by I have this pet peeve.
My jaw clenches and my teeth grind every time I hear a politician or a media sort say that so-and-so is a “lifetime member” of the National Rifle Association. I sincerely doubt what they mean is that the person in question has been an annual member of the NRA from an early age and has renewed said membership continually over the years. What I presume they mean to say is that the person is a Life Member or one of its more expensive variants of the NRA.
Some examples:
From the Huffington Post – “Elaih Wagan, 3-Year-Old Texan, Honored By NRA As Youngest Lifetime Member”
From Politico in describing the Manchin-NRA battle:
For Manchin and his top aides, the dispute with the NRA has become increasingly personal. Manchin’s chief of staff, Hayden Rogers, a lifetime NRA member, has let his membership to the group lapse. Rogers even pulled the pro-NRA sticker off his own truck.
Alabama Supreme Court Justice Kelli Wise to the Pike County (AL) Republican Women:
After the recipients read their essays, Wise was introduced and began speaking about her passion for the rights of the second amendment.
“I’ve been a lifetime member of the NRA (National Rifle Association) since I was 21,” she shared.
One news organization that did get it right was Townhall.com. Remember the kid who was suspended for biting his PopTart into the shape of a gun (or was it Idaho)?
And what about that 7-year-old boy from Maryland who was suspended for two days because he bit a Pop-Tart into the shape of a gun? Well, as for the latter, he’s been given a Junior Life Membership in the NRA.
I know most in the mainstream media look upon the five million of us who are members of the National Rifle Association with utter disdain. That said, I still wish they would be more precise when describing those of us who are Life Members.