NRA Leadership Troubles, What Next?

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Indiana

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • Ingomike

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    6   0   0
    May 26, 2018
    28,181
    113
    North Central
    The NRA has serious leadership problems on many fronts, what will happen at the convention related to these issues?

    A director candidate I supported has written a letter outlining his position on the leadership situation.

    By Adam Kraut


    Over the past few months news of impropriety, questionable business dealings, lack of transparency regarding the inner workings of the NRA, and outrageous compensation have emerged. While the source for a lot of this information is not one that many people hold in high regard, much of the information has been independently verified. Jeff Knox through AmmoLand News has written extensively about these issues.
    While NRA is currently embroiled in litigation in New York over the Carry Guard program, an IRS complainthas been filed seeking to question its non-profit status. Worse yet, the possibility of a New York State (the state where NRA is chartered) investigation for violations of state law loom as a very likely possibility. Perhaps more terrifying for some of the board members is the possibility of legal action in which they might be found personally liable.



    Undoubtedly, the current state of affairs the NRA finds itself in happened under the watch of Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and various board members (those sitting on the Finance and Audit Committees) who apparently failed to fulfill their fiduciary duty to the organization and its members.



    I am calling for Wayne LaPierre and those board members to tender their resignations immediately. The very future of the organization depends on the ship being righted and righted quickly. Of equal importance, I call upon the board to terminate all contracts with the marketing firm Ackerman-McQueen, along with any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, and to bring all public relations back in house.



    The obvious question that arises from this call to action is “who will replace Wayne LaPierre?”
    I don’t claim to have the answer for who ultimately fulfills that role, but I do have some ideas. First, an interim person will need to take on the part of Executive Vice President. The order of succession calls for the Executive Director of General Operations, but the Board can name someone more suitable if needed. Second, the Board should immediately form a committee to look for individuals who are qualified to run a non-profit of the NRA’s size and scope.



    Make no mistake, these individuals should be heavily scrutinized in order to ensure that they are fit to run the NRA. Members of the organization should be permitted to submit names of those they think would be suitable candidates. The goal should be to canvas the largest field of qualified people and narrow down from there.



    As mentioned to me by a former board member, this person should never become the face of the NRA. The idea of the NRA being synonymous with the Executive Vice President’s identity is a dangerous proposition that has in some ways led us to where we currently find ourselves. NRA’s public faces should come from its own in-house PR department and should be comprised of a wide demographic of individuals. After all, the NRA is comprised of over 5.5 million members.
    Of equal concern is the compensation that has been paid to Wayne LaPierre, or perhaps I should say, will be paid, too. Already netting over $1.4 million a year, Wayne’s golden parachute ensures that he will continue to be paid as a speaker and consultant for the NRA at the full base salary he is currently receiving as Executive Vice President.

    That raises a pressing question; how much will his replacement be paid? Moreover, to the extent this type of payment is rendered, how is NRA going to afford to pay it? Does it come from the constant requests for $20 donations from the members? If so, aren’t there more prudent ways to spend that money given the NRA has nearly exhausted its $25 million credit line, liquidated $2 million from an investment fund, borrowed close to $4 million from its officers’ life insurance policy and about $5 million from the NRA Foundation?


    Then there’s the never-ending drain of money from the NRA by Ackerman-McQueen. As current board Member Lt. Col. Robert Brown refers to them the “vampire vendor.” There is absolutely no reason that the NRA cannot and should not be doing PR on its own. The cost savings would be enormous. In-house talent would always work with the best interests of the association, not the vendor or its questionable billing practices.
    [h=4]The Colandro Challange[/h]With that out of the way, there is one more issue to attend to. Numerous individuals have asked if I’d be running for the 76th board seat at the NRA Annual Meeting. Others have asked if I would endorse or support Anthony Colandro (who is now being supported by Wayne LaPierre, among others!?).



    I’ve decided to keep my options open. My name will appear on the ballot, however, if Mr. Colandro will join me in demanding that Wayne and the board members who failed to exercise their fiduciary responsibilities immediately resign, I will consider stepping aside and offering my endorsement. Without that commitment though, I could not in good conscience endorse any candidate.



    For those attending the NRA Annual Meeting this year, I’ll see you there. I hope you’ll join me in demanding accountability from the officers and the board.



