Opinon
Is it possible that the NRA will no longer exist by this time next year?
The New York Attorney General’s lawsuit is expected to go to trial in January of 2024 and last about a month. Possible outcomes include complete dissolution of the Association and sale of its assets and criminal prosecutions. More likely scenarios lean toward some form of ground-up restructuring, such as receivership, which would place the Association under the control of a court-appointed overseer.
It could well lead to the prosecution of (all-too-well) paid staff and officials from the President down to certain Board Members.
Meanwhile, about one-third of the current Board will stand for election in 2024. Nominating petitions can be turned in until November 7, 2023. It’s possible that the NRA will again file for bankruptcy prior to the trial, this time with some legitimacy. Bankruptcy could leave the Director elections in limbo. Then again, a judge might look to replace the deadwood on the old board with fresh, engaged members who want the best for the Association.
So, as the Titanic prepares to set sail, want to join the crew? The 2024 election of Directors might be moot. Then again, it might be an important turning point.
If you or someone you know would be a good NRA Director, we encourage you to take action now. The process for nominations is fairly straightforward. Candidates must be at least 18 years old and have been Life Members of NRA for at least five years. People with experience in local and state gun clubs, veterans groups, trade unions, fraternal organizations, and the like are good prospects, as are people with business and finance experience. The NRA has been an almost $400 million per year corporation, and Directors are responsible for making sure the Association is in legal compliance with applicable laws, is operating under best practices to protect the members’ assets, and is effectively pursuing the Association’s mission on behalf of the members.
Service on the NRA Board of Directors is a totally voluntary position. There is no compensation provided to NRA Directors – at least, that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Directors can be hired to do specific work for the NRA, but any such paid work should be pre-approved by the Board’s Audit Committee to avoid conflicts of interest, and payments in excess of $1,000 are required to be publicly disclosed. There have been some irregularities on this front in the past.
Anyone who’s been paying attention knows that the NRA has struggled in recent years due to a series of scandals and lawsuits. Over the past four years, the Association’s annual revenue has declined by almost 50%, and we’ve lost about 30% (or more) of our Annual Members. There have also been a series of political, legislative, and legal missteps, along with some pretty serious business mistakes. At the same time, the NRA has drastically cut core services like Education & Training, Competitions, and Range Development, with deep cuts in personnel. Layoffs and pay cuts have kept the NRA financially afloat, but the reduced services are also accelerating the membership and revenue declines. Meanwhile, spending on lawsuits and other legal costs has gone through the roof.
All of these issues land squarely at the feet of the NRA’s Board of Directors and long-time employee/Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre.
Mr. LaPierre has managed to build a loyal following on the NRA Board, which has allowed him to operate outside of the Association’s policies and standards for decades. That MUST change.
The NRA needs Directors who are willing to ask tough questions, challenge the status quo, and stand up for the membership. We need Directors with integrity and conviction, not Yes-men and sycophants. We need Directors who understand business and finance, as well as understand and unflinchingly support the core principles of the Second Amendment right to arms.
If you or someone you know fits the bill, you or they are desperately needed right now. We only have until November 7, 2023, to collect about 500 valid signatures from Voting Members of the Association for each person we want nominated. Voting Members are Annual Members who have been members for at least five consecutive years and Life Members. You will need to know your NRA Member ID number as well to complete the form.
How to Confirm You Are an NRA Voting Eligible Member and find your NRA Member ID?
You can log onto your account at www.nramemberservices.org, and the landing page will confirm your membership status and display your ID number.
Unfortunately, We Can’t Find You!?
Finding those Voting Members and getting them to sign petitions is not a simple matter, so along with candidates, we need people willing to help do the legwork to collect those signatures at gun shows, gun clubs, and events where NRA members can be expected to be in attendance.
There has not been an organized effort to elect a large slate of Reform Directors in over 30 years, and there’s no organized structure to help petition candidates run. We’re trying to build that structure and get some of that support in place, so we need volunteers to fill a variety of positions to help bring this all together.
A lot of keyboard warriors insist that the NRA isn’t worth saving and that we should just let it burn. Some suggest putting money into other organizations, while others suggest investing in ammo for the coming battles. Supporting other organizations is good and worthwhile, but people need to understand that no other organization can come anywhere close to doing what the NRA can do.
At its peak, the NRA had annual revenue of almost $400 million! All of the other national gun rights organizations combined can’t even get close to 10% of that. Where the NRA had a staff of hundreds, with representatives and affiliates in every state, other groups have staffs of tens and a few volunteers. Some have small affiliated groups in the states, but seriously, the difference between the NRA and other rights groups is like the difference between the US military and a local Sheriff’s Posse.
Don’t get me wrong, these smaller organizations have all stepped up and are doing good work and are worthy of support, but there is simply no comparison between them and what the NRA has been and should again be.
Those who suggest that the NRA has never really supported our rights don’t know history. NRA has certainly made mistakes in the past, and some of their or their leaders’ actions look bad in retrospect without taking historical context into account. But that’s no reason to throw away the most powerful tool in our arsenal.
Others suggest that those of us working for reform in the NRA are doing the work of the anti-gun crowd and that what we need is unity. Sorry, but that’s just stupid. If the pastor of your church is skimming from the offering and spending the money on hookers and blow, you don’t stand behind him on the basis that prosecuting him would hurt the church and “do the Devil’s work.” You cut out the cancer and rebuild. That’s what we need to do right now.
I’ve posted details about what’s needed to get candidates on the NRA ballot by petition on my website, www.FirearmsCoalition.org, and I’ll help any potential candidate who will commit to removing Wayne LaPierre and any Director or staff member who has fought to prop him up. If we can generate the financial support, we’ll also run ads in NRA publications in support of the reform candidates, but that’s a pretty big if.
Right now, we need candidates, and we need volunteers to help coordinate petition efforts and circulate petitions. Judge Phil Journey and Rocky Marshall have both already started their petition drives, so I’ll also post both their petitions on the website (embedded below) so people can download them and start collecting Voting Member only signatures for them. Even just one signature on a petition helps, so please, if you’re an NRA Voting Member, print them out, sign them, and mail them back to the address below, and we will get them to the candidates for inclusion in their petition submission. Including a $5 bill wouldn’t hurt either.
The slow-motion train wreck that is today’s NRA is tumbling toward the cliff. We can make a difference, but we need your help. There’s more information on the website, so please stop by and see what you can do.
NRA Petitions: Please print, sign, include your member number and mail to:
The Firearms Coalition
NRA Petitions
PO Box 303
Tombstone, AZ. 85638
602-730-4570
NRA 2023-2024 Instructions for Nomination of Directors by Petition
About Jeff Knox:
Jeff Knox is a second-generation political activist and director of The Firearms Coalition. His father Neal Knox led many of the early gun rights battles for your right to keep and bear arms. Read Neal Knox – The Gun Rights War.
The Firearms Coalition is a loose-knit coalition of individual Second Amendment activists, clubs, and civil rights organizations. Founded by Neal Knox in 1984, the organization provides support to grassroots activists in the form of education, analysis of current issues, and with a historical perspective of the gun rights movement. The Firearms Coalition has offices in Buckeye, Arizona, and Manassas, VA. Visit: www.FirearmsCoalition.org.