The Premiere Pro Gun Grassroots Program
By Glen Caroline
Direct or of NRA-ILA Grassroots
Fairfax, VA –-(AmmoLand.com)- For more than a decade, the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division has over-seen arguably the most truly grassroots program in the country.
Started in 1994, the NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC) program consists of an individual NRA member in most congressional districts serving as the liaison between NRA members and gun owners and those legislators. Additionally, EVCs and their volunteer networks act as the tips of our grassroots arrows in working on gun-related legislation in Congress and in their state capitals.
What makes the EVC Program so unique and distinct from other grassroots programs? First and foremost is its size. With hundreds of EVCs spanning the entire country, working with thousands of volunteers, NRA has a local grassroots presence in nearly every pocket of the country.
Second, the EVC Program is 100% volunteer. EVCs do not receive one cent for any of their activities. Whether incurring staggering phone bills, paying for copying and postage, or traveling hundreds of miles in this day and age of high gas prices, EVCs do all they do on their own dime—and on their own time.
Unlike other “volunteer” programs where individuals may be paid to work, receive a day off from work, or are “professional volunteers” who travel from state to state, our EVCs are true volunteers. They have jobs, families, and other commitments. Their EVC activities are done in addition to, not in lieu of, their normal, day-to-day activities.
Another big advantage of the NRA-ILA EVC Program is that many of our EVCs actually know their lawmakers, their fellow constituents, and the local “hot spots” where gun owners congregate. Not only are they able to “talk the talk,” but they also “walk the walk,” and are an accurate reflection and representation of gun owners in their neck of the woods.
While the EVC Program has certain guidelines in place, one of its most redeeming values is that the Program can, and should, be tailored to the particulars of each congressional district. The EVC Program is not a cookiecutter, one-size-fits-all program. It is a skeletal frame that allows each EVC to put his or her own flesh on the bones, and thus ensure that the program succeeds. To locate and contact you EVC or inquire about a vacancy please click here.
About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military.