    This article originally appeared at Ammoland and is reprinted here with permission.

     

    AmmoManAaron

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    37   0   0
    Feb 20, 2015
    3,334
    83
    I-get-around
    Adam Kraut and Lt. Col. Robert K. Brown are the real deal! I know you've all heard it before, but if we want to save the NRA, we need more guys like this on the BoD.
     

    ljk

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    30   0   0
    May 21, 2013
    2,690
    149
    Adam has washed his hands of it. No more plans to pursue a spot on the board.

    Adam is very well regarded as a true 2A supporter and a patriot.

    But as long as WLP is in charge, he's not gonna let swamp drain itself.

    The recent California Standard Capacity Magazine Ban ruling is a perfect example what NRA could have accomplished if the current leadership would chose to fight. But unfortunately, that's the only (partial) win they have had in a long while.
     

    wakproductions

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 19, 2012
    441
    18
    Indianapolis
    I could see people being concerned about the compensation and strategy employed by Ackerman McQueen and Wayne La Pierre, but haven't they been effective in maintaining our gun rights for the most part over the years? I mean, despite the horrible media attacks every time there's a crazy person shooting, the NRA has kept Federal legislation stalled for the most part. Obama's administration could barely get a vote in, and we even won some ground with things like allowing guns in national parks and protecting gun owners from anti-gun doctors in the Obamacare legislation. The membership numbers are also growing.

    While I agree the executive compensation seems excessive, it doesn't seem much different from what goes on at many other large organizations and corporations. Maybe the NRA needs to pay a high price for the results we've been getting over the last 10 years.

    If the end result of this is a shakeup that ousts La Pierre, might new leadership be more willing to "compromise" with legislators and therefore be less effective in protecting gun rights?
     

    MCgrease08

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    37   0   0
    Mar 14, 2013
    14,374
    149
    Earth
    Not to mention some big victories at the state level. I believe we're up to 15 Constitutional Carry States now, up from just two in 2003.
     
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Aug 23, 2009
    1,822
    113
    Brainardland
    As a former NRA Board member myself I can say that the average NRA member has no concept of Wayne Lapierre's dedication. I voted to approve his compensation every year and it was and is a bargain. He was offered jobs by other organizations who offered him compensation packages far in excess of that he gets from us and he always turned them down.
     

    rob63

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    20   0   0
    May 9, 2013
    4,282
    77
    Wayne Lapierre sent a letter, first obtained by WSJ, to the NRA board accusing Oliver North and Ackerman McQueen of Trying to blackmail him into resigning.

    https://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/LaPierreletter042519.pdf?mod=article_inline

    Certainly puts NRA's lawsuit against AM in a new light.

    As a former NRA Board member myself I can say that the average NRA member has no concept of Wayne Lapierre's dedication. I voted to approve his compensation every year and it was and is a bargain. He was offered jobs by other organizations who offered him compensation packages far in excess of that he gets from us and he always turned them down.

    I'm starting to get the impression that LaPierre is getting smeared behind the scenes by AM because he started to question the value of what they were giving in return for what they were getting. I wouldn't be too surprised to find out that they are the source of the info in the New Yorker piece, and that it may not be very accurate.
     

    Dean C.

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Aug 25, 2013
    4,429
    113
    Westfield
    Cliff notes for non subscribers?

    This ^^^ and as Vigilant and I discussed at NRAAM the NRA needs to dump Ackerman McQueen ASAP they have been nothing but bad news. The NRA is big enough they can do their programming in house honestly. Though rumor has it the major "faces" of the NRA like Colion and Dana are not even paid through the NRA , Ackerman McQueen pays them
     

    Spear Dane

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Sep 4, 2015
    5,119
    113
    Kokomo area
    This ^^^ and as Vigilant and I discussed at NRAAM the NRA needs to dump Ackerman McQueen ASAP they have been nothing but bad news. The NRA is big enough they can do their programming in house honestly. Though rumor has it the major "faces" of the NRA like Colion and Dana are not even paid through the NRA , Ackerman McQueen pays them

    That's not a rumor. They work for NRATV, which is a product of AM...NOT the NRA itself.
     
    Top Bottom