Archive for the 'National Rifle Association' Category

It’s a well-deserved and fitting end.  The board could never disconnect themselves from being Wayne LaPierre sycophants.

Moreover, the NRA always behaved as if its members should act like dogs eating crumbs that fall from the master’s table.  They supported the NFA, the GCA, the Hughes Amendment, the AWB, the bump stock ban, red flag laws, and just about everything that infringes on the rights of free men.

Prove me wrong.

The Reload.

Another critic of National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre is being pushed out of the organization.

Judge Philip Journey, who has been at the center of several efforts to remove current NRA leadership, has not been renominated to appear on the ballot for next year’s board election. That makes his road back onto the board far more difficult.

“As an incumbent Director your name was submitted to the NRA Nominating Committee which met on August 27, 2022,” NRA Secretary John Frazer said in a letter to Journey on Monday. “I regret to inform you that you were not renominated.”

[ … ]

The NRA’s board members are picked by an election of the group’s voting members. Those generally include only lifetime members and those who’ve held a membership for five consecutive years. In the 2022 elections, that amounted to about half of the total membership. The NRA mails voting members ballots.

To appear on a ballot, anyone running for the board either has to get approval from the board’s nominating committee or gather enough signatures to get on by petition. The vast majority of the 76 board members make it on the ballot through the nominating committee. Only a handful of members at any given time make it on through the petition process.

Besides, as one of 76 members, how much can one man do?  How is Wayne doing these days?

A filing in the New York lawsuit shows how it began in December 2013 and steadily grew more lucrative until the last document in April 2018. This is not just a retirement golden parachute, this is one trimmed with diamonds.

2013: $1 to $1.1 million per year for five years, upon retirement. Total of $5.4 million. Good for a part-time retirement job.

2018: $1.3 to $1.5 million for seven years, total of $10.3 million of members’ money, with note that “safe lodging” (his mansion?) and “secure transportation” ( the private leased jets) are extras.

It’s all so simple.  Wayne isn’t finished looting the NRA coffers yet, and the board members aren’t finished looting the NRA firearms museum yet.

There’s more to be stolen.  No change can happen until the looting is complete.  In the meantime, stay out of their way.

Never forget.  You have a new push for red flag laws courtesy of the NRA.

Seen at The Gun Feed.

In a slide presentation Sen. John Cornyn delivered to Senate Republicans at lunch on Wednesday, the Texas Republican went through areas where the NRA got want it wanted, per source — even though the pro-gun lobby is opposed to the bipartisan deal he cut

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 23, 2022

NRA asked for mental health funding, school hardening money and 10-year sunset on juvenile records in background check system, per this document.

— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) June 22, 2022

🚨BREAKING: NRA Announces Opposition to Senate Gun Control Legislation

"This legislation can be abused to restrict lawful gun purchases, infringe upon the rights of law-abiding Americans, & use fed dollars to fund gun control measures being adopted by state & local politicians." pic.twitter.com/tXriTiWLzw

— NRA (@NRA) June 21, 2022

🚨This is a gun control bill. That’s why NRA opposes it. End of story.

More by @FoxNews➡️https://t.co/kPSwV1sCNd pic.twitter.com/vFTFLMfkab

— NRA (@NRA) June 22, 2022

Despicable.  Loathsome and reprehensible.  If you work for the NRA, or are on the BoD, you are in bed with liars.

Expected news.

The first resolution? A dear-leader salute to Wayne:

Be it resolved that the members of the National Rifle Association of America, in convention assembled, does declare its profound support for the past, present and future leadership of its executive vice president, Wayne LaPierre.

The reading of that text was followed, in the convention hall arena, by nearly an hour of shout outs, props and praises for the embattled CEO, many of them delivered by loyalist members of NRA leadership, who queued up for a turn at the mic.

One prominent LaPierre backer, Janet Nyce, denounced Wayne’s critics as “the enemy within,” whom she blamed for taking “our beloved NRA down to her knees.” A former sheriff from Montana, who is also a board member, insisted he was “getting tired of these s*** o* b****** at every one of these meeting coming in and trashing Wayne LaPierre.”

