I recently had an opportunity to talk to Judge Phillip Journey, a very busy man who doesn’t seem to be capable of turning down an opportunity to fight for good. Not only is he a judge, a business owner, and a gun rights advocate, but he’s also a long-time NRA reform advocate and a current board member…one who has been shunned by the powers that be and is unlikely to keep his board seat.
While a New York court told New York attorney general Letitia James that she can’t dissolve the organization, James’s claims against the organization’s leadership will go forward and will come to trial later this year or early in 2023. At that point, the judge will have the option of either leaving the NRA alone or letting James appoint someone to run the organization and “fix it.”
Journey wants to give the judge a third option: hand control of the organization over to a group of reformers who can put the NRA back on the right track.
Journey’s Journey In The NRA
Journey says questionable spending at the NRA isn’t a new problem at all. Allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse have been around for decades, as have accusations that the organization isn’t serious enough about fighting for gun rights.
But leadership in previous generations (especially in the 1990s) were able to keep the organization from going belly up, even if it was inefficient and corrupt. It was during that era that Journey was first elected to the NRA’s board, and he participated in an attempt to clean things up then.
The effort, culminating in an NRA meeting some call the “Battle of Seattle” in 1997 fell short — by a single vote — of removing NRA leadership and reforming the organization. After the vote, the leadership purged many reform advocates from the association.
Disaffected outcasts and people who expected better from the NRA left to a large degree, but Journey says he stayed because he’s passionate about the shooting sports.
“We have to make every effort to bring the next generation into the shooting sports.” he said, telling me about his focus over the years and how shooting sports get youth to become passionate about guns. So, he really sees the shooting sports, especially youth shooting sports, as not only fun, but as part of the fight for the future of gun rights in the United States.
After a long time out of NRA leadership, but still involved in the organization, he had a chance to help again, but didn’t know what he was getting into. At one meeting, he said saw the leadership being grilled in a meeting that they had lost control of, and he says he stepped in and pulled their butts out of the fire. This earned him the respect of some of the leadership, who then helped him get back on the board.
He told me there was a lot of luck involved in getting back into leadership, and that he was the only person who was purged in 1997 who ever got back inside. But, he almost turned down the invitation to return to the board when he got ahold of Letitia James’ complaint against the NRA.
He said that when he saw the credible accusations against the organization and the alleged crimes that NRA leaders committed, he literally vomited. The complaint, along with other things he had learned about the organization over the years, seemed likely to end the organization.
“I love the shooting sports, and I knew what was at risk.” he said, explaining why he decided to go ahead and join the board at a meeting in Tucson in 2020. His term as a board member ends in 2023 at the Indianapolis meeting, and he says he seems likely to not be reelected in because he’s now on the outs with the association’s leadership once again, who have raised the required ballot signature thresholds.
His big concern for the future isn’t that the gun rights movement would die off if the NRA goes down, but that the “loss leader” programs the NRA runs, like shooting sports, instructor programs, and others that bring new blood into the gun world wouldn’t be picked up by other organizations. That would lead to a shrinking population of gun owners in the United States in the long run.
How Restore The NRA Got To Where It Is Today
The big turning point for Journey’s drive for NRA reform happened in early 2021. The board, on faulty information, was pressured to approve a new pay package for Wayne LaPierre and the appointment of a Special Litigation Committee to oversee the range of lawsuits against the association and take quick action, which seemed like a good idea at the time.
What he didn’t know was there was already a plan to use the new committee to push through an attempt to put the organization in bankruptcy, with the goal of getting the organization out of New York and away from the lawsuit, without making any real reforms. When the filing was made, it was done without the knowledge of the board, but said in the filing that they had the board’s permission.
When news of this bankruptcy filing in Texas came out, Journey knew right away it was a “bad faith” filing, as they had lied about the board’s knowledge. This put him in the unhappy position of having to report that to the court, because as a judge himself, he had a duty to all courts to let them know of any bad faith dealings he becomes aware of that affect another court.
His reform effort had already filed with the court asking the judge to allow his group, Restore the NRA, to take over and rebuild the association. But when the bankruptcy was dismissed, his organization’s motion was dropped as part of that case.
