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Save the Second
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Save the Second

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The Grey Beard Biker has written several articles on the National Rifle Association recently. The NRA is still very important to gun owners across the United States, but right now it continues to remain in a state of pure chaos. This needs to be remedied quickly, as we are heading swiftly into the 2020 General Election season.

Controversies Galore at the NRA

In my last article, which you can read HERE, I had outlined the most glaring issues/controversies this once proud organization is dealing with:

  1. Ackerman-McQueen lawsuit
  2. New York Attorney General’s lawsuit
  3. Lawsuit and counter lawsuit with previous president, Oliver North
  4. Termination of NRA-ILA chief, Chris Cox
  5. Shuttering NRA TV
  6. Lavish spending by NRA leadership – especially Wayne LaPierre
  7. Culture of fear within the employee ranks
  8. Underfunded employee pension plan

These all represent trouble on the flanks of the NRA and are inevitably causing members to walk away – which may be the most significant hurdle they face. Additionally, they have lost their focus – which should be exclusively protecting the Second Amendment.

I follow Gun Talk and read an interesting article industry icon Tom Gresham penned last week. This article really sums up what I have been writing about over my past three blog posts on the NRA. It is worth quoting:

Gun Talk News, “Wayne Must Go”

“The leaders at the NRA and I’m talking about YOU, the board of directors, as well as the hired help, have spent years … decades … setting up a system which gives key people massive financial rewards. In my view, it’s at least malfeasance, and it might even be corruption. Monster salaries, private jets, slush funds, insane budgets spent on TV shows, as well as PR and advertising campaigns designed to do nothing more than generate more funds which can be siphoned off for dubious programs…”

“It has greatly jeopardized what most members believe should be the NRA’s core mission – protecting the Second Amendment and our gun rights. In fact, it looks as though the leadership has subverted the core mission into just making themselves rich.”

“LaPierre now is a symbol of this financial meltdown. In short, no matter what is done, if he remains in this post (or has any role at the NRA), it is utterly impossible to restore the trust of the membership.”

The Grey Beard Biker is an Endowment Life Member of the NRA. He also agrees with Tom Gresham. The membership of the NRA cannot regain trust in the organization with LaPierre at the helm. While he may not be singularly responsible for all of the troubles the organization faces today, he is the executive running the ship there. The buck stops with him.

There are some grass roots efforts taking place to right the NRA ship – most notably, Save the 2A. I encourage you to go to their website and sign up for updates from them. Read their list of necessary fixes. If you agree with them, sign and mail their petition right away (mine is in the mail). The first petition is to set minimum attendance requirements for board members and must be received by Save the 2A in the next ten days.

The NRA is a big organization, which used to have deep pockets. Setting minimum attendance requirements for their board of directors is a start. But in the Grey Beard Biker’s opinion, no amount of fixes will right the ship as long as Wayne is running the NRA. It is time to retire, sir.

The Grey Beard Biker™️
gbb@TheGreyBeardBiker.com
@Biker4Life on Gab

Recent Grey Beard Biker NRA Posts:

NRA’s Troubles Continue

Saving the NRA – It’s Up To Us

The Grey Beard Biker loves the “land of the free.” A key tenet to the foundation of our great republic is the Second Amendment. The 2A is not open to negotiation and is very simple in its wording:

Second Amendment

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

With the exception of the Tenth Amendment, our Bill of Rights are centered on the individual. Whether it’s the right to free speech, free assembly, freedom of religion or the right to a speedy public trial – by an impartial jury or our peers – the Bill of Rights protects the individual from the tyranny of an overarching government.

Tonight, I write about our Second Amendment. Over the decades, politicians have tried to pervert what the true meaning of the “right to keep and bear arms” means. Since 1871, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has protected our Second Amendment rights – rights given to us by God, not our government or its leaders. It is, by far, the oldest civil rights organization in our great republic.

For the past 30 years your lovable Grey Beard Biker has been a proud member of the NRA. Today, he is a Lifetime Endowment member. In the grand scheme of things this really do not mean much. The NRA never asks me what I think, rarely checks up on what I am doing – unless it needs money – or does anything besides sending me requests for more donations. But this does not mean they are not doing things to protect my right to “keep and bear arms.”

Unfortunately, over the past several months the NRA has come under scrutiny. It appears, by all things which are being reported, that the NRA has:

  • Tied itself to an unscrupulous company which drained millions of dollars from its coffers;
  • Provided monetary instruments to its board members which may be less than ethical;
  • Provided their Executive VP, Wayne LaPierre, with a golden parachute very few CEOs of major companies could ever hope to negotiate

Current Situation

Today, the NRA finds itself embroiled in lawsuits in New York State which threaten the very existence of this once proud organization. They are at risk of losing their non-profit 501(c)(3) tax designation. This could make them liable to pay taxes, as a for-profit company, for several tax years. Currently, the NRA has less cash reserves to pay back taxes. Making matter worse, they are involved in a civil lawsuit with their longterm partner, Ackerman McQueen, which the NRA claims duped them out of millions of dollars for marketing services. The details of this civil suit are not known, but it is rumored that the NRA spent over $115 million with Ackerman McQueen over a six year period of time. This is serious change, friends.

Save the Second

Today, a grass roots organization is trying to “right the ship” over at the NRA – Save the Second. They are not interested in breaking up the NRA or parceling it out. They are trying to save it from itself. They believe that the organization is out of touch with its members and is drifting rudderless in a storm. On their website, they list five very specific goals:

  1. Reduce the size of its board of directors from 76 to 31
  2. Create term limits for its board members
  3. Require board members to be present for board meetings
  4. Get membership involved in the organization
  5. Focus exclusively on protecting the Second Amendment

The Grey Beard Biker, as a 30 year member of the NRA, fully supports what Save the Second Amendment is doing. The NRA has lost its focus and is at serious risk of becoming insolvent. They rely on the generosity of its members to cover their daily operating costs and their war chest, to fight a serious flank attack from a Leftist assault, is seriously compromised.

Get Involved

Your lovable Grey Beard Biker is asking you to get involved. Go to Save the Second’s website and learn about what they are doing. If you are in a position to support them, donate to the cause. By all means, sign their petitions. With the current political climate in this great country there is no guarantee that any organization can protect the Second Amendment. Over the years, the only organization which has consistently been there to protect what we cherish is the NRA. Let’s all come together and ensure the NRA is there to protect what we value for our generation – and future generations.

The Grey Beard Biker™️
gbb@TheGreyBeardBiker.com
@Biker4Life on Gab

Save the Second