Fairfax, Virginia – -(AmmoLand.com)- Wayne LaPierre has devoted a long time to the defense of the Second Amendment. While loyal Ammoland readers can disagree with his tactics, one cannot dispute the fact that the Second Amendment is on much firmer footing than it was 35 years ago. That said, while LaPierre’s overall track record is good, some mistakes warrant him stepping down.
Missing Clear Warning Signs Of Abuse
The Cuomo-James jihad that turned the power of New York against the country’s oldest pro-Second Amendment organization and which threatens EVERY pro-Second Amendment group or media outlet (including Ammoland) came with a lot of warning signs that were not heeded. Two big ones were the IRS scandal involving the Tea Party and Andrew Cuomo’s listing of Second Amendment supporters among those who had “no place in New York.”
The NRA should have acted then to prevent abuses and to shield themselves. They didn’t, and that is on LaPierre as Executive Vice President of the NRA. It could and should have been a straight fight over Cuomo’s infamous letter about “gun promotion organizations.”
Cultural Engagement
The fact of the matter is that for decades, anti-Second Amendment extremists have been far more active when it comes to engaging with pop culture. I’m not saying that the NRA faced an easy path when it came to engaging with Hollywood, but LaPierre apparently didn’t even bother with much effort at all. Even CMT, which should be our home turf, signed on to bull from Bloomberg.
The NRA should have been working decades ago to connect those who had been established in Hollywood with younger Second Amendment supporters who had talents, goals, and aspirations in pop culture and creative fields. They can still do that, but it will be much harder than it should have been. That LaPierre and NRA leadership didn’t do so is a stunning failure.
Failures In Outreach
This is a bit more nuanced. On some fronts, LaPierre was successful in growing the NRA, but a fair bit of that was preaching to the choir. Where LaPierre’s outreach failed was where Glenn Youngkin succeeded in the 2021 election. Translating the NRA-ILA’s fact sheets and legislative alerts isn’t the only failure, LaPierre should have pushed to translate the NRA’s safety materials and firearms training literature.
On a similar front, the NRA was also derelict in preventing the suburbs from becoming bastions for Bloomberg’s stooges. We are getting lucky with some serious dereliction on the part of left-wing officials, but it never should have come down to luck.
These failures are why Wayne LaPierre’s time with the NRA needs to come to an end. As much as he provided valuable service to the cause of the Second Amendment, the times have changed, and they call for new strategies and tactics that LaPierre has not shown he can implement. In order to defeat anti-Second Amendment extremists at the federal, state, and local levels via the ballot box, it’s time for some new blood at the NRA.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.
Harold, when are you going to stop shilling for these charlatans? They have done effectively less than nothing in the last 25 years. The only reason anyone sees them as relevant is because of people like you too stubborn to support organizations that actually do the work (SAF, CCRKBA, FPC), and Democrats trying to make a tough on guns campaign advert. It’s not just Wayne that needs to step down, its the whole organization that needs to be dissolved. Public support for the ban on bump stocks, red flag laws, and cultivating a culture of compliance with AFT diktat is… Read more »
Oh, Harold! After its full support of NFA34, the NRA had to be brought to the RKBA fight kicking and screaming all the way. I know you’re too young to remember, but not all that long ago (1960s) NRA wanted to devote its discretionary funding to developing the Whittington Center and giving a pittance to funding RKBA defense. That, in essence, is what kicked off what became known as the Cincinnati Revolt. After securing his position, La Pierre worked ceaselessly, not on RKBA issues, but to roll back the Cincinnati reforms that limited his power and to kick out those… Read more »
This guy should have been gone 15 years ago…
He needs to leave with just the clothes on his back, and from what I hear, we bought him some pretty expensive suits.
WLP turned into a greedy, micro-managing tyrant of an organization that we the people trusted with defending our 2nd amendment rights. He hand selected the board of directors and had a scorched earth policy for anyone who stood in his way. He burned through member donations and cash like a drunk seeks alcohol.
He needs not only to be replaced, he needs to serve time and pay restitution.
The one major and I believe terminal failure was failing to take heed to warnings, thirty years ago concerning NRA’s exposure to hostile political operatives by failing to reincorporate NRA on favorable ground. Remaining in NY as a corporation was an act of hubris. We are now paying the price for that. We have had a ‘kick me’ sign on our backs because of the NY incorporation exposure. Combine that with a failed counter attack in the culture war and the organizational skills of the Progressive New Left NRA has been fighting an uphill battle. Few know the daily achievements… Read more »
An honorable person would have recognized the turmoil and damage caused by his continued presence and resigned long ago. If WLP is still in charge next year I will attend the annual meeting in Indianapolis with a t-shirt that says “Put the EX in Executive VP.”
Wow, Hutchison. You missed the very most important point of all about La Pierre. How about the fact that he’s been using the membership dues as a petty cash fund for travel and shopping? La Pierre is FAR more concerned with himself than the 2nd Amendment. Your reasons are valid ones but they don’t even make the top 10. Disappointing.
What a crock! Trying to say LaPierre has been good for the NRA in any way is nothing but B.S. and kissing LaPierre’s butt. Wayne LaPierre singlehandedly has destroyed the NRA and has been directly responsible for all the anti-gun legislation and indirectly responsible for all of the BATF atrocities that have occurred under his administration. He is a fraud, a crook and a liar who has used and abused his position within the NRA to become rich and powerful with the money obtained from the members.
The NRA is now a money laundering institute for their elite members. In one word RINOS