by Todd Rathner
USA – -(Ammoland.com)- I am writing in response to David Codrea's comments to my article entitled “Vote NO On The Recall of Grover Norquist From NRA Board” published on AmmoLand News February 10th, 2016.
I deeply respect Mr. Codrea and his work in exposing the BATFE’s misdeeds in the Fast and Furious scandal, and his other writings. But I strongly disagree with his suggestion that the NRA should focus on issues other than the Second Amendment.
The NRA is powerful and can defend our gun rights against all comers because it focuses like a laser on strengthening the Second Amendment.
We [NRA] are not the Republican Party. The NRA wants the support of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. We are not the pro-life movement. Or the pro-choice movement. We want Americans of all world views to defend the Second Amendment.
We [NRA] are not a pro-or anti-immigration organization, that is not the NRA’s fight. We want the support of all Americans. We have NRA members who want to legalize marijuana and those who don't, foreign policy hawks and doves, Baptists and bootleggers.
I wrote to urge all NRA members to vote NO on the effort to recall Grover Norquist because it is an attack on the NRA.
As a board member I know that Grover is an effective advocate for the rights of gun owners, concealed carry permit holders, hunters and collectors.
Read his books, his columns, podcasts, and heck, his tweets.
When Grover fights for lower taxes, he does so in his role at Americans for Tax Reform, not the NRA.
I happen to agree with Grover in the struggle for lower taxes but that has nothing to do with the NRA or the Second Amendment.
Grover is a strong leader for the Second Amendment and the NRA because as a board member he has one goal…. To preserve and protect the Second Amendment, and I’ve seen him in action defending our gun rights.
That is why I will vote NO on the outsider inspired recall effort against Grover (and the NRA). I stand with the NRA, the Second Amendment and with Grover.
Todd Rathner
Current NRA Board Member
Todd Rathner is a Second Amendment lobbyist who has worked to repeal restrictions on gun owners in over a dozen states including in his home state of Arizona where he played a central role in passing Permitless/Constitutional Carry, as well as many other pro-2A legislation. He is the lobbyist for Knife Rights and the NFA Freedom Alliance. Rathner has served on the NRA board of directors for the past 15 years.
This needs to be seen. https://youtu.be/XdTGbLs1toU Say what you want about Glenn Beck, the man is standing up for this country and very few times has he been wrong. He is an NRA member and regularly advertises firearms on his Dish channel 212 the Blaze and has several shows involving shooting competitions. I have been watching him for 8 yrs. and have not caught him in a lie yet. You decide.
I’m afraid I’m right there with you. I honestly cannot disagree.
Sorry for the bad spelling, David Codrea’s article…. My sincere apologizes to Mr. Codrea….
[What makes us look bad is “slime balls” on our board and wanna-bes and people hiding there back grounds “and” real motives.]
Sorry again for spelling, my fingers and / or eyes must not have been working well….
A lot of members should think very sincerely about this issue, as future membership and the NRA’s future itself could well hang in the balance…..
Sorry, charlie or tommy and/or all the rest. I am a life member also and although have not been for long, have been a 5 year and yearly member when I could afford it for years… I say VOTE YES …. Norquist can not be in bed with Bloomberg and Muslims and have the interests of the NRA membership in mind…. And all I hear in his defense is he is a good guy… Great !!!!!!! You know how many good guys have stabbed me in the back over the years ???? More than I can COUNT…. The NRA has… Read more »
I mean nice try Tommie of course
Nice try. Endowment member here. And I’m quite sure I’ve done more for the second amendment than you ever dreamed of doing
Sorry Tommy….you have just experienced an epic fail. I am a Life Member of the NRA and have been so for many years, albeit, if I had known then what I know now, I would never have joined at all. Fact is, I will vote to flush the odorferous Norquist-turd, just as he so richly deserves. To NRA zombies, NRA sycophants and Statist-NRA minion-members (psst, that’s you Tommy), any criticism of the NRA, particularly criticism of the factual core of the Organization’s provable historic and contemporary actions, is akin to someone calling their wife a fat ugly cheating slob. NRA… Read more »
Attn Mr Rathner;
Ignore these NRA Haters for who nothing done by the NRA will be good enough for them. Despite their claims, we know that none of them are dues paying members and with the ability to Vote in NRA board elections.
Thank you for bringing up this issue and your thoughtful responses.
