton of people. and we have made it incredibly simple for people who have no business owning these rifles to acquire these guns. As a father, a husband to a wonderful wife who is a principal at a school, and as a human i have had enough. I can hunt anywhere in the world with a gun that holds 3 rounds. I do not understand the love affair with this rifle. Yes i owned them, had fun with them. call me a hypocrite if you want. But, I saw why it was a problem. I no longer own one, and I don't feel anything lacking in my life because of it.

It's an easy but wrong target. Understandable. To be somewhat consistent, you'd need to apply this logic to alcohol or several other such things as well that litterally kills hundreds of times more people than ARs do. Hammers/clubs kill more people every year than all rifles, let alone just ARs. Don't bring knives into the equasion...oh my. Vast majority of 'gun' deaths are suicide. Etc. Etc. End gun free zones where all these horrible events happen. Actually make sure there will be armed resistance against killers that try this. Most everywhere else, we would protect our kids and could do so with firearms if necessary. Many states have already implemented volunteer teachers being trainsed and armed with concealed weapons.

Take away/ban the a rifle owned of untold millions because of a terribly small percentage of people's insane actions? Why not put effort into enforcement that so failed us at Parkland in several ways, school districts insentivized by the Promise Program to not properly deal with crimes committed by kids at school, making sure the the NICS check is participated in by all states, etc., etc., etc. Better mental health. Work on the opoid addiction rampant and on the rise for several very stupid reasons.

All these things contribute, but the one dimensional mantra of the left continues because they hate that the second ammendmend stands between them and total control of potenially millions more minions. Anything that can weaken it or even symbolically weaken the 2nd in the minds of the citizens, continually being told lies by them, is a gain for them. There's much deeper issues here.
 

jmden

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Joined
Aug 24, 2015
Messages
652
Location
Washington State
one Thing i do agree on ...The Assault rifle Semantics from our does us no good, in fact it makes us look petty and lacking substance.

How do you mean that? It's pretty clear that if you can 'brand' something with false but very negative terms in the minds of already indoctrinated folks that know nothing of the 2nd or guns in general because of liberal press and public educational indoctrination in general, you can help further your liberal cause. Makes perfect sense. The more confusion that can be caused with misapplying false terms, such that folks can't even have a standard and correct defintion, the more difficult it is to have a fruitful conversation. It's great a marketing ploy of their philosphy and they are doing an awesome job of it.
 
Joined
Mar 13, 2017
Messages
1,086
Location
Chico, California
one Thing i do agree on ...The Assault rifle Semantics from our side does us no good, in fact it makes us look petty and lacking substance.
agreed. in fact it looks downright stupid. what it is called is not where the argument exists. Actually there are a thousand ways the gun side looks pretty stupid in all of this. The inevitable "I guess we should ban (insert mechanism of death here)" comments in any online article after someone is hurt with an item we use everyday for normal purposes just looks stupid. Frankly the "arm all the teachers" argument even looks more stupid. My wife is school administrator, she has been a teacher or in the education field for 25 years. Trust me. most teachers cannot handle a butter knife properly. There may not be a profession filled with less emotionally stable people than teaching. You should see the shit my wife has to deal with from teachers. I could tell you stories but you would not believe me. But back to the subject. No one cares what the gun is called. It is a silly one sided argument at best. About 90% of the online comments I see on social media from the gun loving side of the argument are embarrassing. It is no wonder most of the non gun owning world think we are all completely stupid when you read what gets published on social media and elsewhere.
 

Billinsd

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Joined
Aug 25, 2015
Messages
2,464
agreed. in fact it looks downright stupid. what it is called is not where the argument exists. Actually there are a thousand ways the gun side looks pretty stupid in all of this. The inevitable "I guess we should ban (insert mechanism of death here)" comments in any online article after someone is hurt with an item we use everyday for normal purposes just looks stupid. Frankly the "arm all the teachers" argument even looks more stupid. My wife is school administrator, she has been a teacher or in the education field for 25 years. Trust me. most teachers cannot handle a butter knife properly. There may not be a profession filled with less emotionally stable people than teaching. You should see the shit my wife has to deal with from teachers. I could tell you stories but you would not believe me. But back to the subject. No one cares what the gun is called. It is a silly one sided argument at best. About 90% of the online comments I see on social media from the gun loving side of the argument are embarrassing. It is no wonder most of the non gun owning world think we are all completely stupid when you read what gets published on social media and elsewhere.
My wife is an administrator and I agree with a lot of what you say about most teachers. You might not believe some of what my wife has told me, lol. However, I don't think many are calling to arm all teachers. They are calling to arm some teachers that want to. Depending on where you live it could be a large number. My wife has a similar job to your wife, however, I completely disagree with you and so does my wife that works at a s-hole school and sits right at the front entrance. She is the first person people see, when they walk in.

