Trying To Save The NRA
BY Herschel Smith
2 years, 6 months ago
At Ammoland Jeff Knox apparently tried to persuade Allen West to run for Wayne LaPierre’s position.
Next, the horrible David Keene, a man without honor, slams West and does the talkie-talk about how great LaPierre is. I won’t quote it. You can read that crap if you want to.
Finally, Allen West agreed to take him on at the next board meeting. Also see here.
Most of the cases against LaPierre are about his corruption. Sure enough, he is also a man without honor. But I prefer to base my case on the fact that the NRA is a gun control organization and has supported virtually every gun control measure ever proposed, from the NFA to the GCA and Hughes Amendment, to Clinton’s AWB, the bump stock ban, universal background checks, red flag laws and a permitting scheme.
LaPierre’s corruption is a corollary to the failures of the NRA.
I would be happy if West were to replace LaPierre and may even consider donating to the NRA again. But that’s not going to happen. The NRA cannot be saved. It must perish. Out of its ashes will rise a new and much better organization.
On May 11, 2022 at 2:35 am, Chris said:
Amen.
On May 11, 2022 at 7:50 am, June J said:
The board is still comprised (compromised) of majority Wayne true believers. No changes will be made in Houston.
I’ve given up trying to talk to the NRA “true believers” about the corruption and the need to get rid of LaPierre, Cotton and the rest of the leadership. Their unwavering belief in the NRA is as strong as lefty believers in communism.
On May 11, 2022 at 8:26 am, GerryB said:
I agree the NRA is done, they used to do a lot of good work but no more. Personally I put my $$ into GOA and the local state firearms coalition.
On May 11, 2022 at 9:05 am, Dun said:
Gun Owners of America.
On May 11, 2022 at 9:22 am, John Taylor said:
Wayne “Pepe” LaPierre was Tanya Metaksa’s toadie way back in the day (Marion Hammer’s too). As much as I admire Metaksa’s father (RIP), those three are emblematic of the long-standing corruption within the organization, imo.
I had several intense conversations with Neal Knox about the state of the organization. Despite his reputation and the stories of his great “revolt”, I found him to be just a different flavoring of the same viewpoint that prevailed then and persists now. To this day, it’s hard to find anyone to vote for in the board elections who doesn’t “smell like cat piss” (h/t Al Swearengen).
My family has had life members going back generations — a fact that I have deeply regretted for far too many years.
On May 11, 2022 at 1:39 pm, Red Man said:
Off topic, my apologies. Does anyone else have trouble with WRSA loading?
On May 11, 2022 at 1:45 pm, Matt said:
Of course the NRA is a gun control organization. It needs gun control to keep the $$$ rolling in. On the opposite side is Everytown and Brady. Guess what? They need the gun zealots so they can keep the $$$ rolling in.
Both sides need each other. Victory to these types would mean getting a real job, or worse, not having the ear of politicians. Can’t have that.
All that’s missing is a photo with LaPierre and Shannon Watts having a drink together.
On May 11, 2022 at 2:00 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
@ Matt
Re: “Of course the NRA is a gun control organization. It needs gun control to keep the $$$ rolling in. On the opposite side is Everytown and Brady. Guess what? They need the gun zealots so they can keep the $$$ rolling in.”
“Both sides need each other. Victory to these types would mean getting a real job, or worse, not having the ear of politicians. Can’t have that.”
Well-stated and entirely correct. The business of the National Rifle Association is the National Rifle Association, not the rights of American citizens. Like any bureaucracy, self-preservation is at the top of the list of priorities.
Pournelle’s ‘Iron Law of Bureaucracy’ states: “In any bureaucracy, the people devoted to the benefit of the bureaucracy itself always get in control and those dedicated to the goals that the bureaucracy is supposed to accomplish have less and less influence, and sometimes are eliminated entirely.”
It is also germane to note that the NRA functions somewhat in the same manner as the Clinton Foundation and other leftist NGOs and non-profits do, namely as a money-laundering operation for the GOP.