Not every speaker was a lickspittle. An NRA member named Jerry — who touted his own second-amendment bonafides as author of the Texas “right-to-carry” law — took exception to the rhetoric calling LaPierre’s critics “enemies” of the NRA. “We have problems,” he said. “I believe that we’re whistling by the grave yard.”

“I mean look around at this forum,” he said, pointing to the two-thirds empty arena. “Would this be described as well attended?! Our problem is declining membership. Our problem is financial. Our problems are not just Letitia James,” he insisted, referring to the New York Attorney General. “Why are we not allowed to discuss substantive issues?”

When debate of the first resolution was finally capped — and the resolution passed, with a solid majority of members who held up cards in support — far-less flattering resolutions were read aloud by the clerk of the meeting.

One called on the NRA to settle its legal fight with the state of New York, including agreeing to a clean sweep of NRA leadership and appointment of an “outside overseer.” Another proposed an independent audit of 20 years of past NRA financial records, and the creation of a trust to receive payback of any misused funds. Yet another sought to place salary and travel expenditure limits on NRA executives like LaPierre.

But one-by-one these resolutions were shot down by NRA president Charles Cotton, who presided over the forum. Cotton ruled the resolutions “out of order” because, as he put it, they “invade the province of the board” and its officers to make such decisions. Cotton’s rulings prevented the the resolutions from coming up for a vote on the floor.

Robert Ryan, who had put forward many of the resolutions, lashed out in frustration. “They don’t want to hear from us,” he said. “They don’t want the truth to come out.”

(To avoid any misunderstanding: Ryan is not seeking to soften the firearms positions of the NRA. He’s a hardliner on guns, who is angry that the NRA and the Trump administration worked together to ban bump stocks — devices that make semiautomatic rifles fire more like machine guns — after the massacre at the 2017 concert in Las Vegas.)

A final resolution was brought by Jeff Knox — a prominent gun-rights activist, and Ammoland.com author, whose father helped stage a rebellion at an NRA meeting in the 1970s that turned a then-stodgy hunting organization into a hotbed of second-amendment fundamentalism.

Knox’s lengthy resolution, read aloud by the clerk, decried the recent declines of NRA membership, revenue, and assets — even as LaPierre’s pay has swelled, and the CEO enjoyed costly perks including private jet travel and lavish expense accounts. (It also — as a point of criticism — recalled LaPierre’s remarks after the Columbine massacre when the NRA executive demanded “absolutely gun-free” schools.)

The resolution concluded with a demand for LaPierre’s ouster: “We do hereby declare that we have no confidence in the ability of Wayne LaPierre to lead this organization going forward. [And] we call on him to resign his position of executive vice president.”

Yet Cotton found a way to dismiss this resolution too. Citing Robert’s Rules of Order, the parliamentary rulebook adhered to by the NRA, he insisted it was forbidden to bring up a censure motion of an officer during the same meeting where a motion to commend that person had already passed. Cotton ruled the resolution “out of order.”

I know something about Robert’s Rules of Order.  I read the book.  There is no such stipulation.  None at all.  Cotton is a liar.

Is there anyone out there who thinks there is a solution to the problems the NRA has other than ouster of Wayne (as a beginning), and if so, pray tell, what would that be?

Good riddance.

The NRA supported the NFA, the Hughes Amendment, the GCA, permitting schemes all across America, universal background checks, red flag laws, and even suggested the bump stock ban to Trump.

It is the most well funded and effective gun control organization on earth.  Fortunately for us, there are still morons out there who think there is such a thing as the “gun lobby.”

With that out of the way, one of the most powerful political lobbies in the US moved swiftly on to heralding the conference as a “a freedom-filled weekend for the entire family as we celebrate Freedom, Firearms, and the Second Amendment!”. Central to the fun was “over 14 acres of the latest guns and gear” on display.

The NRA’s defiance and swagger were not misplaced.