Between A Rock and a Hard Place
The New York courts refused Letitia James’ request to dissolve the NRA, which seemed like good news on the surface, but Journey tells us that the truth is actually much bleaker for the association.
If the NRA somehow manages to win its fight with the state of New York, they’re still on a seemingly unrecoverable downward trajectory. News of waste, fraud and abuse makes the average NRA member wary to donate or renew membership, so the organization is losing both members and money at an alarming rate. If the NRA’s corrupt leadership doesn’t change things fast, the organization could very well be doomed regardless of what happens in the New York case.
But, the NRA is probably going to lose in court.
“There is no doubt in my mind that James meets her burden of proof.” he said, referring to the case she’s brought against the NRA. That means not only would the organization’s leadership be removed, but James — a rabid NRA foe — would get to appoint someone to run the NRA and “reform” it.
If, by some miracle, James backs out of her campaign promise to destroy the NRA, and makes a good faith effort to actually fix it, Journey says that’s the part where “the bottom’s gonna drop out.” With members knowing the NRA is being run by a puppet of the State of New York, the hemorrhage of cash and members would turn into a torrent, and the organization would die a quick death rather than slowly bleeding out as it would under its current leadership.
Either way, Judge Journey thinks the NRA’s current leadership is doomed. “I think they’re all going to prison.” he said. The civil case against the NRA brought enough evidence of tax evasion, money laundering, and mail/wire fraud to light that it’s unlikely LaPierre and those who aided him won’t face criminal charges and likely conviction.
What To Fix The NRA
Journey’s plan at this point is to give the judge in New York a third option. Rather than leaving the NRA with its current corrupt leadership or putting it in the hands of the malicious Letitia James, he hopes to get the court to give it back to the association’s membership.
“I don’t want to spend the rest of my life doing this,” he told me. His goal, instead, is to stay on long enough to “have the NRA run by members and for members” and then “walk away.”
His goal is for the organization to return it to its mission, abide by the law, and provide high quality services for members. More importantly, he doesn’t want to run it. He wants a reform committee to be in charge of fixing the organization and he wants NRA members to be in charge of where the organization goes next, rather than letting that be done by a small cabal of people connected to LaPierre and those who prop him up.
Judge Journey didn’t say where the organization should go next, largely because he feels that’s not up to him. He wants the NRA membership to make those decisions.
Like many readers, that answer wasn’t initially very satisfying to me, but keep in mind that a reformed, open and honest NRA would be in a much better position to accept criticism and become a more effective organization of gun owners. That would be a ripe environment for everyone from hard core gun rights activists to members who want the organization to be more inclusive and less political to actually have a say.
How Gun Owners Can Help
I was initially of the opinion that letting the NRA die might be the best move. Its damaged, discredited leadership, terrible reputation, and its image — however accurate — of Negitiating our Rights Away, mean that other organizations would have a chance to step in and do those things better. But fixing the NRA would be advantageous in that existing programs and connections could be kept intact without a disruptive period of chaos where other groups would try to build them from scratch in the void left behind by the NRA’s dissolution.
So this seems like an effort that could be worth supporting, especially if more good people get involved ASAP.
Getting the court to accept a call for reform rather than giving the NRA over to the tender mercies of Letitia James is going to take money. Judge Journey is obviously familiar with the law himself, but he’s going to need a team of lawyers to fight both James and existing NRA leadership if he’s going to make the reform effort a reality. You can learn more about Journey’s effort and see if you’d want to support hit at the Restore the NRA website.
It’s probably also a good idea for organizations and individuals with ideas for reform to get involved now instead of waiting for new NRA leadership to coalesce around new ideas. It’s going to be up to a lot of current members and gun owners to help be a part of fixing an organization as big as the NRA.
