Opinion
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- An Interview with Anthony Garcia, President of Save the Second.
In my personal opinion, vendors to the NRA learned they could bribe NRA executives and board members with their own money. From trips to Africa to mistresses to sweetheart deals, the management of the NRA became seduced by what was laid at their feet. Now a broke NRA/ILA is laying off staff, and the only one getting rich off the lawsuits are the lawyers.
Enter “Save the Second,” a group dedicated to saving the NRA from itself. They are more than that; they are becoming a meaningful voice for gun rights and an influencer in the 2A community.
You can find them here. www.savethe2a.org
I recently had the opportunity to discuss Save the 2nd and their future with Andy Garcia, their President. I think you’ll find his comments interesting.
The initial reforms the NRA all included calls for Wayne Lapierre to retire. How important is his removal to saving the NRA?
In the end, WLP will need to be removed from the NRA. It’s vital to the reformation of the organization.
The real question is, “how precisely will he be removed?” There are a few ways that can come about. Yes, there’s an officer recall method in the bylaws, but it includes a “good cause” clause, which makes it a more difficult prospect that could end up requiring litigation.
What we would prefer to happen is a fundamental change in the way the NRA operates through reforming the board itself. With a board in place that understands the situation, they can take action and remove LaPierre.
How many individuals do you reach each month?
Between emails, the website, social media, and the podcast, our total reach is nearing 100,000. We believe most are NRA members, as they’re the ones with a stake in this whole thing.
Part of the political success of anti-gun politicians in the last election was due to the absence of the NRA in house campaigns, and their absence turned Virginia into California-East as far as guns are concerned. Do you see the NRA becoming active again for 2020, or should we begin to cultivate other resources?
I think the NRA is going to be dead in the water in 2020. It has too much internal strife and monetary drain, coupled with too many non-renewing members to be effective. This next election will be on us, the American gun owner.
You are using the petition process to institute change, can you describe the term limits initiative and what else do you have planned?
The term limits initiative will limit BoD members to 12 years of total service – consecutive or non-consecutive. We believe it’s vital to keep the board up to date with modern gun culture, rather than allowing people to sit on it for literally decades in some cases.
This initiative will remove most of the board members that are causing the issues that we see currently as well. Most of them comprise the nominating and executive committees.
This petition, like the previous one, will be given to the board to vote on. As such, we expect it will probably be ignored like the previous one. However, we might get surprised and see the board vote for it in a rare moment of lucidity.
If it is ignored, however, we will begin a new campaign around February 1st, 2020 to put both the attendance and term limits questions in front of the membership on the 2021 ballot.
If you are totally successful in reforming our NRA, will you put your organization out of business. Since it is made up of NRA members, how do you feel about that?
If we were completely successful at all of our main goals, I would be extremely pleased. However we would still have a place with the NRA, and it’s members – as a watchdog.
We don’t plan on retiring when this is over, however. There are some great grassroots initiatives that need to be tackled to begin to expand our Second Amendment rights, and we think we’re in a position to do that.
Have you explored using your presence to select and promote new board members through the election process? Before this, it was kind of by invite only.
Yes, we have discussed it. It would be extraordinarily easy for us to do so with our reach among NRA voting members; however we haven’t made a decision yet moving into next year. We’ll make an announcement on that if we decide to do so.
What does the future hold for your organization?
With the NRA, that’s simple – make sure this doesn’t happen again by keeping a keen eye on the organization as every member should. Outside of that, we’d like to move into grassroots work and work in different states to set up chapters similar to MDA, to take that fight to the streets, to the town hall, to the council rooms of legislatures – all with regular people. We’re already working on forming this network.
Thank you, Anthony, We all wish you and you’re fine organization all the best.
Author’s Comments:
I have mixed feelings, I know we need the NRA and its organizational abilities, but I fear they’re gone. When making money off of NRA members became more important than defending the Second the NRA left us.
It is my faith in the American gun owners that keeps us going; no anti-gun presidential candidate was ever elected first time to the office. Dem’s having to lie about who they are to get in. Thankfully they’ve been open about their goals of confiscation firearms this time.
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.