The NRA would be more aptly characterized as an anti-gun lobby.  The kids at reddit/Firearms, the boys over AR15.com, the commenters over the firearms forums, virtually all of the gun YouTubers, and virtually every significant gun rights blog, have all rejected the NRA for the gun control sellouts and the corruption they’ve embraced.  The prose at reddit/Firearms and videos from the gunners on YouTube is thick with hatred for the NRA.

It is a dying organization, and short of massive renewal of focus on the 2A with no more sellouts, a much smaller and more accountable board, a much more powerful membership, a change in many of the bylaws, and reelection of all board members to start a new chapter, it cannot be salvaged.  And even then maybe not.

I’m not making any of this up.  Watch the gun YouTubers yourself.  Read the gun rights blogs yourself.  Look at the declining membership yourself.

Then prove me wrong.  I’m waiting.

Gun rights aren’t for sale.  The NRA isn’t our “lobby.”  Gun rights are growing all across America in many states, and the NRA has had nothing whatsoever to do with it.

It’s as grass roots a movement as has been seen in recent history.  That’s why the collectivists fear it.  As long as they attack the “lobby” that wants to negotiate and then foist red flag laws and universal background checks on us, that’s fine by me.

The Washington Times.

Former President Donald Trump will headline the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) Leadership Forum later this month.

Mr. Trump will deliver remarks at the annual gathering of Second Amendment activists on May 27. He will be joined by other Republican speakers, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas, North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.

This is the first NRA annual meeting since its cancellation last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and its 151st overall.

“It is truly an honor to have President Trump address NRA members for the sixth time at our 2022 NRA-ILA Leadership Forum in Houston,” said NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre in a statement.

He said, “President Trump delivered on his promises by appointing judges who respect and value the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and in doing so helped ensure the freedom of generations of Americans. NRA members are excited to hear him speak and thank him for his support for our right to keep and bear arms.”

Isn’t that special.  Trump loves the NRA and they love him.  He will get a hero’s welcome, no doubt.  The two are made for each other.

Neither one has done anything for firearms owners.  Trump supported red flag laws and the bump stock ban, and appointed nothing but deep staters to positions of power (e.g., William Barr who organized a gaggle of former AGs to defend Lon Horiuchi from charges of manslaughter after he shot Randy Weaver’s wife, Vicki Weaver, and his dog).  His appointment to head the DHS stated that white supremacy was the most dangerous threat that America faced.  He left Comey and McCabe in charge of the FBI, and he failed to drive to the bottom of “fast and furious.”  That’s a short list of his many failures, the successes involving mostly tweeting angry rebuttals at those whom he saw as personal enemies, or people who didn’t fall down and worship him.

The NRA supported (in order) the NFA (and Hughes Amendment), the GCA, the Clinton AWB, universal background checks, red flag laws, and the bump stock ban.

They go together very well, I should say.  Beyond that, LaPierre has taken such bad positions, thrown so much money away and caused such division in the NRA, and caused such ineffectiveness that the organization is now ruined and cannot be saved.  The NRA board of directors allowed one man to destroy the entire organization.  They should be proud, that is, if they are terrible people.

By the way, here is an update on the current status of the NRA museum.

After being closed for two years, supposedly due to Covid (in fact, state and country restrictions were lifted about a year ago), the main National Firearms Museum has reopened. We’d written about concerns that the museum’s collections were being looted and sold off, and how a former curator who’d loaned guns to the museum was told they could not be found.

At last it is open, but the report is not good.

“There are a lot of missing guns and artifacts that used to be on display. So many great pieces. Where did they go? Some empty spots have the usual “Object Temporarily Removed” marker placed, but others – nope.  In the last two years, maintenance of the galleries really didn’t happen and the dust on so many historic pieces is not good.  Labels have fallen and are in the process of falling in many cases. Lighting has not been adjusted in several galleries – so there are very bright and very dim sections – not good for paper and textile artifacts in the brightness. Even from outside the glass, there were many guns that really needed cleaning and perhaps some conservation – including the premier collection of Gatling guns.  Damn…”

“So how does the HQ building look?  Not good. The outer tiles on both sides of the entry driveway have flaked off in a very unsightly manner.  The underside of the overhang has many patched areas from leaks. Inside – I saw evidence of other leaks. Rust staining is seeping from window joints all over the building exterior.  For those that may want to buy a souvenir – well – forget it.  The NRA Store is not open.”