![By Larry Keane President Joe Biden traveled to New York City for a media event to try and show America he’s doing something about rampant crime. Instead, he blamed the Second Amendment and lawful gun owners, said nothing about holding criminals to account and repeated the same tired lies about the firearm industry he keeps at the ready – lies “fact-checked” as being false each time he’s previously recited them. It makes no difference to the president. He’s not even trying anymore. To President Biden and national gun control groups the problem is always the gun and the law-abiding members of the industry. It’s never the criminal. Blaming the ‘Resistance’ President Biden was joined by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams for a “Gun Violence Strategies Partnership” meeting to talk about how to solve the crime surge, particularly those involving firearms. Instead of real solutions, the focus devolved into blaming law-abiding gun owners and again pushing a gun control agenda. “Enough is enough,” President Biden said. “Because we know we can do things about this, but for the resistance, we’re getting from some sectors of the government and the Congress and the state legislatures, and the organizational structures out there.” That “resistance” the president spoke of is the American people. Over the past two years they’ve become fed up with police defunding policies and soft-on-crime prosecutors, like Manhattan’s Democratic District Attorney Alvin Bragg. They’ve invested in their own safety. The “resistance” is the 21 million lawful gun buyers in 2020, including more than 8.4 million first-time buyers, and the 18.5 million gun buyers in 2021, with more than 5.4 million first-timers. The ”resistance” has backstopped Congress from passing federal gun control that don’t address crime. It also stopped President Biden’s nominations of paid gun control lobbyist David Chipman to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and banking activist Saule Omarova as Comptroller of the Currency because not even all U.S. Senate Democrats could support them. They would have turned those agencies into bludgeons to hammer the firearm industry to achieve a special interest, gun control agenda. Favorite Falsehoods The president turned his aim from lawful gun owners towards the firearm industry and repeated a lie he’s rehearsed several times before. “Imagine had we had a liabil… [sic] they’re the only industry in America that is exempted from being able to be sued by the public. Only one,” the president protested. “Why the gun manufacturers?… It’s got to end. They’ve got to be held responsible for the things they do that are irresponsible.” He repeated the claim for emphasis. “And I find that outrageous.” This is flatly false. The president knows by now, or his speechwriters do and they don’t bother with the facts. CNN, Politicfact and Washington Post have all checked President Biden on his remark, including after he said it in the White House Rose Garden. CNN cleanly rebuked it. “This is false. Gun manufacturers are not entirely exempt from being sued, nor are they only industry with some liability protections.” Politifact rated it “false.” Washington Post wasn’t kinder, saying, “Biden is wrong to claim the gun industry is totally immune.” The firearm industry has liability protections under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), bipartisan legislation enacted under former President George W. Bush. The firearm industry cannot be held liable when unaffiliated third-parties, in this case criminals, misuse a legal, lawfully sold product. It’s fundamental tort law and is similar to an individual attempting to hold Ford and Budweiser responsible for drunk driving deaths. The law was passed in direct response to lawsuits filed against the industry by control groups and municipalities like the city of New York and the state of New York. These type of lawsuit continue to be filed, now even by foreign governments represented by the same gun control group, the Brady Center. Colonial-Era Error President Biden continued to ignore facts on the Second Amendment and its history. He even erred when speaking about the Revolution-era days and why the right to keep and bear arms was so sacrosanct. “When the amendment was passed, it didn’t say anybody could own a gun and any kind of gun and any kind of weapon,” President Biden remarked. “You couldn’t buy a cannon, and when – the – when this, uh, this amendment was passed.” It did, and does, say the right of the People “shall not be infringed.” Even The Washington Post was brutal in their assignment of “Four Pinocchio’s” to this statement. “Biden has already been fact-checked on this claim — and it’s been deemed false. We have no idea where he conjured up this notion about a ban on cannon ownership in the early days of the Republic, but he needs to stop making this claim.” In fact, the Constitution of early America – before the Bill of Rights, and Second Amendment, was even ratified – granted and encouraged “special waivers” to American merchants and sailors, “allowing private individuals to act as pirates on behalf of the United States against countries engaged in war with it.” Americans given waivers and who owned warships obviously also obtained cannons for use in battle. In fact, it is still perfectly legal to buy a cannon today. It is the presidents’ fundamental misunderstanding and blatant lying about the Second Amendment that informs his gun control agenda and misguided approach to solving the crime problem. Millions of law-abiding Americans took ownership of their Second Amendment rights to protect themselves, understanding the president won’t. Instead of mangling the meaning of the right and pushing for more gun control on law-abiding Americans, the president should keep it simple. Take on the criminals and punish them for breaking the law.](https://cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/download-26-218x150.jpeg "Harris is a Human Disinformation Campaign When It Comes to Guns")
I’m not giving any money to the nra until la pierre is gone. They already have my moral support. Just no cash until real change is made.
