The NRA is in deep do-do and it's about damn time

[Beetlegeuse]

NRA chief Wayne LaPierre slapped with subpoena in state ‘murder insurance’ probe

The state of NY is arguing that the NRA's "carry insurance" is tantamount to "murder insurance." Obviously nothing more than a nuisance suit because the state of NY requires automobile owners to have liability insurance, which is all CC insurance is, only for guns. But with a Cuomo pulling the strings (and it's in NY), the fact that it's unfounded doesn't mean they won't prevail.

At the same time, hoplophobes in other jurisdictions are trying to get laws passed requiring gun owners to have liability insurance.


Seems to me you shouldn't be able to have it both ways, but this is nothing about "fairness," it's just another attempt to drive gun owners into extinction.

[Beetlegeuse]

This shit is happening so frequently that it's tedious to keep posting it all. But I think it's obvious the bleeding isn't going to abate until LaPierre goes auf wieder bye-bye.

NRA paid for flights for chief executive's relatives: report



The Purge Continues At The NRA



Wayne LaPierre Purges Outside Counsel Handling Three Key Illinois Gun Rights Cases



On the NRA

Given that the purge is continuing, it has made one thing clear to me: The NRA is not its directors and members. The NRA is LaPierre.

[Beetlegeuse]

NRA Names Jason Ouimet to Head NRA Institute for Legislative Action

What happened, in a nutshell, was this. His Royal Highness Wayne LaPierre nominated Jason Ouimet to head the NRA-ILA, the NRA's legal beagle branch. The nomination passed unanimously.

Which means it was rubber stamped.





LaPierre has seized power absolute.

[Beetlegeuse]

This dickhead goes on the record stating you shouldn't criticize the NRA because they're the only one can do what they do. Which is exactly the same "sacred cow" stance too many others already have taken, which is precisely what let the NRA turn into the cesspool it has become.



In a related note, Wayne LaPierre was just given a 57% raise.

You don't have to be a rocket scientists to figure out that LaPierre getting such a YUGE raise when the NRA is at the eye of the biggest storm in its history only can mean one thing.

LaPierre OWNS the NRA. And the 2A/RKBA community is screwed.

[Beetlegeuse]

The New York Slimes ran what appears to be a softball article on Wayne LaPierre and his struggle to remain in control of the NRA.

TTAG, which in my humble but unerringly accurate opinion is the second most worthless gun blog in existence (but hey, even a stopped clock is right twice a day), analyzes the article and postulates that the Slimes is actually trying to prop up LaPierre because they see his continued reign as being bad for the future of the NRA ... and gun rights.

[jstone]

The NRA is the last 2nd ammendment group that should be receiving funds from anyone. Im not a member and never will be, its time for some of the other groups to step up. I used to donate to calguns when i could, and still will even though i no longer live in California. More people need to join groups like SAF, and GOA. There are others but i haven't looked into them enough to be confident in what they stand for, frlm what i have seen and read calguns, SAF, and GOA seem to be good organizations.

For the members behind enemie lines in states like California that i know if you need things like standard capacity magazines, not reduced capacity 10 rounders pm me i can figure out a way to get them to you. I can essentially remail for you. Only for long standing members, you know who you are, if i would send you AAS or hook you up with a source send me a pm.

[Obs]

The NRA is the last 2nd ammendment group that should be receiving funds from anyone. Im not a member and never will be, its time for some of the other groups to step up. I used to donate to calguns when i could, and still will even though i no longer live in California. More people need to join groups like SAF, and GOA. There are others but i haven't looked into them enough to be confident in what they stand for, frlm what i have seen and read calguns, SAF, and GOA seem to be good organizations.

For the members behind enemie lines in states like California that i know if you need things like standard capacity magazines, not reduced capacity 10 rounders pm me i can figure out a way to get them to you. I can essentially remail for you. Only for long standing members, you know who you are, if i would send you AAS or hook you up with a source send me a pm.

It will all turn into the same thing. You are talking about politics.

"Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket." -eric hoffer

There is no hope for freedom.
You cant take a piss without micromanagement.

Every political thing you read is for the purpose of power building. Every thing is about money.

Gun advocates are no different.
Just playing a money game off the minds of stupid people the same as anti gun groups.

Donate and make someone fill their pockets even if you believe they arent affiliated with the group.

[jstone]

It will all turn into the same thing. You are talking about politics.

"Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket." -eric hoffer

There is no hope for freedom.
You cant take a piss without micromanagement.

Every political thing you read is for the purpose of power building. Every thing is about money.

Gun advocates are no different.
Just playing a money game off the minds of stupid people the same as anti gun groups.

Donate and make someone fill their pockets even if you believe they arent affiliated with the group.

While this is true, hopefully at some point when the group is small, and stands for something they're able to make a difference. Unfortunately more than likely the only way change will happen will be through blood shed.

People are tired of giving up their freedoms, and most of the money they make to see no return on it. This country needs to get back to its roots, and if your not ok with it move.

[Beetlegeuse]

Can I get an "Amen!" brothers?

As NRA membership wanes, America's largest black gun group is thriving

The country's largest and best known gun rights association, the NRA, is losing board members amid a spate of deadly mass shootings. But another, lesser-known gun organization is thriving: the National African American Gun Association, the largest minority gun group in the country. ...

[almostgone]

Can I get an "Amen!" brothers?

As NRA membership wanes, America's largest black gun group is thriving

The country's largest and best known gun rights association, the NRA, is losing board members amid a spate of deadly mass shootings. But another, lesser-known gun organization is thriving: the National African American Gun Association, the largest minority gun group in the country. ...

There's a general mindset here in SC that is looking to go with a regional pro-2nd amendment/ right to carry organization.

[lovbyts]

I started hearing about the NRA issues a few years ago. I have looked into briefly Gun owners of America and Second Amendment Foundation but not to any extent yet.

[Beetlegeuse]

Thousands Join African American Gun Group After George Floyd’s Death

The National African American Gun Association (NAAGA) gained thousands of members following the May 25 death of George Floyd.

On September 16, 2015, Breitbart News spoke with NAAGA founder Philip Smith, who was focused on opening the black community’s eyes to the importance of gun ownership for self-defense.

Smith made clear that he recognizes that citizens of all races have a right to keep and bear arms, but he focused on the black community because of personal experiences of going to the shooting range and being the only black person there. He hoped to be part of an impetus for black citizens to understand the Second Amendment is theirs as well.

On June 11, 2020, PRNewswire reported that a partnership between Ammo.com and the gun rights group “indicates Rise in African American Gun Ownership.”

Moreover, NAAGA, which was founded with 30 members in 2015, now has over 40,000. And Smith says the group added 2,000 members “in 36 hours after George Floyd.”

He added, “That broke our records. We’re getting a ton of folks from all over.”

Ammo.com compared May 2020 and May 2019 business interactions with NAAGA members and found 350 percent more transactions in 2020. Considering the fact that over 90 percent of NAAGA’s members are black, Ammo.com recognized significant growth in black involvement in Second Amendment-related purchases and activities.

“The right to self defense is natural, color-blind, and enshrined in our Constitution,” Ammo.com’s Alex Horsman noted. “That is why in 2017, we selected the NAAGA Scholarship Fund as one of the several pro-freedom organizations to which we voluntarily donate one percent of our sales. NAAGA is in good company among the Second Amendment Foundation, the Institute for Justice, and Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership.”

[Beetlegeuse]

Wow, I never took Michelle Malkin for a "gun guy." Or could it be that the NRA's ineptitude is that obvious even to the general public?

“Where’s the NRA?” Michelle Malkin Fights For Innocent Man’s Freedom After Soros D.A.’s Tomfoolery

On 6/15/20, Albuquerque native Steven Ray Baca was attacked by a mob of statue-destroying protesters who threatened & beat him for exercising his constitutional rights. Every cent raised will go to his legal defense.


From @michellemalkin via Twitter:

THREAD ==> BREAKING: Just learned that Soros D.A Raul Torrez in Bernalillo County (ABQ) NM has RE-FILED gun charges against mob victim Steven Baca who was beaten at statue riot 6/15/20. System is rigged. S.O.S. #StandWithStevenBaca now more than ever ==>


Again from @michellemalkin via Twitter:

2/Our constitutionally protected right to self-defense is under fire by Soros DAs across the country. Where's @nra? (emphasis added) Here's the newly-filed amended charge. Reminder: "Victim" Scott Williams was the one wielding a knife while mob chased, hounded & beat Steven:
#StandWithStevenBaca




Michelle's more detailed article is here.

[Beetlegeuse]

Oh, shit. This'll leave a mark.

