Has The NRA Outlived Its Usefulness?

I believe there had to be another revolt, like the 1977 Cincinnati Revolt. It would have to get its legs at an annual meeting. Those are where Wayne and his cohorts are the weakest and where he feels most vulnerable. If members staged a revolt, that's where they could access members with the most efficiency. (The NRA isn't going to just send anyone a membership list.) But if a resolution could be passed forcing the NRA to list the salaries of Wayne and other execs, that would be a good first step. And it's not difficult to understand why Wayne is greasing the axles of the other execs, because if they're not racking up the big bucks, they might object to Wayne's big bucks, and Wayne wants to keep them happy, and he doesn't want salaries to be brought up at the annual meetings. The last thing he needs is for a bunch of NRA members wearing orange (or any other color) hats showing up at an annual meeting wanting to scrutinize his job, dedication to the cause, and especially salary!

Ever since the firing of Knox in 1982, the NRA has been a business. Harlon Carter and others bumped him because they felt he was a hardliner and unwilling to compromise on issues. He was an idealist, and there was some truth to their concerns. Politicians didn't like Knox because he fought too hard against issues that were unwinnable. He didn't know how to walk away from these battles and he would threaten friends of the NRA in Congress who didn't toe the line as he saw it. And turning friends into potential enemies was not the way other hardliners at the NRA wanted to go. On the other hand, if we'd kept him, a lot of stuff that got passed would have been tabled. Under the NRA, we've had waiting periods, state gun registration and a host of other horrible laws passed, including the abominable HQL law and other requirements. And what of the NRA members? Much of your membership checks goes to the exorbitant salaries of its leadership. And how confident is the NRA membership in the job the NRA is doing? Look at the gun prices. Look at the ammo prices, and its availability.

What does that tell you?

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Uncle Duke said:

No, they haven't outlived their usefulness. Far from it.

They have however IMO, outlived their current leadership.

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Yes. They are a business, they sanction events and sell certifications and training, that is separate from the ILA wing, at least in theory. I don't really care if a CEO of a buisness is corrupt, it's up to the board to deal with them, but it's differnt in a quasi charity that causes massive issues, especially one in the NRA's position. I really hope they get their crap together, seems like there was an attempted coup, and Wayne won, he needs to go, or at least the lobbying wing has to break off on paper and in practice. Until that happens the SAF seems like the next best thing, I donate to them now, they are worthy regardless of the NRA's issues, but if the NRA can come around I'll support them again.

alucard0822 said:

Yes. They are a business, they sanction events and sell certifications and training, that is separate from the ILA wing, at least in theory. I don't really care if a CEO of a buisness is corrupt, it's up to the board to deal with them, but when it is a quasi charity that causes massive issues, especially one in it's position. I really hope they get their crap together, seems like there was an attempted coup, and Wayne won, he needs to go, or at least the lobbying wing has to break off on paper and in practice. Until that happens the SAF seems like the next best thing, and is who I donate to, they are worthy regardless of the NRA's issues, but if the NRA can come around I'll support them again.

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So who can matter now? Lots of folks asking that same question I'd quess.

Any number of organizations are certainly worthwhile, and worthy of support. Safe to say we all have our favorites.

Ironically enough, at least to my way of thinking, since most of the questions surround how best to reawaken our NRA? Because of both their Maryland focus, and their complete lack of comparative size? One organization that comes to my mind at present, when compared with the current NRA, is MSI. MSI mentioned recently an influx of new members.
But all things are relative, and they are still of course comparatively, just as tiny in size as the NRA is large. Think a grain of sand on the beach.

That said, what a helluva day in Maryland, if they were to somehow succeed with their current lawsuits! Talk about David slaying Goliath!

Here's where it gets interesting. Has the once mighty (if dysfunctional) NRA, the one once fairly adept at picking winners and avoiding losing plays, recently hitched its train to "The Little Engine That Could???" Here in Maryland of all places???

