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Ex-NRA insider speaks out: Gun owners should be 'horrified' by what I saw

Reptile

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In an exclusive interview, Joshua Powell breaks ranks with the NRA.
A former high-ranking official within the National Rifle Association is breaking ranks with the powerful gun lobby, publishing a book that accuses its leaders of decades worth of mismanagement and fraud that he says has left the organization in a state of financial and moral disarray.

In an exclusive interview with ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas, Joshua Powell, who formerly served as chief of staff to longtime NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre, said the lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James seeking to dissolve the NRA for an array of “illegal conduct” merely scratches the surface of a much deeper culture of corruption.

“I think the NRA faces a massive threat,” Powell said. “I think that the attorney general is really at the tip of the iceberg in understanding what's gone on at the [NRA] for 30 years.”

Powell, one of four top NRA executives named in the lawsuit, is now seeking to distance himself from the organization he once helped lead. He not only decried the alleged mismanagement of millions of dollars in charitable donations for the personal use of the organization’s top executives but also denounced the organization’s posture on the issue of gun violence, particularly in the wake of school shootings, as self-serving and dangerous.

“Gun owners across America,” Powell said, “should be horrified by what I saw inside of the NRA.”

 
It's not news that the troubles at the NRA go back a long time, is it?

I'm more concerned by rumors that Powell is now supporting new gun control measures such as red flag laws and universal background checks. It sounds like he's maneuvering for a deal with prosecutors by telling them "see, see, I'll be a good little boy and support you if you go easy on me."
 
It's not news that the troubles at the NRA go back a long time, is it?

I'm more concerned by rumors that Powell is now supporting new gun control measures such as red flag laws and universal background checks. It sounds like he's maneuvering for a deal with prosecutors by telling them "see, see, I'll be a good little boy and support you if you go easy on me."

Pretty blatant too.
That's quite a big shift from a guy who worked for a long time in a pro 2A organization .
"I'll say what you want , but please , please don't put me in a cell with Bubba ."
 
Yep. I love how all these guys and gals cash in with a book or whatever about the bad people and/or place they USED to work at/for. They had no problem with the person or place while they were their and getting paid.

Of course, some of the dishing I enjoy depending on who they are telling tales out of school about (I'm not going to mention any names here, to keep politics, ahem, out of it).

Judas bastards.
 
Does this clown think anything he says is worth a pile of crap??

The National Rifle Association over the past two years has grappled with two separate sexual harassment allegations against Josh Powell, a senior official, including a case involving an employee.

The employee’s complaint was settled in 2017 using the nonprofit’s funds, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Earlier that year, Wayne LaPierre, the organization’s leader, had promoted Powell to executive director of general operations.

ProPublica could not confirm the settlement amount, which is not noted in the nonprofit’s public filings. In a statement, John Frazer, the NRA’s general counsel and secretary, told ProPublica that Powell denied the allegations.

“The NRA opted to confidentially resolve the matter in the best interest of all involved,” Frazer said.



Sour grapes?? ABC should really vet their guests.

 
I wouldn't be surprised to find out years from now that Bloomberg funds the NRA for the purpose of muzzling the NRA and rendering them null and void.
 
not shocked ! when was the last time the NRA did anything meaningful for 2A? in the shit states etc..
 
I got as far as ABC "news". Credibility fail.

More junk but same story with extra crazy

 
So how do we start a new, national org that could be a viable alternative and just let the NRA die? Obviously we also need to keep funding effective local organizations.
 
So how do we start a new, national org that could be a viable alternative and just let the NRA die? Obviously we also need to keep funding effective local organizations.
Support the GOA and the SAF. Hopefully the GOA take over safety training/organization from the NRA and learn to let the SAF do all the litigating. GOA has been good at stepping on their own dick when it comes to litigation and some asinine lobbying mistakes.
 
Support the GOA and the SAF. Hopefully the GOA take over safety training/organization from the NRA and learn to let the SAF do all the litigating. GOA has been good at stepping on their own dick when it comes to litigation and some asinine lobbying mistakes.

