Opinion by Adam Kraut
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- In 2016, I began a campaign to run for the NRA Board of Directors by petition of the members. The idea to run for the Board started with a conversation between myself and two Board Members at the Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg that February. Those two Board Members were amongst those who recently resigned. After many phone calls, questions, and a lot of thought, I decided the pursue a seat, in the hopes that I would be able to lend some new ideas and a different take on issues of the Organization.
Much to my surprise, my well-documented (and freely available) ideas and proposals met severe institutional resistance. In spite of that, this past year, I hesitantly pursued a seat again, for a third time, at the encouragement of friends and many NRA members who believed that I could add value to the Organization. Once I received the results of the mail ballot, I opted to not pursue the 76th Seat at the NRA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, as I had done the two years prior. While I gave my best efforts over the past three years’ election cycles, I respect and have accepted the choice of the voting members.
After the learning that I was not elected to the Board during this year’s election and coming to understand that my role would have been reduced to simply ‘filling a chair’ even were I to have been elected, I began to focus my time and energy on other exciting opportunities to accomplish my genuine personal desire and goal to advance the Second Amendment, individual liberty generally, and continuing to help educate and inform gun owners about important issues and challenges.
Between the time I began to collect petition signatures in 2018 and the election results being returned this year, news about the NRA began to emerge from a variety of sources. Since these claims and allegations have been the focus of much discussion within the firearms and Second Amendment community for the past several months, I need not recount them here.
Based on my review and understanding of the by-laws, the recent resignations of the three directors would potentially allow me to serve until the adjournment of the next Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. Just prior to the release of this statement, I was contacted by the NRA and informed that there was a vacancy on the Board, which I would be able to fill. Prior to receiving the phone call, I devoted time to consider the possibility of accepting the position, based on the news that three directors had resigned and my understanding of the by-laws.
After careful thought and consideration, and because of the magnitude of time, work, and attention these exciting and important new endeavors that I am currently involved in require, it would not be possible for me to provide the NRA Board of Directors, the Organization, and the Members with the significant time, work, and attention a board of directors role – especially in the current climate – would require. Further, I am not willing to put the NRA into a position where my new position and role in our community could even potentially create a conflict or even a bad optical light that could be leveraged against it by the media and its enemies.
Thus, I cannot in good conscience accept a position as an NRA director.
It has been my honor to have your support these past few years. It is humbling to know that so many share my passion for liberty and supported my proposals to improve our NRA. And I sincerely hope that the Board and the Executive staff of the NRA will do what is right and necessary to create a healthy, strong, and positive force for our rights.
I am excited to support the NRA’s good work, and that of many others, from my new position through coalition building, hard work, thoughtful strategy, and undertaking those efforts that will, I hope, result in a more free America and restored Republic. I am eager to continue promoting the advancement of liberty and hope that you’ll continue to join me in doing do.
Yours in Liberty,
Adam Kraut
For those complaining about Adam not taking the seat, 90 current and former NRA Board members have been subpoenaed by the NYS AG.
I will take the seat. However, most won’t like me. No compromise, as I know all the Left wants to do is take away guns, and there is no appeasing them. Why appease someone who wants to take away our God given rights? Every shooter must band together, we are all in this together. Trap shooters don’t care about AR-15’s banned? Well, the 1994 law nailed semi shotguns that can hold 5+ rounds. We are all in this together as sport shooters.I had customers say that they didn’t care. Wake up. They will ban one thing after another, until they… Read more »
@me Gunn No filter here either, and I’m not afraid to call out those on our side who engage in the same hypocrisy as the left. Makes me pretty unpopular at times, but the upside is when you stand up for the truth as the facts dictate you never lose an argument. Anyone who understands history will see the correlation between what you just wrote, and Martin Niemoller’s poem “First they came for.” Any acceptance of infringements against the second amendment is the same as an attack on the second amendment since those who do are helping dismantle it instead… Read more »
Kinda figured you’d not do it and i understand why!
Ill back your play in what you do if needed.
Not enough of your kind.
GOA. ’nuff said.
Good for you, good (only?) decision.
It would certainly seem a conflict of interests, when challenging the BS ban, that the good ‘ol NRA instigated!
GOA needs to grow exponentially, pull all the non-fudds from NRA and fight to roll back ALL the unconstitutional infringements, going as far back as the GCA and NFA.
Keep up the fight!
What amazes me is that of ALL of the people on the board of edirectors and all the executive committee positions in the NRA, not ONE person out of all of them has the stones to step up to the plate and ADMIT GUILT and saying they have KNOWN of wrongdoing and have been doing wrong against the members of the NRA and the viatuon of the established bylaws and protocols of the NRA? NO BALLS, yet they ALL pretend to be fighting for US and the defence of the 2nd Amendment? Not only this, I haven’t seen one ounce… Read more »
Another coward. Throwing NRA member votes in the trash.
