Savethe2A

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:

Ackerman-McQueen lawsuit

New York Attorney General’s lawsuit

Lawsuit and counter lawsuit with previous president, Oliver North

Termination of NRA-ILA chief, Chris Cox

Shuttering NRA TV

Lavish spending by NRA leadership – especially Wayne LaPierre

Culture of fear within the employee ranks

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.

Your ever lovable Grey Beard Biker wrote two weeks ago about how important the National Rifle Association is to gun owners across the country. Whether you are a hunter, gun collector, enjoy sporting clays or carry a gun everyday for self defense, the NRA has been there for over a century protecting these God given rights. In my last article, I asked each of you to go over to the Save the 2A website and learn of their recommendations to “right the ship” at the NRA. Please do so.

Oliver North & Chris Cox

If you read my last article, you know of the troubles NRA’s relationship with Ackerman-McQueen have caused the gun rights group. There were allegations of Ackerman overcharging the NRA for services or even charging them for consulting they provided other companies. The NRA sued Ackerman-McQueen – which will inevitably result in testimony coming forth airing NRA’s dirty laundry – the skeletons in their closest, so to speak. After filing suit, Oliver North came forward to Wayne LaPierre with information that Ackerman-McQueen had an incriminating letter they were going to make public. This promptly led to Oliver North’s termination as NRA’s president. The reason circulating the internet: LaPierre claimed North was trying to blackmail him into retirement. The NRA promptly sued North earlier this month, claiming he had attempted a coup to remove LaPierre.

Additional inner turmoil led to the resignation (firing?) of NRA’s 2nd in charge, Chris Cox, who is also being implicated as being involved in the “alleged” coup. This is bad. Cox has built the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action into a lobbying powerhouse. Most pro-gun legislative victories were a direct result of NRA-ILA. No one can possibly know what the ramifications of Cox’s departure will be for the NRA – and for gun rights.

NRATV

The National Rifle Association also announced recently the shuttering of NRATV. This is somewhat understandable as it was created through their partnership with Ackerman McQueen. But the content associated with NRATV: Cam & Company, Love at First Shot, NRA All Access, Dana Loesch and Friends of NRA have provided the NRA a huge PR boost. Grey Beard watched these programs regularly and was always impressed with the depth of the content and the great opinions expressed by its pundits. NRATV was the publicity arm of the association and closing down shop is not good for any Second Amendment supporters.

Wayne LaPierre

For those of us on the outside looking in, it would appear that Wayne LaPierre is trying to protect his fiefdom. LaPierre has been instrumental in the growth of the NRA over the past two decades. His leadership has always seemed solid and he proved to be a good spokesman for the association. But he has been tied to some of the scandals – and if not directly – he was in charge when they were all taking place. Some of the more salacious accusations are:

Lavish spending by LaPierre on clothing and travel
$1.4 million salary – significantly out-pacing other non-profit CEOs
Culture of fear within the organization
Underfunded employee pension (while LaPierre has a golden parachute) – currently running a $41 million deficit
LaPierre’s alleged affair with intern Megan Allen – which may have resulted in a Beverly Hills shopping spree costing $39,000 (paid for by their ad agency but ultimately by the association) – and the association paying $13,800 for rent for the summer intern

In Closing…

We need the NRA. This is beyond question. But we need a strong association which is laser focused on protecting the Second Amendment. As my friend, Mark Walters, of Armed American Radio, recently stated, “The optics are bad for the NRA.” Your lovable Grey Beard Biker thinks fundamental change at the National Rifle Association is in order. It starts at the top. It’s time for LaPierre to retire and new people – with fresh ideas – to come “right the ship.” What are your thoughts?

The Grey Beard Biker™️
gbb@TheGreyBeardBiker.com
@Biker4Life on Gab
Proud Lifetime Endowment Member – National Rifle Association