You are missing the biggest, most important piece and that is the lobbying. Neither of these orgs do that and they are not prepared to fill the void. Not even close!

What the NFRA needs is reform. Yes the CEO/President needs to be replaced and his cronies. But now is not the time to be our skinflint selves and blow it all up. These guys are on our side. We need them. They are the face of 2a and our opposition spends 90% off their money fighting the NRA. The best defense is a good offense.

A new CEO will get $2M per year and he will be worth it. Sorry gents that is the going rate for a competent leader. Think of it this way: would you rather spend $500k on incompetence and get no results? (Hint the answer is NO). Get the results, worry about the $$$ later. Can you get that? It isn't a perfect system, but that doesn't matter. Pay your annual dues and support the fight, and pray that the NRA is not gone someday. Our hobby will not be safe without them.

.
 
You are missing the biggest, most important piece and that is the lobbying. Neither of these orgs do that and they are not prepared to fill the void. Not even close!

Not exactly the same. But it seems like partnered with GOA and SAF they'd make a pretty solid replacement
 

Not exactly the same. But it seems like partnered with GOA and SAF they'd make a pretty solid replacement

The same NSSF that blew the appeal over the mass awb?
 
The same NSSF that blew the appeal over the mass awb?
You'll note that I didn't say they should be doing lawfare (that's the SAF's wheelhouse) but lobbying. Unlike the NRA, their lobbying efforts don't, to the best of my knowledge, include supporting ERPOs and the redefinition of bumpstocks as machine guns.
 
You are missing the biggest, most important piece and that is the lobbying. Neither of these orgs do that and they are not prepared to fill the void. Not even close!

Show me where the NRA has done any lobbying worth a shit in the past 15 years, we're all ears... but you can't, because they haven't done shit. They didn't even do shit
when the gop controlled the WH, house and senate. They just sat around and brayed about some stupid f***ing "UN gun ban" that was never going to
happen. And collected more money. Oh, and f***ing up NH's constitutional carry legislation and setting it back by like 4+ years, can't forget that f***ing gem,
too. That clown show was f***ing awful.

Our hobby will not be safe without them.

We haven't had "them" for the past 15 years, at best they are an imaginary pinata boogeyman for libtards to get angry at, that's about the only purpose they
serve now.
 

Not exactly the same. But it seems like partnered with GOA and SAF they'd make a pretty solid replacement

The NSSF is "gun mafia" on a good day- they represent the industry, not individuals. While there is definitely a mutual interest there, there also is a patently obvious conflict of
interest. They are going to, by default, assume a priority WRT the survival/enhancement of their members revenue streams over everything else. The problems this creates is
obvious.
 
The same NSSF that blew the appeal over the mass awb?

Blew what? They won their case, it was just very narrow in scope.

One could argue they could have been more ambitious, etc, blah blah blah... but I doubt that was ever going to happen.

If you're expecting someone like the NSSF to run a "Heller" style case, that is literally never going to happen, unless it involves some
type of deal where not bringing the case would butcher their members revenue streams.
 
You are missing the biggest, most important piece and that is the lobbying. Neither of these orgs do that and they are not prepared to fill the void. Not even close!

What the NFRA needs is reform. Yes the CEO/President needs to be replaced and his cronies. But now is not the time to be our skinflint selves and blow it all up. These guys are on our side. We need them. They are the face of 2a and our opposition spends 90% off their money fighting the NRA. The best defense is a good offense.

A new CEO will get $2M per year and he will be worth it. Sorry gents that is the going rate for a competent leader. Think of it this way: would you rather spend $500k on incompetence and get no results? (Hint the answer is NO). Get the results, worry about the $$$ later. Can you get that? It isn't a perfect system, but that doesn't matter. Pay your annual dues and support the fight, and pray that the NRA is not gone someday. Our hobby will not be safe without them.