Nice try, Andy.
This says:
* https://www.savethe2a.org/2a-focus/
“It does not include issues like abortion, immigration, and other political lightning rods that have little or nothing to do with the Second Amendment. Let’s get out of the weeds and back on track.”
Ii you refuse to accept the reality that immigration – both legal and illegal – is permanently damaging our Republic, then there will be nothing to save.
Day by day the United States becomes Mexico Norte. When Obama pushed his ‘obamacare’, he said “The 41 million illegal aliens in America will not access the ACA.” SO…41 million in the United States in 2008. There must be AT LEAST 70 million illegals in the U.S. now. Cowardly Americans sit by as their country gets invaded. I went after two illegals in a store, here, and a young female said “THIS used to be THEIR land. How dare you talk to them like that”. No, I am sure she is no conservative. The United States dies because of lazy,… Read more »
“THIS used to be THEIR land.” Those two must have be pretty old, as the land in question has been in US possession since the 1840’s. Why and how it became part of the United States is not, now, being taught correctly in the public schools.
Bang on Bro, BUT SAUL ALINSKY’s “RULES FOR RADICALS” are.
A position our Ex Marxist Leader(LOL) OBOOMBOX worshiped.
You should have informed the infant IGNORANT female that THEY GAVE it to Americans because of fear of the Comanches and Apaches(they were murdering all the Mexicans living in Texas and the SW), and WILLINGLY GAVE anyone the land FREE if they would homestead it.
Once the Indians were defeated, all of sudden WE ARE thieves?.
@ttj, Not entirely true. See: https://www.youtube.com/embed/aaihuiT24Vg
I wish them luck, it would be good to have the NRA actually doing what they are supposed to be doing but there is a catch 22 here. Many of the folk who support the changes they want to see implemented have already left. We got tired of being a cash cow and moved on to GOA, SAF, etc. I fear the people who are still members of the NRA reflect Harold’s attitude much more than they do Anthony’s. BUT, again, good luck.
Thank you, it is nothing less that an uphill fight. Save the Second started in June as we realized we needed an entity that could facilitate NRA bylaw amendment petition drives, rally members to act and more. We don’t just need luck. We need help. You are right, many disenfranchised NRA members have long since left the NRA for other organizations. Rightfully so, in my honest opinion. Still, make of us remain and we need help. 94% of NRA voting eligible members did not vote in last years director election. Save the Second has been running a contest to find… Read more »
Lapierre is one of those “If I can’t have it, no one can!” people. He’ll ride the NRA to bankruptcy before he’ll do the right thing. If the board weren’t a mixture of fellow criminals and pansies, they’d kick him out with no benefits and no retirement–make him sue for what he thinks is his! Instead, I guess they’ll draw straws for who gets to go into the bunker with him. I think next year will probably show what’s left of the NRA, as attrition leaves a million or fewer members. Many now have turned their backs but their memberships… Read more »
“Part of the political success of anti-gun politicians in the last election was due to the absence of the NRA in house campaigns…”. Nope. It was because Republicans and conservatives stayed HOME rather than vote For Freedom and AGAINST the communist democrats. In 2016 only 43% of Republicans voted. In 2018 it was only 37%. So, in 2018 63% of Republicans DID NOT VOTE! Don’t put the 2018 losses on the NRA. It lies SQUARELY on the Republicans that were just too busy to vote against the communist democrats. The ones that stayed home are the same ones that are… Read more »
Thank you, Tetejaun. That is what (except for DU…didn’t know about their cowardice) I have been saying. One hundred million gun owners can swing many if not most elections in our favor, BUT THEY HAVE TO VOTE!!! Like DU apparently, they really believe “they’re not after MY guns.” If they believe that, they are as stupid as the socialist promoters who think they’re not going to be crushed by the new socialism.
@BowserB
The problem with the “Vote” issue isnt just that people stay home. Blind voting accomplishes nothing. Until we can solve the problem of idiots on the right trying to force through bad, compromised candidates over good principled ones for such farcical ideas as “Electability” there will always be those who stay home. It’s not that many of them dont believe they wont be affected, it is that they wont vote for “Socialism light” just because some progressive claims to be part of the Republican Party. (See also Marco Rubio, John McCain, Mitt Romney, ect…)
I left the NRA sometime around 2013 -14 because of exactly that, and to quote the article: “When making money off of NRA members became more important than defending the [2A,] the NRA left us.” Unquote.