Same here. Not one more dime. It’s almost that simple. Show members that you are listening to them by removing Wayne and then we’ll talk.
Restore The NRA is a separate organization. Not a dime to them goes to Wayne’s suits or luxury SUVs.
Yes, I’ve been holding onto my donations for years. Some of it has gone to GOA and NAGR>
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THIS!
I still support the NRA via a membership for their valuable training efforts but it really let a lot of the air out of my sails when Cox and Ollie got the old heave ho and Mr 10K$ suits stayed…
As bad as they are now, to allow a despicable N.Y. corrupt politician to destroy it completely would be a travesty we can’t afford!
I always felt every time I turn around these cork suckers are begging for money. I bet all those proud lifetime members feel despondent now. Greasy haired piece of shit why couldn’t you just fade away?
exactly so. lapierre in a cage.
ila, training. trim the fat.
Being a ham radio operator I am seeing some of the same problems with the NRA also in the ARRL (American Radio Relay League), which is the lobbying arm of amateur radio in the US. Entrenched leadership, failure to follow and support stated purpose and finances not being properly allocated. Luckily the ARRL Director that covers Texas (West Gulf Division) and the Texas Section Managers are trying what they can to get the ARRL Officers and Staff in Newington, CT to do their jobs. I support the ARRL because it is the only ham radio voice in D.C. I stopped supporting the NRA because there are other voices that support 2nd amendment rights.
73, K5OCS!
You do HF, Rad?
I’m on 10, 15, 20, and 40.
Oh, a fellow ham operator! I’m K3JEN.
That’s one of the reasons I’m not currently an ARRL member. They’re a lot like the NRA, as you point out. Would like to see better.
It seems the Judge is angling for the best deck chair on Titanic.
With 5 million members, cannot a new organization arise that will take on the non-political missions of NRA?
Theoretically, that’s possible. But unlikely.
Most likely there would be several 2A-defender organizations competing for our support. Not a bad thing if the number is smaller. Could be disastrous if the number is larger. More below.
As to particular missions: hunting; fowling; ranges; training; youth-development; marksmanship; etc., I’d fear that there would be not-enough support for some of these activities to build a national organization. And, the state organizations that do these things would not have a central organization to draft training materials, lobby Congress, support regional interests (e.g., deer habitat or the like.)
As for the 2A-defenders, we should think out-of-the-box. The NRA got to be named the designated villain because it is (was) the single lightning rod. Read Alinsky. Why should we give the Anti’s our designated villain?
Suppose we do have a central national organization; but, it’s run as a federation of the state organizations. And maybe some other organizations like the women’s DC Project. Run 90% of the money through the affiliate organizations. Then let the Anti’s try to target the Buckeye Firearms Association and the DC Project. They won’t be able to get traction.
Imagine how voters from Ohio will react when they hear criticism of the Buckeye Firearms Association. Imagine how female voters will react when they hear criticism of their sisters on the DC Project.
Those of us who support lobbying and litigating for the 2A can send our donations to the Buckeyes or the DC Project according to which seems to be strong on gun rights. If the Hawaii Riflemen are soft on gun rights, we don’t send them money.
“As to particular missions: hunting; fowling; ranges; training; youth-development; marksmanship; etc., I’d fear that there would be not-enough support for some of these activities to build a national organization.”
Would think a national organization exists, regardless of the name. A group of people currently NRA members could organize, and declare to members that the new organization will absorb all the functions of the current (soon to be obliterated) NRA.
That new organization could petition the court to be the “receiver”, or could announce to the current membership that the new organization will seek to federalize the membership for the purpose of providing a central service to setting standards, and managing non-political functions.
NRA non-political programs are not recognized “villains”, because those non-political functions do not engage directly in politics.
Let’s sit back a moment….do NRA members fund NRA primarily because of programs, or because of political clout of ILA? Are the “programs” simply loss leaders as a means of funding ILA? Which is more important to members: programs, or presumed hard core 2A activism? If it were possible to create a new national organization to operate programs, is there the commitment from the current membership sufficient to keep it alive?