NRA Spent Thousands on Covert Campaign to Keep Wayne LaPierre in Power

For more than two decades, the National Rifle Association has used member money to fund a covert campaign to keep Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and his loyalists in power.

... and this is based on the information from a podcast on Cadence13.



If provable, I'm thinking this could be grounds for embezzlement charges.

[almostgone]

Oh, shit. This'll leave a mark.

NRA Spent Thousands on Covert Campaign to Keep Wayne LaPierre in Power

For more than two decades, the National Rifle Association has used member money to fund a covert campaign to keep Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and his loyalists in power.

... and this is based on the information from a podcast on Cadence13.



If provable, I'm thinking this could be grounds for embezzlement charges.

Embezzlement, misappropriation, whatever they want to call it, I hope they hem up the responsible parties and light their @sses up. They took what was a integral part of many
people's lives and absolutely screwed everyone over.

I remember being in the barber shop as a young kid in the 60s and there was always back issues laying around to read.

I had an uncle that had what seemed like an endless collection of National Rifleman magazines in the old dark brown binders. The man loved his firearms!!

[Beetlegeuse]

NAGR’s Brown: The NRA Has Been AWOL from the Second Amendment Fight for Decades

While [The National Association for Gun Rights’ Dudley] Brown thinks that the lawsuit is a “convenient” political persecution and said his organization doesn’t take any delight in James’ prosecution, the gun rights advocate said that exposing the corruption within the organization is important for its members. …

Brown is not only outraged by the alleged fraud of the NRA, but he is also frustrated by what he believes to be the false public mission of the organization.

He argues that the NRA is “not doing the bold work against infringement on the Second Amendment that they’d love everyone to believe.”

Rather, he thinks the NRA asks its members to trust that the organization will advocate for their rights as gun owners when what they’re really doing is playing “inside baseball.”

“Somehow the NRA thinks their strategy is that if it’s going to happen either way, we might as well be the one to write the law. I don’t want to be the one who writes the gun control law. I want to defeat it,” Brown said.

[Beetlegeuse]

The NY attack on the NRA is a raid on their bank account so they can fund Belligerent Lying Marxists

[Beetlegeuse]

The fish rots from the head. The stench of corruption that surrounds the NRA won't go until Pepe LePew does.

Dell’Aquila: Wayne LaPierre Must Go

[David] Dell’Aquila spent an intense year working around the clock, putting questions to the [NRA] chief executive and the board but rarely getting answers back. Employees, he said, began privately coming to him with inside information.

If he has criticisms of LaPierre, he reserves his biggest complaints for the board of directors who have remained overwhelmingly loyal to the NRA leadership despite mounting evidence of alleged malpractice. “Wayne couldn’t have done all this stuff – the trips to the Bahamas, the special security, the suits, the private jets – without the board. They have financial oversight, they can demand documents. They could convene a vote and get Wayne out, so why don’t they?”

Over the past 20 years, the NRA has created a mythology around itself that portrays it as an unassailable, united, unstoppable force at the heart of conservative America. But as the edifice begins to crumble, voices like that of Dell’Aquila – coming from the inside – are finally beginning to be heard.

For his part, he hopes that his class action will prevail and that on the back of it the $64m will be repaid, the current board will be replaced, and that a new NRA will emerge from the ashes. He believes one other thing must happen – LaPierre must be forced out.

“I’m not pro-Wayne, I’m not negative-Wayne. I’m objective Wayne,” he said. “For the good of the NRA – Wayne must go.”

[Beetlegeuse]

This is really gonna leave a mark.

The N.R.A. and Wayne LaPierre’s Next Foe: One of Their Own

...Josh Powell, one of the group’s highest-ranking former executives, is poised to release “Inside the NRA: A Tell-All Account of Corruption, Greed and Paranoia Within the Most Powerful Political Group in America.” Mr. Powell, former chief of staff to Wayne LaPierre, the group’s longtime chief executive, says the N.R.A. is “rife with fraud and corruption” ...



It shows that LaPierre either is tone-deaf or willing to hold on to power at any cost, even to the detriment of "the cause," that he hasn't already abdicated. But it's too late for that now; this can only end in bloodshed.

[Beetlegeuse]

Disgruntled NRA Donors Push to Oust LaPierre

Class-action plaintiff David Dell'Aquila says he will ask for a bankruptcy trustee to run the gun group

Stephen Gutowski - February 7, 2021 5:00 AM

Disgruntled NRA donors will petition a bankruptcy court to purge the group's leadership.