Mr. Rathner said: “The NRA is powerful and can defend our gun rights against all comers because it focuses like a laser on strengthening the Second Amendment.” Well, if a bit of light is shined on that declarative statement, then the truth of it can be assessed. IF one holds to a deliberately perverted, false and twisted view of the ‘Second Amendment’, exactly as the Quisling NRA does, then Mr. Rathners declarative statement can be viewed as truth. The NRA’s (and the de facto position of Mr. Rathner) undeniable position is that the Second Amendment does not really mean what… Read more »
Ratner is treating NRA members like idiots with these dishonest, bogus, hypocritical arguments. 1. Over-immigration is the ultimate long term gun rights issue. It is culturally and politically terraforming the USA, overwhelming the relatively conservative native born citizenry’s voting control. See California. Cali is the USA’s future thanks to Norquisling and his collaborators, which is why Grover’s pal Bloomberg spends tens of millions of dollars for amnesty and over-immigration. Anyone who doesn’t understand that is too dumb to vote in any election and too dumb to own a gun. 2. Rathner knows the NRA is not and never has been… Read more »
“NRA is powerful and can defend our gun rights against all comers because it focuses like a laser on strengthening the Second Amendment.” Well there is at least one lie in Rathner’s post. NRA contract lobbyist for Illinois Todd Vandermyde put Duty to Inform w/ criminal penalties in Rep. Brandon Phelps “NRA backed” HB183 carry bill in 2013, NOT Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Everyone on the planet can see that NRA is loaded with rats and traitors if they pay this scum a dime. Setting up armed citizens to be disarmed, abducted, raped and executed by police criminals and police… Read more »
I was once a supporter of the NRA, but that was before I learned the realities of life. NRA has never, that I am aware of, supported anything BUT more controls on honest citizens! They water down protections and compromise endlessly on restrictions! They are the PERFECT minion to big and bigger government. They can be abused as needed by the gungrabbers yet will still be available to compromise away our INHERENT, GOD-GIVEN, BEDROCK RIGHT TO SELF PROTECTION. No questions asked! Yet they beg and plead for more members and more money to support the lies they feed TO both… Read more »
Why Does The NRA Still Support NICS? The NRA recently re-stated its longstanding support for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), a program that was originally mandated by the Brady Bill in 1993. In a statement directed at the North Carolina Sherriff Association last week, the NRA said: “[North Carolina’s] antiquated and inefficient system has been in place for nearly a century and was enacted long before the age of computers and computerized records. Unfortunately, the [North Carolina Sherriff’s Association] has determined it would like to continue to use discretion to deny permits to purchase handguns, rather than… Read more »
moderation = censorship
The NRA rolled over on Veterans and PTSD – I attended a 2013 patriot meeting where Larry Pratt called them on it..
Norquist is a turd, flush him. Of course, the NRA itself has largely been a Quisling, Fudd and Gun-Control Org, since its inception. The NRA is the ‘Official Govt Approved Gun Privileges Organization’ and it has been directly complicit in the slow-sell of various schemes, machinations and chicanery in abrogating Amendment II as written. The NRA has assisted in drafting gun-control, supports unconstitutional federal ‘gun law’ enforcement, consistently ‘A” rates anti-Liberty/anti-Amendment II candidates and has been a driving force in restricting full autos, mail order purchase, non-govt vetted purchase, permitless carry, certain ‘gun free’ zones, ‘assault weapons bans’, govt background… Read more »
If other board members identify Norquist as an effectve spokesman and activist for the Second Amendment. and he is not engaged in criminal behavior, he should be left alone. We will never agree completely on other political issues, and there are other organizations which provide venues for acting on those issues. NRA should stick to preserving our Second Amendment rights, and not focus on divisive outside issues.
Other board members stand up for him in fear they may be next if their “sins” find them out. If associating with known global terrorist organizations (among other things) is not “criminal behavior” then what is it?
Here is what everyone is missing and what Todd Rathner is try to get at. This is not a yes or no vote for Norquist to be on the board. This is an recall question that has been forced upon the NRA membership by a few anti NRA people who have found a loop hole in the NRA member bylaws. They are using it to create an issue where none should be and cause fighting among NRA members. If you don’t like Norquist you can just vote him out when his board term comes up. But if he is voted… Read more »
There are many in the gun rights moment who have the same problem with of the leadership of the NRA as they do with the current leadership of the republican party. That some of these leaders have lost touch with the membership and in many ways to not represent us but rather their own self interest. I support the NRA not because I love guns but because I love America and understand completely that if our 2nd amendment rights were to be lost our republic would be too. Norquist is an inside the beltway operator whose primary goal IMHO is… Read more »
TRUMP 2016 ! Make America Great Again !
Norquist needs to get throwed out of the NRA like trash he is. All the evidence and facts prove his ties and support to muslim brotherhood ! If he ain’t recalled send your NRA card back to them in pieces. That will get Cox attention fast !
@Jace,when Charles used the phrase ‘gun lobby’ I thought exactly what you did. This dude is a plant I think. He even talks like a gungrabber and is a Clinton supporter too. I have NEVER heard the term ‘gun lobby’ used where it compliments lawabidding gun owners, NEVER ! You were spot on with this dude.
Beck has grown moss between his ears.
@Chuck your use of the word gun lobby gives you away as a NRA or even anti gun troll. Thankfully haters like you don’t vote in NRA elections. I will stand with Todd and vote to keep Grover on the board, as he is an asset to the NRA. Oh! By the way if Beck quits the NRA over this vote. Good riddens to the whack job, if he can’t see the overall good of the NRA and it’s board,but instead quits over one member he doesn’t like we don’t need his kind. I will vote yes to keep Norquist… Read more »
Wow you are an embarrassment to the gun lobby. I’ll bet you are one of those Intellectual failure trump supporting type as well. If you call Glenn Beck an NRA outsider you are a flat out liar. And I suggest you watch his interview with Norquist which Beck waived his membership requirement to view live that day and is posted still free online. Beck is just not afraid to go after enemies among us and no matter what Norquist says about taxes or gun rights his und eniable and frightening ties to Islamic radicalism makes him ineligible to fight along… Read more »
Glenn Beck is a Looney bird. He should stop his radio show because all it is, is an endorsement for Ted Cruz. Far from fair and balanced.
Roger,If Trump gets elected in two years
you will be begging for Obama again.Ted Cruz is a Constitutionalist