.

nra is now spending $2 million dollars a year on incompetenc. Sorry but non profit leaders should not earn what private sector leaders earns. Don’t like it? Go to work on Wall Street and earn millions per year. I’ve been a life member for 30 years and I haven’t donated in years and won’t ever again. It’s one big scam. Go GOA

Gunowners.org
 
The NSSF is "gun mafia" on a good day- they represent the industry, not individuals. While there is definitely a mutual interest there, there also is a patently obvious conflict of
interest. They are going to, by default, assume a priority WRT the survival/enhancement of their members revenue streams over everything else. The problems this creates is
obvious.
that's fair
 
Blew what? They won their case, it was just very narrow in scope.

One could argue they could have been more ambitious, etc, blah blah blah... but I doubt that was ever going to happen.

If you're expecting someone like the NSSF to run a "Heller" style case, that is literally never going to happen, unless it involves some
type of deal where not bringing the case would butcher their members revenue streams.

The nssf lawyers, legal team were fighting the mass awb. They had a deadline to file an answer / appeal. They failed to make thrdesdline and the awb challenge was lost by default.
Blew what? They won their case, it was just very narrow in scope.

One could argue they could have been more ambitious, etc, blah blah blah... but I doubt that was ever going to happen.

If you're expecting someone like the NSSF to run a "Heller" style case, that is literally never going to happen, unless it involves some
type of deal where not bringing the case would butcher their members revenue streams.
The NSSF legal team missed a deadline in challenging the mass awb. That failure still makes it hard / impossible to fight it today. I'm not a lawyer, this is what I've learned here over the years. Perhaps one of the lawyers could explain it better. Thr NSSF is definitely more industry based not user based with regard to interest. The dealers the represent make more money off limited access with dates based upon manufacture example glocks.
Is the nra perfect no could it be better yes did it need a house cleaning yes. Have they lost the way yes. Let's fix it the way goal was fixed from the inside. Not burn it to the ground to start over.
 
I have been a life member fo the NRA since 1978. It is really sad to see what has happened. When there is a good purge at the NRA I might consider sending them some cash. In the mean time I wish they would quit sending me all the crap in the mail asking me for money and promising to send me a bunch of cheap swag most likely from China. My dollars have been going to USCCA, GOA, Goal and Comm2A.
 
The NSSF legal team missed a deadline in challenging the mass awb. That failure still makes it hard / impossible to fight it today. I'm not a lawyer,

I don't remember this, it sounds like you're getting your wires crossed with that weird (now long defunct) MA gun dealer association thing (not the NSSF!!!!) that happened 900 years ago with the handgun compliance bullshit- they failed to appeal within the correct window and the challenge against compliance BS was lost.

I don't remember an AWB case where someone failed to meet a deadline.
 
The nssf lawyers, legal team were fighting the mass awb. They had a deadline to file an answer / appeal. They failed to make thrdesdline and the awb challenge was lost by default.

The NSSF legal team missed a deadline in challenging the mass awb. That failure still makes it hard / impossible to fight it today. I'm not a lawyer, this is what I've learned here over the years. Perhaps one of the lawyers could explain it better. Thr NSSF is definitely more industry based not user based with regard to interest. The dealers the represent make more money off limited access with dates based upon manufacture example glocks.
Is the nra perfect no could it be better yes did it need a house cleaning yes. Have they lost the way yes. Let's fix it the way goal was fixed from the inside. Not burn it to the ground to start over.
I don't remember this, it sounds like you're getting your wires crossed with that weird (now long defunct) MA gun dealer association thing (not the NSSF!!!!) that happened 900 years ago with the handgun compliance bullshit- they failed to appeal within the correct window and the challenge against compliance BS was lost.

I don't remember an AWB case where someone failed to meet a deadline.
I'm with Mike on this one. It was the defunct American . . . gun org that was closing down their org and missed the deadline challenging the 1998 GCA in MA. Nancy Snow, GOAL Chief of Staff back then filled me in on the story. Per Nancy, if that org had told GOAL that they were folding and couldn't meet the deadline, GOAL would have found someone to fill in and file the appeal on time.

NSSF had nothing to do with that case.
 
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