By Jeff Knox : Opinion
Buckeye, AZ –-(Ammoland.com)- At the NRA’s Annual Meeting of Members in Atlanta last weekend, NRA leaders doubled-down on their strategy of treating the membership like children or mushrooms.
As a concerned and involved NRA Endowment member, I submitted a resolution that was critical of NRA leadership for their handling of the recent bylaw election. The main focus of the resolution was that the NRA leadership displayed a serious lack of respect for the membership by not giving members an opportunity to hear dissenting opinions and debate the amendments on their merits prior to being asked to vote on them. Then they repeatedly told members how they wanted them to vote.
My objective was to foster debate about this issue and allow the membership to act as the owners of their Association. But rather than allow that discussion, the leadership silenced dissent by claiming that there were “technical flaws” in the resolution, and declaring it “out of order.”
The “technical flaws” were bogus, based on a distorted reading of Robert’s Rules of Order, and an intentional mischaracterization of a clause of the resolution. Even if they they were valid, the proper course under Robert’s Rules should have been either to bring the issues to my attention as the maker of the motion, and give me an opportunity to correct them, exactly as they did with another, less controversial resolution I submitted, or allow the resolution onto the floor where any flaws could be amended using the normal deliberative process.
Instead, they simply declared the whole resolution out of order and went on to the next item of business.
The only resolution actually voted on by the members, was one I submitted calling for commemoration of 2017 as the 40th anniversary of the 1977 Cincinnati Revolt. It called for members to express their desire that the association recognize and celebrate this important milestone in the organization’s history by publishing feature articles and other media presentations commemorating the event as a way to educate younger NRA members about our history.
Even with this relatively uncontroversial resolution, President Cors moved quickly, going straight to the vote without offering opportunity for debate or discussion. Under Robert’s Rules, the maker of a motion or resolution always has the right to speak about it before a vote is taken, and technically, should read the resolution to the body, but that’s not the way it happened. It could be argued that President Cors is not a parliamentarian, and simply made a few mistakes in his conduct of the meeting, but it seemed that the mistakes always tended to the benefit of the establishment, and the detriment of the members. But ignorance is a lame excuse since a professional parliamentarian sits at the President’s elbow during the meeting.
Some other members offered a pair of resolutions, and in both cases, a member of the Board of Directors immediately rose to move that the resolution be referred to a committee of the Board, rather than allowing the members to discuss and vote on it. In the first instance, that motion to refer passed without discussion, and in the other, the member who submitted the resolution requested permission to withdraw it.
As soon as that resolution had been dealt with, the same member of the Board who had risen on the other issues rose again, this time to move that the meeting be adjourned. President Cors noted that he had been informed that a member of the Executive Council, former President David Keene, had expressed a desire to raise a point of personal privilege, and asked that the motion to adjourn be held briefly to allow Mr. Keene to raise his point of privilege. There was no objection, and Mr. Keene was given the floor.
Former President Keene expressed his feeling that he had been personally insulted – along with the rest of the Board – by the suggestion that NRA leadership does not respect the members. He pointed out that he and the current leadership of the organization frequently remark on the fact that the power of the association is derived from the membership, and give credit to the membership for the achievements the association makes in the political and legislative arenas. He concluded by declaring that they all have the deepest respect for the members, and reiterating that it was insulting to suggest otherwise.
While I could have tried to respond with a personal privilege point of my own, I was quite sure that the attempt would be met with a ruling that I was out of order, and the attempt would have served no purpose. Instead, I approached Mr. Keene directly and apologized for causing offense, assuring him that it was not my intent, but I pointed out that declaring respect, and demonstrating respect are two very different things.
Regardless of how thoroughly the bylaw amendments might have been discussed and debated within the Board, not giving the members the courtesy of full disclosure of the facts, and not allowing any expressions of dissent from the leadership position, is not a demonstration of respect. Further, filling the magazine with repeated arguments supporting and encouraging a “Yes” vote, without providing any opportunity for any other opinion to be expressed, also failed to demonstrate respect for the members. I got the distinct impression that he was not convinced.
The National Rifle Association is a wonderful organization with incredible power, and even greater potential. I believe that every gun owner and lover of liberty should be a member.
Having dedicated the better part of my life to working for a strong, effective, member-driven NRA, I’m deeply disappointed that the leadership – both past and current – insists on “unity” and “conformity” over full disclosure and debate. Rather than providing the membership with the information they need to make informed decisions, and trusting them to come to the best conclusions, they treat them like mushrooms – kept in the dark and buried in BS – giving them only the information they choose, and holding their hands as they guide them across the street.
A loving dictator is still a dictator, and that’s not respect.
About Jeff Knox:
Jeff Knox is a second-generation political activist and director of The Firearms Coalition. His father Neal Knox led many of the early gun rights battles for your right to keep and bear arms. Read Neal Knox – The Gun Rights War.
The Firearms Coalition is a loose-knit coalition of individual Second Amendment activists, clubs and civil rights organizations. Founded by Neal Knox in 1984, the organization provides support to grassroots activists in the form of education, analysis of current issues, and with a historical perspective of the gun rights movement. The Firearms Coalition has offices in Buckeye, Arizona and Manassas, VA. Visit: www.FirearmsCoalition.
I see the concerns expressed about how the Association’s business was conducted at the annual meeting as being the same as the concerns I expressed about how a number of pro-gun organizations were ‘dis-invited’ from providing booths at the national meeting for their efforts and/or products that may have provided alternatives to the NRA’s own products.
To me it showed a significant disconnect between the membership and the administration of our Association.
I believe Mr. Knox is expressing much the same disappointment as I was feeling.
Thank you, Sir.
I have spent many years getting folks to join the NRA. Have even paid for the first year for many just to show my commitment and serve as an example. This truth about respect of members being missing has driven out more than a few of us. It has been felt at the very rank and file. The NRA has little or no problem finding us by mail or phone for money matters but seems IMPOSSIBLE to get answers on issues we may have. It becomes a swamp of financial and political interests rather than an organism of Association. If… Read more »
It’s time for a new sheriff, new organization, a new mission. The NRA has lost it’s compass direction of moral decisions. It has become a third party of clowns, draining the membership and lining their pockets while they can. I gave up on the NRA after the election, and will never again support such a corrupted organization until they prove they have restored the original mission statement, and live by the code a member does. The Bloombergs, Clintons, Soros are watching the steady downfall of the NRA and will be laughing all the way to the bank, and won’t have… Read more »
Remember that it was this type of atmosphere that drove me away from being a dues paying member for a couple of years back in the 1970s.
Jeff, This is ONCE AGAIN, a demonstration of the sell out(s) that have occurred in times past. The management has turned into another stinking “swamp” that dearly needs draining. From the head down. When I get a “fund” raising letter, I write all over the contribution slip WHY my wallet is CLOSED with RED sharpie. And then send it back in that freebie post paid envelope. Good Riddance! Probably doesn’t get my point across very well but it gives me MUCH satisfaction. But if enough of those contributions dried up, THAT would get this top heavy managements attention. President cors… Read more »
Jeff, if you think NRA is unresponsive to you, you should try writing a letter to them as a rank and file member; e.g., why was this or that member elected to the board when he/she has consistently worked against our interests – you’ll never get a response. As critically needed as NRA’s efforts are to protect our rights, I’m left with a feeling that the organization has morphed into another vast bureaucracy that no longer has time for its constituents. NRA certainly deserves our support, but we must find a way to make it more responsive to membership.