NRA, I send them money and they send me a NRA sticker.
They’re keeping that sticker factory busy. To bad the sticker factory is in China.
Zootsalures
The Torture Never Stops.
If we allow the NRA to die on the sword of the Anti-2A forces we show them that they can win.
If we support Journey’s movement we show that we can govern ourselves.
The whole NRA political mechanism must be overhauled so this can’t happen again.
I favor an entirely new structure where, for example, for $5 one becomes a member-at-large. For an additional $5 one becomes a patron of one division, e.g., the marksman division, or the fowling division or the hunting division or the 2A-defense division. A member can join as many divisions as he wishes for N * $5.
He votes for committeemen who run each division. And, the committeemen form the nominating committee for the Board.
Members who are patrons of the fowling division will support only those candidates for committeeman who are known to support fowling; and so forth. If the fowlers represent a significant fraction of the membership they will have significant clout politically.
If fowlers and hunters and 2A-supporters, etc. are nominating board candidates we will no longer have the EVP filling board seats with his cronies. No longer have celebrities being re-elected year after year based solely on their name recognition.
Members will decide how much effort they want to put into defending the 2A or youth shooting sports by supporting the several divisions. If NRA members want the NRA to be a hunting and fowling club not politically involved on Capital Hill, so be it. If the reverse, then that will prevail. We might as well have an NRA doing what we members want it to do then have it pushing some agenda that few members have any personal interest in.
Maybe we ought to think of a proxy-voting provision. Maybe I’m a fowler and a youth-sports member. I’m not much interested in the overall politics of NRA, but I want it run well. Maybe I should be able to give my proxy to the fowler committeeman who I trust to do the best for the organization as a whole and for fowling.
Such a system would make it difficult for the EVP to “harvest” votes from low-activity members for his celebrity candidates. I’d be more inclined to give my vote to a fowler-committeeman I trust than give it to the nominating committee whose members I generally don’t know (they are from a cross-section of division committeemen from committees I don’t support.)
“I favor an entirely new structure…”
Howe does the proposed structure (or any “reform” for that matter), prevent anti-gunners from taking over the organization?
Pro-gunners screwed up the organization after passing defensive tactics against a hostile takeover. Would the anti-gunners screwing up the reformed organization be worse?
Fact of Life: in any organization of consequence, the leadership always end up living better than the average of members in the entire organization. It is who we are, what we are: humans.
Ok, well…
I’ve made my decision about the NRA on a personal level and I’m not seeing anything in this article that changes anything for me. I’ve never been a member. The closest I get is the TSRA. You can tell me all you want that I wont have any impact since I’m not a member and that if I want change then I have to join. I consider that to be seriously flawed thinking. The NRA needs to be an organization that is to some degree, I don’t know…APPEALING! Why should I join? EVERY penny I give will be one that gets flushed down the drain. I’d rather spend that money one more guns, more ammo, more time at the range, and more training.
My problem here is that the 2A is part of the US Constitution and is NOT subject to the will or the actions of the NRA. We do NOT have the guns because of the NRA! That has NEVER been the case and never will be. We had the right to keep and bear arms BEFORE the NRA and we are the ones that determine the future of OUR government as to the existence of the Second Amendment. The US Constitution does NOT get rewritten just because the NRA falls! THAT happens because this nation moves to communism.
I would rather live in a USA that has a strong, powerful, active, and a worth while NRA. We do NEED many of the things that it does. Like training and education programs. Having ‘NRA Certified’ training teaching police departments and the general population is absolutely necessary. Maybe the other orgs will pick up the slack and maybe not.
It is completely obvious to me that the problem is NOT me or the negative thinking I have towards this organization. Otherwise THIS article would not even exist. So if you want to respond by telling me I should join…well, TELL THAT TO THE JUDGE!
I have no plans to reup after letting my NRA membership go a few years. And I’ve seen online where the NRA paid RINOs millions to pass the red flag BS abomination. Negotiating Rights Away indeed…
Still some FUDDs who are pissed about the “Revolt at Cincinnati”. Get over it. See also Rockefeller Republican (RINOs). GTH.