“Walking through the galleries, I found myself looking at a cannon – right in the middle of a junction of four pathways.  No warning ropes even. In addition to impacting on ADA standards for the museum, it turns out the reason the cannon has been placed so awkwardly was to free up the Revolutionary War Gallery.  Why? – so that food and drink can be served for special donor receptions, inside the museum.  Professional museum folks are cringing by now and believe it or not, my old sign prohibiting food and drink inside was still posted outside. Bugs are attracted by food residues and move on to munch on museum objects quickly.”

The story mentions that there is no museum registrar. From the comments: “For those who don’t know, the Registrar is the individual responsible for the collection.  They must at the stroke of the finger know where each piece is located (on display, on loan, in transit, in conservation).  No registrar means that objects can disappear and there is no accounting for it.  Be warned if you were considering donating any object to them.  I wouldn’t.”

You’re a fool if you donate firearms to the NRA museum.  And I wouldn’t attend the NRA meeting if the NRA sent me on an all-expenses paid vacation to go there.

At Ammoland Jeff Knox apparently tried to persuade Allen West to run for Wayne LaPierre’s position.

Next, the horrible David Keene, a man without honor, slams West and does the talkie-talk about how great LaPierre is.  I won’t quote it.  You can read that crap if you want to.

Finally, Allen West agreed to take him on at the next board meeting.  Also see here.

Most of the cases against LaPierre are about his corruption.  Sure enough, he is also a man without honor.  But I prefer to base my case on the fact that the NRA is a gun control organization and has supported virtually every gun control measure ever proposed, from the NFA to the GCA and Hughes Amendment, to Clinton’s AWB, the bump stock ban, universal background checks, red flag laws and a permitting scheme.

LaPierre’s corruption is a corollary to the failures of the NRA.

I would be happy if West were to replace LaPierre and may even consider donating to the NRA again.  But that’s not going to happen.  The NRA cannot be saved.  It must perish.  Out of its ashes will rise a new and much better organization.

This post started with a reddit/Firearms thread, but I went to the source to find this.

“Legitimate Sportsmen” get beat up by bad guns laws, and the NRA comes to the rescue with “good guns laws.”  If you read the article there is this notion that the NFA is a good thing.

And by the way, see the following posts at NRA in Danger: here.

It might be tempting to say, “My, my how the NRA has fallen.” The truth is that it has always been what it is today.  The most influential, well funded, well connected and successful gun control organization on earth.

Are you still giving money to them?  So that Wayne can bed down with his girl while his wife ignores it, all paid for by NRA dues?

News to no one who watches and listens.

Russian agent who infiltrated the National Rifle Association says Ukraine should not hand out weapons to its citizens in case a child gets hurt.

Maria Butina condemned the embattled country’s leadership for dishing out more than 18,000 guns to civilian volunteers in an effort to drive back Russian invaders.

But that is apparently not acceptable for the convicted spy, who told Russian state media TV show Vremya Pokazhet on Saturday that “people don’t know how to handle them and a child might be killed at home”.

Gosh.  You mean the NRA is anti-gun?

I guess support for red flag laws, the NFA, GCA, bump stock ban, the Hughes Amendment, and AWB is for the children too.

Wayne.  But not just Wayne.

Mike laments the fact that the NRA has done good and could do good again.

I remarked in comments “Support for the NFA, support for the GCA, support for the Hughes Amendment, support for the AWB, support for UBC, support for red flag laws, support for the bump stock ban. They’ve been doing bad for years and years and years. And if people like Meadows are left around, it’ll be just as corrupt as it is now. NRA = the most powerful, most well connected, most well funded gun control organization on earth, as they always have been.”

Here is a fuller discussion of the facts.