I agree with most members. NRA and other 2A organizations are needed but share the distrust with current leadership. I am not sure how best members can nudge the board to make a change.

iplay4fun said:

I agree with most members. NRA and other 2A organizations are needed but share the distrust with current leadership. I am not sure how best members can nudge the board to make a change.

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The Board of Directors has been padded to the point where it has 76 members. This was done deliberately to ensure that it would be unable to exercise control. Try nudging 76 cats.

WLP has been in charge since 1991. Thirty years sucking at the money teat should be enough for anyone. Man has no shame. An honorable man would have resigned rather than taint the organisation's reputation.

Uncle Duke said:

No, they haven't outlived their usefulness. Far from it.

They have however IMO, outlived their current leadership.

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This!

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Personally I think the main reason to have the NRA exist is to be the scapegoat and focus of all anti-gunner attention while Firearms Policy Coalition steps in and does the bulk of actual legal fighting.

Steel Hunter said:

Personally I think the main reason to have the NRA exist is to be the scapegoat and focus of all anti-gunner attention while Firearms Policy Coalition steps in and does the bulk of actual legal fighting.

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No one of any import in state and US legislatures knows who any of the other groups are.

And once groups like GOA and FPC get as large as the NRA they will have the same problems.

And groups that do other things besides lobby have a fkload more juice. If you say just do policy and leglisnaion your better be brining huge bags of money or no one gives a s4it about you.

rascal said:

If you say just do policy and leglisnaion your better be brining huge bags of money or no one gives a s4it about you.

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That tactic actually seems to be working rather well for Bloomberg and his astroturf Everytown organization.

NRA will never get my money. One thing I can say about all non-profits in general is that those who run them are all for their own profit with huge salaries and bonuses, while everyone else works for pennies...cuz non-profit. They expect employees to sacrifice, donors and members to foot the bill while they are lining their pockets. Something like all these televangelists who buy multiple planes, live in huge mansions which are tax free because they designated places of worship.

Allen65 said:

That tactic actually seems to be working rather well for Bloomberg and his astroturf Everytown organization.

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****Indeed it does. It's amazing what throwing around a lot of money can do for people's motivation with respect to your cause!

Sternly worded letters only get you so far!

Cold Steel said:

For the past several decades I've been watching the NRA and haven't been a member for years. But nothing has disturbed me more than the gross misappropriation of funds from the fight against gun control to the lining of pockets of NRA executives. In an article by Jeff Knox, son of Neal Knox, a man I greatly respected for his tireless fight against gun control, he writes:


This is outrageous. I met Neal Knox a number of times when I worked for the NRA in the late 70s. He was a gentleman and a dedicated supporter of the Constitution. Many of my colleagues treated him with respect to his face, but stabbed him relentlessly behind his back.

On the day he left, they acted as though they were grieved to see him go, and you would have thought it was a funeral as they somberly offered him their heartfelt condolences. But as soon as he was out of earshot, they mocked him derisively. Loyalty was everything at the NRA, and no one would have dared show genuine compassion because it was run like a Marxist state. Once out of favor, your name was Mudd.

A few years after I left, the NRA fired its entire public affairs staff. When I heard the news, I was incensed. That day someone, I don't know who, dropped a dime and called the Washington Post, and the following day it made the front page. It quickly came to the attention of the NRA board, which, just before its annual meeting, fired the executive vice president and one or two others. But things never got better. Wayne kept amassing power and, as noted above, raided the piggy bank every chance he got.

Now the NRA is a cash cow for the executives, and even when I was there, when a VIP came for a visit, they'd give me or someone else a credit card and we'd take them to very nice restaurants with plenty of booze flowing.

We also would go out for office outings and we'd put it on the tab -- for morale, of course. The NRA also hired beautiful women and there was, in my day, widespread incidences of affairs.

I've had it with them. I'll support the Second Amendment Foundation, but I've had it with three NRA.

What do you think?

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The information is out on what they receive for 2019 and wayne received upwards of $2.1 million. For organizations that have problems printing out court documents that can cost $10k his salary alone could fund an entire statewide operation for a decade.

https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/detail...TURNS&orgTags=EPOSTCARD&orgTags=COPYOFRETURNS