If folks remember Ollie North served for a very short time as President of NRA and when he complained of this same sort of thing, they voted him out. At the time I could not believe they were actually corrupt but given this information coming from a judge I would have to say I now have my doubts. I had discontinued my membership for a couple of years because I found them to be unresponsive to some issues, I wanted to discuss both with ILA and the Board. In ILA’s case I got some lawyer who obviously didn’t understand how to treat a member nor could read and understand what I had written him. In the case of a letter sent to the Board, I didn’t even get an acknowledgement that I contacted them. I rejoined recently primarily to keep informed of gun right issues in addition to what I was getting from other local and national organizations. So I only pay membership and never donate one cent to them. I find the National Organization for Gun Rights to be effective even though I think the President of that group is a little far right even for me. However, I have to admit that in this day and age perhaps that is what we need to counter balance the craziness of the left.
I long ago decided to quit throwing good money after bad.
Nothing for the NRA in it’s present form.
Nothing for the GOP / IR in it’s present form.
Nothing for my 401k in it’s present form.
Hell, I’m not even buying reloading components while the ammo companies are effing us over while supplying uncle sam and F Ukraine with unlimited production.
The NRA appears to be run by hacks, morons and thieves whether in the “executive” or in the elective positions.
It is both a blessing and a curse that the Association is incorporated in New York. How this plays out is anyone’s guess and we are all poorer for this.
“It is both a blessing and a curse that the Association is incorporated in New York. How this plays out is anyone’s guess and we are all poorer for this.”
What we are the poorer for is that if destruction of a single organization is the undoing of 2A activism, then we are the most miserable among defenders of the Constitution. If we are guilty of depending upon a single point of failure, it is we who are morons, buffoons, simpletons, mentally feeble, and all the other arrows we sling at the gun-grabbers.
Should there be a national alliance of 2A orgs? Absolutely. Will that happen as long as the NRA exists? Not likely. When the NRA fails, there will be a great void. That void will mean a great set of needs are not being met. Organizations will step up, form alliances, merge. It will be creative, exciting, and dynamic. A new 2A powerhouse will emerge, more democratic, more focused, more effective. No NRA baggage to drag around. Fresh thinking, new energy, and intent on winning.
BTW, range day today. Tried out my new 3/8″ steel gongs on my home made stand. What a hoot!!! Hearing those gongs ring, and watching tham swing!!
They are small, though. I wish I would have hit them more often.
“They are small, though.”
Move ’em closer to the firing line.
Gongs are neat, the instantaneous feedback makes ringing ’em addictive…
I haven’t given the NRA a penny in longer than I can remember, as I’d prefer my money not go to paying for apartments for Wayne’s side pieces and Saville Row suits.
With that said, if the judge goes with this plan, I will be re-upping and adding a sizable donation on top of it about 10 minutes after the gavel comes down.
The Judge could possibly do more good by working to get those good loss leader programs picked up by other organizations, you know, the ones who really fight for our rights.
Not to mention all the stupid gun ranges that require NRA membership to join. I immediately cross them off of the list and I’m sure I’m not alone.
^This has kept me out of my closet outdoor range since I stopped supporting WLP’s criminal career back in the late 90’s.
“^This has kept me out of my closet outdoor range since I stopped supporting WLP’s criminal career back in the late 90’s.”
I guess ranges are different everywhere. Our local range requires NRA membership only for members. The public can use the range without NRA membership; they pay a higher range fee, and no discount of purchases of other stuff at the store.
We took memberships. Figured out that the associate NRA level was only $10. Paid that once so we could get membership cards. No one ever asked about NRA membership after we established membership at the range. It’s been 8yrs without NRA membership.
Sure, I get that- and to each their own. For me, though, it’s more of a principle thing- I wouldn’t join the Church of Satan for a discount or convenience… even if it was “just temporary”.
I just keep putting my old NRA member number on the renewal form every year. Even though I haven’t sent the NRA anything for years.
The judge is part of the problem if he’s been on the NRA BoD; he had opportunities to remove Radioactive Wayne along with 75 others. They did less than nothing… THEY CIRCLED THE WAGONS!!
This article smells like an Ammoland bootlicker rant featuring Little Quisling Harold (Hutchinson).
1 vote isn’t going to do it. He needs 38 more. That’s hard to get with all Wayne’s cronies wetting their beaks and the no show celebrities.