NRA leadership needs to be addressed. https://politichicks.com/2019/08/nra-life-member-its-time-to-clean-up-the-nra/
Strongly suggest they team up with GOA, already has 3+ million members.
The REAL no BS Gun rights group, no compromise with OUR RIGHTS.
GOA has a sorted history and its own problems that in some respects are much more difficult to overcome in the public eye than are the NRA’s transient internal problems.
One other area I don’t see given it’s due is the disgusting generation X, Y and whatever other letters have been applied to the basically under 40 years of age population. The Millenials in particular are the group feeding off the promises of the socialist democrats to pay all their bills: medical, education, free rent, ad nauseum. There was an article I read recently where the above population of adults [under 40] in the US do not know what a democratic republic is. Our educational system has been taken over by the Marxist democrats. All the way down to elementary… Read more »
I have tried talking to liberals before, and it doesn’t work because what they believe has become a religion for them. And you, you’re just some useless dug in weasel out to trip them up. I have this older acquaintance I know, who’s a progressive liberal, but no matter what I say our how I say it to her, she doesn’t get it, rebuffs me with useless emotional dribble, and then circles the wagons. Again and again this happens to me whenever the subject of politics comes up, and they find out I’m “not on their side.” The battle lines… Read more »
I left the NRA in the early 90’s when I argued and faught with them about supporting NICS and wrote the law! I knew they really didn’t have the REAL 2A interests at heart. Then they supported GUN FREE ZONES. Then, I really knew this was their compromising and not defending the 2A. I will never join another Org again. I just do it on my own and constantly bug my reps myself. You can’t trust anyone to do it for you. No one cares more about your rights than you do. Just like your life. No one can protect… Read more »
WE HAVE TO do both!. GOA IS THE PLACE that is Zero Compromise.
Excellent comment! Thank you, for getting out there and taking on the fight to keep our rights as Americans intact!
The ability of the membership to be motivated to vote corrupt board members out is what provides for a fix. My mother told me when I was little that if I didn’t like the way an organization was being run, not to walk away. Stay and make the effort to make changes to fix the problems and redirect the goals. The NRA has been with us for over a hundred years. I see NO OTHER organization that consistently participates in the suits against gun-grabbers nation wide and at all levels ranging from cities, through states, all the way up to… Read more »
Trips to Africa, mistresses, and sweetheart deals!! Hard to stay true to the cause with money and @ss being thrown at you. Where do put my name in the hat to be in position to be bribed?
Still a Member IN name and simple membership only,along with GOA who gets my $$$$$$$.
Dems still see tje 5 million members and think the real fight is there, they are being flanked let them continue to fight with LaPierre.
When indictments are handed down, like too many rats in one cage, WLP and his BOD cronies will claw, bite, and eat each other alive in exchange for plea deals.
https://helpsavethenra.com/articles-related-to-whats-going-on-at-the-nra-aug-2019/
As long as the same individuals stay in power for a long or extended period of time they all eventually become corrupt in one way or the other!
And how do we know that this “Save the 2nd” is not just an opportunistic group taking advantage of an unfortunate glitch in the operation of the NRA. We have actually been here before, or so it appeared on the surface, and it became clear that those pushing for reorganization then had selfish motives. I want reform, just not sure that this is the group that actually has our civil rights as their primary motivation. I am a voting NRA member and I reserve my allegiance to a “new” group that has any indication that they might be aiming for… Read more »
As someone who has strongly argued with the Author DM in the past for a few years now, It is good to see much of the change that he has gone through as an individual, and if permanent a much stronger individual at that.
To: Don
Great job on the article, well balanced with an attempt to keep the interview unbiased and let the chips fall where they may, separating your opinion from it into an afterword at the end. This is what used to be known as Journalism a century ago.
Hope you have a wonderful Christmas.