David Dell'Aquila, who is leading a class-action suit over accusations of financial impropriety, told the Washington Free Beacon he will request a court-appointed trustee to temporarily oversee operations.

"We're going to definitely do a motion for a trustee," Dell'Aquila said. "I would not be surprised if the majority of the other creditors don't join or do a similar thing."

The NRA filed for bankruptcy in January in a bid to relocate from New York—which is trying to dissolve the group—to Texas. Officials say that the NRA is financially solvent and the court filings are meant to ease the move. The bankruptcy, however, is not without risks. The court could appoint a trustee with the power to displace the current board and leadership of the NRA, including longtime CEO Wayne LaPierre. The court-appointed official would enjoy broad power during bankruptcy proceedings. He would be required to act in the best interests of the group's creditors and could pursue claims that NRA leaders misused millions of dollars of the group's money on their own personal expenses.

"It's in everybody's best interest to get a trustee in there, certainly from the creditors' point of view, and, I would argue, even for the five million members because every dime that they waste in frivolous litigation is a dime less that could go to the core mission," Dell'Aquila said.

The group's top lawyer, William Brewer, dismissed the idea of a bankruptcy trustee in January. He said the NRA has responded to accusations of improper spending by filing suit against a top vendor. It has also required leaders such as LaPierre to pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars stemming from reimbursements.

Dell'Aquila, who has given six-figures to the group in the past, was placed on the unsecured creditors' committee on Thursday by the bankruptcy court. Brewer said the NRA would fully cooperate with the court and the committee despite being unhappy with Dell'Aquila's appointment.

"The NRA is disappointed that a disgruntled individual who has filed frivolous claims against the Association is appointed to the committee," Brewer told the Free Beacon.

Dell'Aquila sees the attempt to move from New York to Texas as a "fraudulent" scheme designed to dodge accountability for tens-of-millions spent on luxury suits, private flights, and lavish vacations for NRA executives and their family members.

"The NRA is saying we cleaned up our act. You haven't cleaned up your act," Dell'Aquila said. "You can't say, ‘Well, Wayne [LaPierre] paid back some money and that's been resolved and it ain't gonna be an issue.' They say the board has done their job and due diligence—the board hasn't."

Dell'Aquila's suit, filed on behalf of any NRA members defrauded by the claimed impropriety, faced a setback in 2020 when a judge dismissed some of its claims. Elliott Schuchardt, Dell'Aquila's lawyer, said the remaining claim against the NRA is worth $64 million—potentially making them the largest of the group's creditors. That status could bolster the plaintiffs' demands for a trustee.

"We think there's enough evidence of fraud here that we can make a good faith argument to the bankruptcy court judge that somebody else should be running the NRA," Schuchardt said.

[Beetlegeuse]

The NRA might be toast.

U.S. judge tosses NRA bankruptcy bid, letting New York seek dissolution

They were seeking to reorganize in Texas under Chapter 11 to avoid the NY law suits. But along the way, documents came out in discovery showing that they wanted this to happen while Wayne LaPierre and at least one other executive kept their "golden parachutes" worth a gajillion dollars each. And the judge reasoned that reorganization can't be effective (and probably wasn't proposed in earnest) if you're looking to carry over that much dead weight in "legacy costs."

So he smelled a rat and decided to let NY have a go at them, which could end up in Chapter 7 bankruptcy: dissolution. Which I contend would be a good thing for the 2A/RKBA community because too many of us are asleep and the wheel and don't realise what a cesspool the NRA has become. It's astonishing to me that their membership is going up in the face is what's going on, which tells me that Joe Sixpack isn't paying a damn bit of attention and still is harboring the delusion that no one can do it but the NRA (the same NRA that helped co-author the NFA, the GCA, and the Hughes Amendment).

This really could be the end of them. It's just a shame that their assets might fall into the hands of the feds, because they very well might re-purpose it to anti-gun programs, which is contrary to federal law, but since when has a little thing like the law (or the Constitution, for fuck's sake) deterred the Chairman Xiden administration.

[Beetlegeuse]

This website was stood up specifically to chronicle the troubles at the NRA so take this for what it's worth, but they're speculating that the NRA was tipped off in early 2018 by someone inside the NY state DOJ that they were being investigated and the investigators were finding evidence of fraud.