There’s really nothing we members can do any time soon. New board members are nominated by a committee of the existing board, and anti-Wayne/financially responsible members don’t get renominated. We’d have to get a reform ticket nominated by petition, have them win a majority in an election despite bullet balloting, and then repeat that whole feat 2 or 3 times in the following years to get a majority if the board. If Wayne and friends cared the slightest about 2A, they could resign and end the NYC threat. Wayne could say he’s sacrificing himself for the organization, take his golden parachute, and walk off into the sunset with his head held high. Instead, he’s having the NRA pay outside counsel $4M a month to delay him going to jail.
THe point here in the opening comment is REFORM. Not absolute ban.
It’s reforms of attitude of gun owners , reforms of allowable firearms, reforms of licensing conditions, reforms of the number of firearms that can be legally held by an individual or household, reforms of of SAFE KEEPING and reforms of the ammount of ammunition to be held that are urgently needed. Especially reforms as to the attitude of Americans towards the use of firearms in the first place. Far too many Americans especially young males seem to regard the owning of unnessessary firearms especially Semi-Automatic Rifles and rather pointless types of sidearms as being indicative of MANHOOD.
Nobody actulally needs. as distinct from merely and rather childishly ‘wanting’. a semi-Automatic rifle which has but one logical purpose and that’s to kill as many PEOPLE is as short a time as possible. Equally nobody actually needs anything more than a decent 9mm or .38 calbre Handgun for any purpose whatsoever including any possible perception of ‘self defence. Ammunition?? Nobody, once again, actually ‘needs’ more than 25 rounds of ready- to-hand 9mm or .38. or suitable ‘hunting calibre’ ammunition at any one time.
What about going down the ‘range’ I hear you ask. All ‘ranges’ of whatever description, including, I suspect, hundreds of newly emergent DICKINS METHOD ranges, should be the only premises wherby ammunition for that brange can be purchase and it should be made a CRIMINAL OFFENCE, as it is in the MILITARY to remove unspent ammunition from those range premises.
Before you ask I know that it will not stop the3 dedicated criminal form obtainging firearms but it’s NOT the dedicated criminal [as in Gangsters Mafie a etc] that is doing the mas shootings -they l kill each other.
Drug Barons, and organisatrions like the MAFIA at who’s feet lay the majority of violent crime apparently, do not kill their and bloody customers – they kill their competitors and good riddance I say.
@Albert L J Hall
“THe point here in the opening comment is REFORM. Not absolute ban.
It’s reforms of attitude of gun owners , reforms of allowable firearms, reforms of licensing conditions, reforms of the number of firearms that can be legally held by an individual or household, reforms of of SAFE KEEPING and reforms of the ammount of ammunition to be held that are urgently needed.”
In other words an absolute ban and restriction on the exercise of the second amendment right.
You’re an idiot with absolutely zero understanding of this subject matter.
A weak-kneed subject such as yourself could never understand that it’s not the Bill Of Needs.
Lol, you’re just jealous because you can’t get an AR in what used to be your country.
The thing anti-gun says never happens happened again, a person is forced to defend their self from a criminal threat again…
Homeowner Shoots And Kills Intruder In Central Ohio > https://concealednation.org/2022/08/homeowner-shoots-and-kills-intruder-in-central-ohio/
Woman Shoots Man During Assault In Atlanta > https://concealednation.org/2022/08/woman-shoots-man-during-assault-in-atlanta/
Sadly, these types of things happen thousands of times daily in the United States. They rarely make the news and then if they do its mostly those in which shots had to be actually fired and someone actually got shot. Less than 5% of defenders actually fire, this is because the other 95% of the bad guys run away when they see the defender brandish their firearm preparing to use it or sometimes the bad guys heed the warning from the defender that they will shoot them. But none the less, these are thousands of defensive gun uses daily that never make the news and mostly because that are not bloody enough.
Note: The woman who shot the guy in Atlanta, if that will be called actual self-defense or not in the law aspect is uncertain at this point in the link I provided above. However, if you read the underlying story > https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/atlanta-woman-shoots-man-in-self-defense-during-assault-police-say > we find out that investigators believe (when the story broke) the woman shot the man in self-defense while he was assaulting her.