Considering only 5-7% of eligible voters bother to vote, the vast majority of members are the ones throwing away votes.
The point being is that Adam had enough votes to be just below the cutoff so that any opening made him eligible for a seat. And as he explained it would be a temporary position as the seat would come up for a vote again when the term expires. Adam made the right choice and if he tries again for a seat, he’ll get my vote again.
No, what it shows it that you’re willing to continue supporting an organization that for at least 2 decades has thrown it’s membership under the bus in favor of MONEY and political clout. I became a life member in 1983 and by 2000 I already regretted supporting the NRA. At that time, the NRA was the only “real” and well known organization that supported American’s gun rights, yet they were already refusing to take on many of the 2nd amendment battles and began compromising to many state and federal anti-gun mandates/laws. Adam is being very intelligent about this considering that… Read more »
@TAdams Adam has better things to do than to get blackballed by the NRA leadership like the 3 Board members that just resigned. The NRA is broken beyond repair. Adam moved on to more important stuff, like actually fighting for gun rights: https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/fpc-announces-addition-of-attorneys-constitutional-law-scholars-joseph-greenlee-adam-kraut-matthew-larosiere-to-legal-team/
Good decision. Better to be outside while the dust settles than to be inside doing nothing. If the bod is reorganized and reduced in size, I will vote for you again.
The NRA is broken. The focus of the Board and the leadership is the organization, not the members and not the 2A. These insiders also believe they are the NRA and any criticism of them is an attack on the NRA.
Time for reform. Retire WLP and get rid of most of the rest. Elect a new BOD and cut the number of seats in half.
NO! The NRA needs to be allowed to go bankrupt to prevent any of these corrupt asshats to continue to suck off of the membership through retirement benefits. All of these board members have stolen enough money, especially Wayne, Olie, the advertising firm, and the legal firm, to fund the NRA for decades – why give them any more!?!
Adam; I voted for you every election cycle. As a Life Benefactor member I am disappointed that you turned down the position. That said, I am proud of you and your work to support the 2nd. Far too many other people would have taken the position just to have the prestige of BOD membership. Far too many people have taken these positions and then not taken them seriously enough to show up for work. I know you are a busy man and are engaged in fighting the good fight. If these other busy people had not taken these positions when… Read more »
It made no sense for Adam to join the NRA Board of Directors only to get sidelined by the NRA leadership and still be legally liable for their actions. There is a reason why those 3 reformers left. They were completely cutoff from NRA-internal communication and needed to secure outside counsel to protect themselves from legal liability. Realize that the members of a non-profit Board of Directors are legally liable for the Board’s actions. The Board has fiduciary duties that each and every Board member can be sued over if not followed. Also note that the legal liability insurance of… Read more »
This !
I concur. My point was if you don’t have the time to do the job correctly you don’t need to be on the board. Also, the BOD is currently as bloated as a 3day old roadkill deer in July. AND – I don’t care what you think of WLP – right, wrong, or anywhere in between – he is tarnished beyond repair. If he gave a flip about the NRA he would already have had the good grace to step down.
It seems to me that Adam Kraut has seen the handwriting on the wall concerning the imminent legal future of the NRA, and has wisely decided to “stay away from the tents”. By which, I am referring to Numbers 16:26, wherein Moses spoke to the congregation regarding the Rebellion of Korah and Dathan, and Abiram: “And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.” Soon, the sins of the NRA in betraying the 2nd Amendment and violating their… Read more »
I am curious of this “new position “ Adam has referred to. What may that be?
Additionally the NRA should be eliminating board positions not filling them If the NRA wants to live, its time it opens its mind to the criticism of many, that the board ineffective because of its size and amount of dead wood it contains.
As for Wayne, I wonder whats in his contract with the NRA. poison pill perhaps, a payoff so large it would cripple an organization already in debt.
@Jaque, I believe that he working as one of the lead attorneys on a Second Amendment Civil Rights case that is going before the S. Ct.
as I understand it (could easily be wrong) it seems the Board is now the puppet of the executive folks. The Board have not made a signficant decision, have not done a thing to rein in the execs, and neither respond or answer to the members. This they have devolved to seat fillers of some prestige, do nothings with hands tied behind their backs. I said some time ago have a new election to confirm the current board of Directors. but only the half with the most votes continue.Thin the herd to half. Then after six months of seeing what… Read more »
Classy way of turning it down, from someone who is actually a dedicated defender of the Second Amendment in its actual written form.
@Adam, a little birdie told me that the executive vice presidency will be open soon.
Adam, It has been my pleasure, and that of my family members, to vote for you each time you ran. When Colandro was given your position on the BoD it proved Stalin’s words that it isn’t who votes that matters, it’s who counts the votes. IF the NRA survives, AND you decide to run for a position again, PLEASE let all of us here know.