I'm offended by your use of "gun loving side". I don't really love guns myself, they are a tool. I do like guns and like to shoot them. I think people you call "gun loving side" are mostly freedom loving and love freedom more than the guns themselves. I know that is me. People that love freedom and liberty a lot, like me are real passionate about it. The other side is passionate that no more get hurt/killed by those using guns. Never again is what they say. This country is different than ANY other country in the entire world and the reason for that is freedom and liberty.

We don't have the right to drive, there was an amendment that made alcohol illegal and then it was repealed. If "the people" really want to restrict guns more, they should Amend the Constitution. That's real hard to do and it's that way on purpose. If there is a big enough push this will happen some day. It won't happen now, no way.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Mar 15, 2017
Messages
867
Location
PA
agreed. in fact it looks downright stupid. what it is called is not where the argument exists. Actually there are a thousand ways the gun side looks pretty stupid in all of this. The inevitable "I guess we should ban (insert mechanism of death here)" comments in any online article after someone is hurt with an item we use everyday for normal purposes just looks stupid. Frankly the "arm all the teachers" argument even looks more stupid. My wife is school administrator, she has been a teacher or in the education field for 25 years. Trust me. most teachers cannot handle a butter knife properly. There may not be a profession filled with less emotionally stable people than teaching. You should see the shit my wife has to deal with from teachers. I could tell you stories but you would not believe me. But back to the subject. No one cares what the gun is called. It is a silly one sided argument at best. About 90% of the online comments I see on social media from the gun loving side of the argument are embarrassing. It is no wonder most of the non gun owning world think we are all completely stupid when you read what gets published on social media and elsewhere.

I would say from the gun policy and public opinion standpoint it is important we can be as articulate as possible. There are lots of people with very strong feeling against the publics ability to own an "assault rifle" who simply don't know the facts. I have heard some very miss informed opinions in the past 2 weeks and I would credit those to a public who doesn't know the difference between an automatic and a semi automatic. When we use terms like "assault rifle" it's easy to see where the lines get blurred.

I don't see anything wrong with seeking and showing clarity in the conversation. However, I don't think It's fair or beneficial to attack someone over their ignorance of firearms or laws.

All the definitions I can find online have "assault rifle" listed as an automatic. I think that is very important to the discussion.
 
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Messages
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My wife is an administrator and I agree with a lot of what you say about most teachers. You might not believe some of what my wife has told me, lol. However, I don't think many are calling to arm all teachers. They are calling to arm some teachers that want to. Depending on where you live it could be a large number. My wife has a similar job to your wife, however, I completely disagree with you and so does my wife that works at a s-hole school and sits right at the front entrance. She is the first person people see, when they walk in.

I'm offended by your use of "gun loving side". I don't really love guns myself, they are a tool. I do like guns and like to shoot them. I think people you call "gun loving side" are mostly freedom loving and love freedom more than the guns themselves. I know that is me. People that love freedom and liberty a lot, like me are real passionate about it. The other side is passionate that no more get hurt/killed by those using guns. Never again is what they say. This country is different than ANY other country in the entire world and the reason for that is freedom and liberty.

We don't have the right to drive, there was an amendment that made alcohol illegal and then it was repealed. If "the people" really want to restrict guns more, they should Amend the Constitution. That's real hard to do and it's that way on purpose. If there is a big enough push this will happen some day. It won't happen now, no way.
alcohol is also one of the most heavily regulated products in America. As far as the "gun loving" comment. Yah I guess i need to work on my own nomenclature. I am pretty fond of my guns myself. Las week i got raked over the coals for referring to those on the outer edges of reality in the gun world as "gun nuts." Frankly, i am kind of a gun nut...i didnt think it was that bad. Anyway, I tried to soften that up. I need to find something better to describe the lunatic fringe...
 

Billinsd

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Joined
Aug 25, 2015
Messages
2,464
alcohol is also one of the most heavily regulated products in America.
I don't know if it is or isn't. However, making, consuming, transporting alcohol is not a right guaranteed in the Constitution. The right to bear arms is in the constitution and it states that right shall not be infringed upon. It has been greatly infringed upon and there have been many compromises. If it's infringed upon much more or if there are many more compromises, we will be left with the right to own a single shot 22 short rifle and have to register every round. LOL You just have to look at Canada or Australia, do you want that? That's the best case example. I don't want to be like Canada or Australia and remember they never had the right to bear arms in their constitution. Our great country is unique, we love our freedom and liberty more than anything, or used to. Give me liberty or give me death. Damn the torpedos full speed ahead. I have not yet begun to fight. The schools my wife has worked at named after our patriots don't have statues of them or even a poster or explanation of who the school was named after and why. My wife worked at a school and a poster of the person the school was named after was stuck on the inside door of a closet!!! That's what we have become and that is why liberty is slipping through our fingers.
 
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