But it does serve as an example of what happens to thousands of people daily in the U.S. from the criminal threats of domestic abuse to assaults in public spaces to sexual assault and more.
The fact that less than 5% of defenders actually fire in actual self-defense defensive gun use shows an inherent reluctance and responsible restraint to actually shoot someone unless absolutely necessary.
It is part of that inherent ‘restraint and safety and social and legal and law abiding’ adherence responsibility exhibited daily by millions of law abiding gun owners. An inherent ‘restraint and safety and social and legal and law abiding’ adherence responsibility that is not present in the rants and actions of anti-gun or government, or in the use of ‘products and things’ by millions of others daily, or even in a large part not exhibited by exercise of ‘free speech’ by millions daily on social media. There is literally greater than 98% more inherent ‘restraint and safety and social and legal and law abiding’ adherence responsibility exhibited overall in gun ownership hourly than exercised by the government or anti-gun or in the peoples use of over 90% of common non-firearms things in society (e.g. vehicles) in a year.
No
Let the NRA flounder. Good riddance. With their history of backstabbing and “compromise” (e.g. capitulation with no actual gains for the side of human rights or liberty), we don’t need friends like them. It’s an archaic Fudd club we can do without.
Throw your support behind the GOA, FPC, SAF and the like. Those orgs get results and go for the jugular in the courtroom, without any capitulation, compromise or double-dipping.
“Throw your support behind the GOA, FPC, SAF and the like. Those orgs get results and go for the jugular in the courtroom, without any capitulation, compromise or double-dipping.”
The orgs you listed are litigation groups. The questions remaining open are related to the non-political programs NRA provides, and the lobbying effort in the political arena.
Are the latter two important at all? If so, who steps in to replace the NRA? Would it matter if no one does?
It will be interesting to see what happens. I think that to unseat Wayne is going to be very difficult and a long, long, court battle that could stretch out for years.
One thing remains certain and that is its only the NRA that is big enough and strong enough and experienced enough to take on the corrupt politicians and keep winning.
Hmmm, this is a tough one… fake dacian, or has his med combination finally gotten straightened out?
Lets take a vote.
He’s got his aj hall persona in full swing now. So he can fake a reasonable persona as dacian now.
@Peter Gunn
For me, though, it’s more of a principle thing- I wouldn’t join the Church of Satan for a discount or convenience… even if it was “just temporary”.”
Not criticizing you for the decision you made. It’s your principle; have at it.
The two hour ride to the next nearest indoor range was not an option. On a fixed income, discounts are important (as is being fanatic about shopping only where a discount coupon applies). On a related note, we are not discussing church, or Satan.
Army Radio Operator. Purple Hearted on Cambodian border. Came home to find my country had disappeared. Along with kindness, Live and Let Live attitudes, and even the NRA as I believed it to be.
The power and efficacy of evil-minded people is as visible in our society as Sherman’s path through Georgia. Most of us feel helpless to change the direction of it all.
But just ask a cop cuffing a creep, a real teacher sweating over a problem student, or a Gideon slipping a Bible into a hotel drawer “How many of us is it going to take to bail us out of this mess?”
I’ll bet you each of them would answer “Just one.”
N7VLF
I only pay my membership dues because my shooting club requires it. The Judge is right, a top-down clean out is needed to save the NRA. The voting system for the board needs a complete overhaul. We should be able to vote yea or nay on every single nominee rather than the idea of voting for only one person to basically guarantee their election. The programs are important but so is the defense of the 2nd Amendment. A new NRA should cooperate with the other organizations for a combined legal defense. The voting at the annual meeting should mean something. There should be a vote of confidence in the leadership every year and based upon the vote, leadership either stays or goes.
What’s an NRA?
Normal Retirement Age, per Social Security
The NRA was never intended to be a “rights” organization, that came much later when the powers observed how much money could be made by shouting that your rights were about to be taken away. The ILA was a stroke of genius, a regular gold rush.As mentioned in others’ posts the NRA only put their name in when a success was inevitable, thereby proving their effectiveness, when other groups did the actual work. I let my membership lapse, other, real rights groups get my donations now.
Comments are closed.