The present NRA BoD situation reminds me of Puerto Rico’s Governor debacle. Open positions and nobody willing to take them. Perhaps we can ask AOC if she’s interested in holding two more loser positions.
No, the people who would become her new victims have not done enough to deserve that level of abuse.
Can you imagine the tyrant she’d be were she to be elected/appointed Queen of Puerto Rico? Mass exodux from tnat island would quickly ensue.
You obviously don’t know puerto ricans, the are on par with the majority of worthless commiefornians. They vote these asshats into their government.
She’d be worshipped like fidel,lol
Yeah put her in charge then nuke it all.
Grouchy at all the evil thats winning lately.
@V12Guy Grouche, Stand at ease, brother. We would just use the governorship as bait, to lurer her onto the boat before chaining her fat little ankles to a cinder block. Feel better, now, don’t cha?
@Tio, The island is Boricua and the inhabitants are Boricuans, until they become New Yorkers!
As someone who voted for Adam, I fully support Adam’s decision. The current NRA leadership is broken beyond repair. Why join the NRA Board of Directors only to get sidelined by the NRA leadership and still be legally liable for their actions? Also, given that the NRA Directors and Officers just lost their legal liability insurance, I expect more resignations and even less people willing to fill in for the empty seats. You may notice that the NRA leadership has reached out to Adam to fill one of the open 3 seats within a day or two of the resignations.… Read more »
Next
Still all butt hurt and nasty Buster?
Doesn’t look good for you, first doing everything you could to defend Wayne Lapierre, now showing contempt for a man who actually supports and teaches the Second Amendment as it was written. Seems like you make a habit out of supporting bad guys and trying to tear down the good ones.
I’m not butthurt, and I never did defend Wayne.
If this guy’s heart is not in the job, then he is right to pass on it – next.
southwest
@Buster, by southwest you must mean new mexico, as in an offshoot of southern commiefornia. What is obvious is that YOU don’t know squat about Adam and his background concerning the 2nd amendment. The NRA board members, especially Wayne, did everything they could to keep him from being on the board because he would have been a thorn in their side – especially considering his legal expertise.
@Buster Way to show how butt hurt you are. Yes, you did defend wayne. In fact, you told anybody and everybody to “STFU” about his use of organization money to reimburse himself for clothing, of milking membership money for travel expenses that did not need to be so costly, and when called on it you invented(Lied) reasons that his doing so “may” have been ok. When you got called on those lies, you accused others of being butt hurt. Would you like me to post the links? So now you have another lie, because you did defend Wayne and now… Read more »
@TheRevelator
You’re wrong again, and your reading comprehension has not improved.
I said if you don’t understand the importance of professional attire (and apparently you don’t), you should stfu – in other words, stop demonstrating your ignorance.
I said perhaps Wayne can’t buy clothing off the rack (some people are actually built that way), then he has no choice but buy custom-made stuff. And if you have trouble understanding that, perhaps you should stfu.
And if Wayne wants/needs to travel by private jet (and sometimes it makes financial sense to do so), then that’s what he should do.
@Buster My reading comprehension is fine, as is most of the other individuals’ here. On top of that, telling others to “STFU” like a butt hurt little girl when facts don’t go your way and you get caught lying repetitively doesn’t help your case. Multiple times it was pointed out to you that suits can be altered or adjusted, but it goes beyond that. Wayne Lapierre makes enough money he can buy his own clothing, not charge the Membership as he constantly sends out mailers telling them how the NRA needs more money to defend their rights when he is… Read more »
To anyone else who reads this far. What Buster is defending is the misuse of money members donated to “Fight to protect their Second Amendment rights.” Wayne, as someone who makes over a million dollars a year, who’s wife has been employed very wealthily thanks to his efforts at times, is not a man who is lacking funds for attire. What buster hates, and is trying to get the conversation away from is not the fact that Wayne got hand made custom Italian Clothing from a chic little Beverly Hills shop, is the fact that Wayne has the money to… Read more »
@Rattlerjake
I do believe you have ol’ Buster pegged. Whether the state or not is correct, I cant say.
I’m more than happy enough to provide the links showing where Buster did in fact spend a pretty significant time defending the actions of Wayne Lapierre. =) Let me know if you are interested.
@wjd When He showed up telling other people that they needed to shut up about Wayne’s misuse of membership money, when he tried to dictate to others what was acceptable to be discussed and sought to limit the free speech of others, that is when I had him peggerd, and it was right from the start of when I challenged him. Because he started from the position of a lie, made excuses for what was clear wrong doing, invented another lie when Charlie Foxtrot presented him with a different angle on it, and then flip flopped on his answers between… Read more »