Opinion
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- I manage one of the California FRNA chapters, and it is bad enough that I have to deal with radical protestors, site venues that want to cancel on us because we have NRA in our name. Now after all this have to deal with an NRA HQ whose reputation is now one of cronyism and glad-handing.
In addition to participation at these events dropping in many areas, several major advertisers are bolting the NRA. Wayne La Pierre’s lack of professionalism costs the NRA millions of dollars. It costs the organization its reputation, and with that loss, it is destroying the NRA’s ability to protect our rights.
So let me set this straight, The NRA has the sole purpose of protecting our 2nd Amendment rights. This monkey business is destroying the ability of the NRA to do just that.
The next loss will, of course, be dues-paying members. The best guess so far is that while Col. North brought the NRA back to +6 million those gains are now gone. Look for the NRA to return to a pre-Clintonian number if this isn’t fixed.
I have firsthand proof of one advertiser canceling over $100,000 of contributions and advertising. As NRA membership drops, others will follow suit.
While the NRA will always exist (it is too big to fail) its ability to influence policy and be a protector of our constitutional rights may soon cease to exist.
None of us want to see this happen, but pride and hubris have their way of blinding people and groups to the truth. Where there is no one there to say no sometimes your moral compass fails. When money just flows in, you sometimes forget who brought it in and what you’re supposed to do with it.
The NRA “elites” running the NRA may be all good fine people. But when the rank and file begin to question their commitment, the rank and file also withhold their efforts and close their pocketbook; then the “elite” soon run out of cash.
Adding to the cash drain is the New York State lawsuit and the NRA’s hired lawyer bleeding us of cash. You can see that Governor Cuomo is happy to run out the litigation clock along with Wayne’s wanting to fight to the end, letting the NRA bankrupt itself.
Nothing changes this fact; the NRA looks like it is run by cronyism and glad-handing. For the good of the organization, Wayne needs to make a mea culpa and resign.
While I believe the NRA as an organization is right more than it is wrong and that the good they do outweighs the mistakes they make the current action of management are just simply unacceptable.
I will not donate to the NRA again until this is corrected, and I feel I can trust the organization. My advice cut off the cash-flow to The Beast that is the NRA “elite” until they clean up their act.
No, I’m not jumping ship, there is no other NRA. But I’ll hold my coin close to my vest until the NRA fixes this problem. You should join me.
About Don McDougall
Don McDougall is an NRA instructor and member of the Los Padres “Friends of the NRA” committee. If he’s not at the range, you will find him setting the record straight with on gun issues and gun safety on AmmoLand Shooting Sports News.
Though a gun enthusiast, hunter and strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment, I am not now and never have been an NRA member. My reasoning is two-fold. First, the obscene salaries paid to LaPierre, Cox, and the other guy (?). When the three top executives of a “non profit” organization make over $3 million a year in salaries, not to mention other perks, that is obviously not an organization that needs my support. Second, the NRA compromises too much. Their close relationship with politicians has given them a politician’s mindset. By that I mean the belief that “We must compromise… Read more »
Isnt anyone reading that works for the IRS that would consider receiving free suits without having them on your tax return as receiving something of value a fraudulent tax return. Do you think Wayne even claimed them on his tax return ? Didnt the government use this as a way to take down Al Capone
I’m an Endowment Life Member. Last week I sent a letter to Mrs. Meadows telling her my opinion and intentions. Let’s flood her office with mail and do the same for the politicians. As Jeff Knox or someone wrote, the NRA isn’t the gun lobby- we are.
Remember that Nature Abhors a Vacuum. Removing Wayne and other leaders will create a vacuum. If you don’t have better people ready to step in and fill that vacuum, nature will fill it for you with something worse. This is not to say that Wayne must not go, he must and as fast as possible, but have your ducks in a row with competent dedicated people ready to step up or you will end up with chaos that will destroy the organization. I am a 5+ year annual member, I used to contribute to the ILA but I got tired… Read more »
“While the NRA will always exist (it is too big to fail)…” Too big to fail. Now where have we heard that before, a mere 10 years ago, and how did THAT work out??? The NRA can and will collapse unless the BOD assumes its responsibilities, and fires Wayne LaPierre, Josh Powell, and all the other swamp rats at the top of the NRA. If they do that, reorganize the BOD as a 31-member body, with term limits, participation requirement for meetings, and a re-dedication to the NRA core mission; well then the organization just MIGHT be saved. But don’t… Read more »
There needs to be an annual independent certified audit by a major CPA firm with the resulting report published in the American Rifleman magazine. Shed a little sunshine on what is really going on. We don’t need rumors and conspiract theories. The BOD needs to set a mandatory retirement age for employees as required by many large corporations and non-profits, Congress needs term limits and perhaps the NRA BOD does too.
“The NRA has the sole purpose of protecting our 2nd Amendment rights.”
That is false – that is not the, and there is no, SOLE purpose for the NRA.
Been a life member for 50+ years. When talking to other members the biggest complaint I hear is the only correspondence from NRA HQ. (other than magazines) is requests for more donation money. Yes our organization can always use money but why are we paying Wayne’s clothing bill for more than $250,000 a shot. I paid for my clothes from my salary not from the company I worked for. We need to clean house and tighten up our disbursement policies among other things.
Benefactor member and I have sent thousands though not tens of thousands of dollars to the NRA. I expect to send not one more penny while Wayne LaPierre, his wife and cronies draw more than a dollar a year from contributions. I have participated in Friends of the NRA events and my local club (where I am active as a volunteer as well as a shooter) has benefitted from NRA grants. While Wayne LaPierre and his cronies are taking money from the NRA foundation I will not support Friends of the NRA. I will support my local, state and alternative… Read more »
“Wayne La Pierre’s lack of professionalism costs the NRA millions of dollars.” But Wayne La Pierre’s lack of professionalism hasn’t cost Wayne La Pierre a single penny. He’s still collecting (certainly not earning, nor did he ever) well over a million dollars per year in salary.
What’s wrong with this picture?