As venal and corrupt as he is, Wayne LaPierre is not the disease, but a symptom of it. He is typical of the sorts of hangers-on and blood sucking parasites such streams of revenue tend to attract. If it wasn’t him, it would be someone else.
The real tragedy of the thing is that the NRA’s business model is based upon a flawed premise, namely that expanding the rights of Americans to keep/bear arms would, per force, mean putting themselves out of business. That’s not true at all. Even if the last hundred years of gun-control legislation and anti-2A court rulings were pushed back, attacks upon gun rights would still be just as furious as they are today, perhaps more so. There would be ample work to keep a legitimate gun rights organization both busy and well-funded.
On May 11, 2022 at 2:04 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
@ June J.
Re: “The board is still comprised (compromised) of majority Wayne true believers. No changes will be made in Houston.”
The board has profited immensely from the status quo, which means they like things fine just the way they are. Talk is cheap, and they all talk a good game about protecting or even expanding the rights of FA owners, but it is their actions that count, and on that score, they’re remarkably consistent in caving in to the left and the statists whenever it would profit them to do so.
On May 11, 2022 at 3:30 pm, Red Man said:
This crap has been well known for a long time. Why do people continue to be members of the NRA??
On May 11, 2022 at 7:47 pm, Andy West said:
I have written back several times to the NRA when asked to renew. I have always responded they’ll never get another cent from me as long as La Pierre is associated with the organization.
On May 13, 2022 at 12:49 pm, nacho momma said:
Or…we could take SDNY’s wisdom to heart and disband the NRA. That’ll do the trick.
We’ll all be standing in line to turn in our guns by lunchtime.
Don’t take the NRA for granted. We wouldn’t have guns at all without them, regardless of your opinion gleaned from the media.
On May 14, 2022 at 5:55 pm, Daniel K Day said:
I’m awfully late to this discussion, but I’ll answer Red Man’s question. The gun club of which I’m a member (appx 1,800 members) gets its insurance through the NRA, so all members are required to be NRA members. I have never asked, but would not be surprised if the NRA insurance is cheaper than ordinary commercial insurers would charge. The NRA makes it up on “volume” thru the dues of the members, i.e., it’s a self-licking ice cream cone.
On May 15, 2022 at 3:06 pm, Frank Clarke said:
nacho momma (hopefully in jest) said:
“Or…we could take SDNY’s wisdom to heart and disband the NRA. That’ll do the trick. We’ll all be standing in line to turn in our guns by lunchtime.”
(snork!) In the first 2 years of Trump, the GOP had control of both houses of Congress and the White House. This was the time for the NRA to make hay; their sun was shining. What did we get? Nothing but RINOs with NRA A-ratings. Now the House is held by Dems, and we shouldn’t expect much pro-gun legislation to get past them. The NRA can now shrug their shoulders: ‘what can we do? The House is against us’. This isn’t new. This has been NRA’s basic protocol for 85 years. When they have a clear advantage, waste it; when they’re on the ropes, beg for more money.
Come election time, the NRA backs incumbents heavily because they’re likely to win and NRAHQ can then bleat in press releases that ‘92% of NRA-backed candidates were elected!’ as if that makes a difference when they’ve backed a lying gungrabber.
NRA, what have you done for me lately? That’s the question we all need to ask every time one of their ‘surveys’ lands in our mailbox. And when you fill out that survey, answer those questions the way NRA’s leadership — as evidenced by their actions — would have answered them. I promise you it will be educational.
NRA, what have you done for me lately? It certainly hasn’t been ‘protecting our gun rights’.
In this country, 130 million Americans own 450 million guns and 300 billion (with a ‘B’) rounds of ammunition. Those are all low-ball numbers. Disarming America is not something that’s going to happen quickly or soon or without a great deal of bloodshed from exactly the class of people who think it can’t happen here.
No, nacho momma, we are NOT going to be standing in line to turn in our guns. Anyone who thinks so needs to get off the drugs —— or ON them.