In April of 2018 (which presumably was after receiving this insider information from the NY DOJ), Wayne LaPierre gave NRA director Marion Hammer a “golden parachute.” Then on the fifth of May both LaPierre and NRA treasurer Woody Phillips secured golden parachute deals for themselves.

That was the same month that Pete Brownell (CEO of Brownells, Inc, a major online retailer of firearm goodies) resigned his position as NRA president. The following September, Tom Selleck resigned his position as NRA director claiming it was too big a burden on his time, but he only ever showed up for one event a year. And Selleck and LaPierre exchanged barbs as he was headed out the door.

On top of which, it wasn't until 2019 that the press began reporting details of any scandal at the NRA, and wasn't until 2020 that NY state filed suit for its dissolution.

So in light of the timing of these events, the linked article is speculating that LaPierre (et al.) got wind back in '18 that the axe was coming so they rushed to get their nests feathered before the blow fell. And Brownell and Selleck, aware of what was going on, slinked out the door before they got the sort of stink on them that wouldn't wash off.

[Beetlegeuse]

Experts Paint Grim Picture for NRA After Bankruptcy Gamble Goes Bust

... “Bottom line, the gambit failed miserably, and I think it actually made dissolution more likely,” Philip Hackney, an expert on non-profits at University of Pittsburgh’s law school, told The Reload.

He said Judge Harlin Hale’s ruling made clear the NRA still has serious problems, and the details of malfeasance that came out in open court will strengthen James’s case against the group.

“To actually have a judge laugh at you, essentially, and say that you are filing this in bad faith,” Hackney said. “That’s a really bad fact for them. That’s not something I’d want on my record if I’m defending this organization against dissolution.”...



But wait, there's more ...

“Outside” Vendors

From the same site as the post from two days ago, the guy went out and did his own investigative journalism. He states he learned (from former NRA execs) that some time back the NRA was doing business with "outside vendors" that were owned by Wayne LaPierre," and apparently (to some degree), managed by Missus LaPierre.

[almostgone]

Experts Paint Grim Picture for NRA After Bankruptcy Gamble Goes Bust

... “Bottom line, the gambit failed miserably, and I think it actually made dissolution more likely,” Philip Hackney, an expert on non-profits at University of Pittsburgh’s law school, told The Reload.

He said Judge Harlin Hale’s ruling made clear the NRA still has serious problems, and the details of malfeasance that came out in open court will strengthen James’s case against the group.

“To actually have a judge laugh at you, essentially, and say that you are filing this in bad faith,” Hackney said. “That’s a really bad fact for them. That’s not something I’d want on my record if I’m defending this organization against dissolution.”...



But wait, there's more ...

“Outside” Vendors

From the same site as the post from two days ago, the guy went out and did his own investigative journalism. He states he learned (from former NRA execs) that some time back the NRA was doing business with "outside vendors" that were owned by Wayne LaPierre," and apparently (to some degree), managed by Missus LaPierre.

LaPierre has done so much damage to what was once a solid organization.

[Beetlegeuse]

At least now we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. And that light is an express freight headed this way.

Regardless how much LaPierre is culpable (or not) for this mess, he's got the stench of death about him. If they don't drive him off and pillory him in the process, the NRA has no hope of surviving. If they don't get rid of him, they're dead meat. And if they get rid of him and it's an amicable parting, ... they're all still dead meat.

[Beetlegeuse]

The NRA has issued a press statement regarding their petition for Chapter 11 being tossed out, and it predictably is full of weasel words:

...The record reflects the NRA undertook a ‘course correction’ with respect to its management...

The record reflects that Capt. Smith also undertook a "course correction" but it was too little, too late. The Titanic still hit that giant ice cube and sank.

[Beetlegeuse]

One Board Member’s Last-Ditch Effort to Save the NRA

One board member of the NRA, Phillip Journey, is trying to raise funds to appeal the dismissal of the NRA's bankruptcy case. He seems to be forthcoming about the NRA's 'LaPierre' problem, has been referred to as “the leader of the loyal opposition on the NRA Board,” and as much as mentions the potential removal of any and all officers tainted by any of the past (or present) scandals.

But I suspect the money will come faster if he guarantees the removal of anyone who smells funny. My money's for jacking up the body and sliding a whole new car under it. For my money, unless you've got the guts to stand down for the good of the cause, should it become necessary, you don't have the right temperament for leading the push-back.

Click the hotlink in the headline for the complete story.