NRA’s Cleans House/downward spiral megathread, Update post 567 NRA Staffer Used $40K in NRA Money to Pay for Family Wedding

Let me get this straight......corruption = ok.... cuz big?

Most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

Nope. I never said it was OK because they are big. I said it’s not a surprise that there is corruption. It’s not uncommon for a group to start off with the the right intentions but go off track because of greedy / selfish individuals. And when a group grows so larger it’s easy for them to keep going and growing.

In fact it’s not ok. And I don’t condone it and that’s why I donate my money elsewhere.

I am a life member and I am because there are some good things the NRA does. It’s not all good but any fight that is won for gun owners is good.

Yes. They have turned in to a business and aren’t primarily focused on our rights. So again. I moved my contributions to people who are more in the fight

The NRA needs to clean house and do it quickly
 
The big annual meeting is this weekend in Indianapolis. Do they circle the wagons and brush off the critics, or do they wake up and start fixing things?
 
I don't have any good answers for you there. The only way I know of is to vote in people who can and actually want to do something to right the ship. I think this requires time for the old Fudds who keep voting for people like Marion Hammer to just die off.

No way man, this is the face of someone who truly represents my interests in the 2a.

images.jpeg
 
I can see them already.....

NRA life member here.......yeah this is not good.... but you whippersnappers need to understand the NRA is all we have! these things are bound to happen in big organizations.

Steps away from the computer....

Straightens benefactor NRA hat and heads to the gun safe to take out the old Winchester model 70 for some cuddle time.

Sometimes I really wonder that if a magic wand was waved and some other gun rights org had the lions share of members, the NRA fud types would still complain. They would pout that it was not the NRA of old and would not support it. It is more about the history and an identity for them.
 
I have no idea whether LaPierre is doing a good job or not. But he is the face of an organization that is heavily engaged in public relations. Out of necessity, it is often an assertive, in-your-face type of PR. For this reason alone, he probably isn't the best person for the job. If the board feels he is effective and adds value to the organization, let him be pulling strings behind the curtain. Somebody whose visage does not make you recoil should be the public face. I wouldn't qualify. ;)
 
Last edited:
One thing is clear as day: All those wasteful mailers and end of freedom phone calls AFTER plucking your tree of fruit was not to actually get more of your money. It was just to spend it...

To what end?? Did they own a paper mill? Invest in the USPS? I'd vote incompetence over corruption. The reality is MOST national charitable organizations send out tons of unwanted, annoying mail. It pays. Not well, but it pays and it's automatic.
 
To what end?? Did they own a paper mill? Invest in the USPS? I'd vote incompetence over corruption. The reality is MOST national charitable organizations send out tons of unwanted, annoying mail. It pays. Not well, but it pays and it's automatic.
Did you read the article? The PR firm that has been contracted with the nra for 30 years gets paid......and makes a profit.....on the mailings......not what they bring in for donations.


Another point I found astonishing is that the NRA spending on the training and education programs is now under 10% of total budget. Where the f*** does all the money go? As much as I bitch.... i am a member of the nra and will do much more research in the next few days.
 
I have no idea whether LaPierre is doing a good job or not. But he is the face of an organization that is heavily engaged in public relations. Out of necessity, it is often an assertive, in-your-face type of PR. For this reason alone, he probably isn't the best person for the job. If the board feels he is effective and adds value to the organization, let him be pulling strings behind the curtain. Somebody who's visage does not make you recoil should be the public face. I wouldn't qualify. ;)
I'd love to see Wayne get handed his walking papers. But sadly I don't think that's going to happen
 
The worst thing about the NRA is the amount of grants it pays out. Their tax return for 2016 (most recent one that's publicly available online) shows only $85,500 of grants versus revenue (exempt and non-exempt) of $366,899,703. That's obscene - way to really get people involved and knowledgeable about shooting sports and hunting. But they can pay $50M+ of salaries.

Core financials are pages 9-11 of 85 of the linked PDF:

https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2016/530/116/2016-530116130-0e77c76b-9O.pdf
 
To what end?? Did they own a paper mill? Invest in the USPS? I'd vote incompetence over corruption. The reality is MOST national charitable organizations send out tons of unwanted, annoying mail. It pays. Not well, but it pays and it's automatic.
I'll cut and paste a dosey of an accusation. If this is true there are real corruption problems. Fyi Ackerman is the pr firm that does all the nra mailings gs, TV ads, runs the nra TV network etc...

If the pr firm is fleecing the nra with inflated invoices for mailings with knowledge of the bod.......we have a problem.



Many N.R.A. employees have long suspected Ackerman of inflating the cost of the services it provides, but its relationships with executives remain strong. For instance, the company has worked closely with LaPierre’s wife, Susan, who maintains an Ackerman e-mail address and was briefly employed there
 
Last edited:
So a Left Wing Rag writes a hit piece on the NRA and some feel the need to give it credibility?
In my posts I've said "if its true".......

But nobody is giving the new Yorker full credibility.....just stating this is what the NRA is up against.

The initial post here is about the ammoland article. The NRA is suing the pr company.....that's a fact......and if the accusations are true nra members deserve to be pissed.
 
Gun Owners wrote the book on throwing out baby with the bath water. You had better build a strong organization of pro gun support before you give the NRA its walking papers. That organization does not yet exist.
 
Gun Owners wrote the book on throwing out baby with the bath water. You had better build a strong organization of pro gun support before you give the NRA its walking papers. That organization does not yet exist.
I honestly don't see anyone giving the nra walking papers. However there is nothing wrong with its members demanding change. I've hashed this out with guys on nes a bunch of times.......the old school nra guys......that believe any gun owner.....or bra member for that matter.....that speaks anything negative of the nra is like blasphemy. I pay for my membership every year.....on the national level it's all we have that is true. But I don't believe criticizing the nra a bit is a bad thing. Calling for Wayne to be replaced is not a bad thing either......Wayne's creepy.....we can do better.
 
I'd love to see Wayne get handed his walking papers. But sadly I don't think that's going to happen

Of course the question of the day is he the one actually pulling the strings? Or is it their BOD? Dumping one figurehead for another does little if the underlying culture doesn't change.

-Mike
 
"Reform the NRA" does not mean "disband the NRA."
This whole thing got me doing some much needed research on my part. Only members that have had memberships for 5 consecutive years and life members are allowed to vote. That's all well and good I get it. However this little gem from an ammoland article let's me know that reforming the nra is a tough act.



Only about 7% of NRA members who are eligible to vote, actually cast a ballot in any given year. There are over 2 million Voting Members, but only about 150,000 actually vote. That's pretty sad for the leading rights organization in the world.


That's pathetic.......makes it even tougher that there are 35 candidates for the 27 positions this year. The good old boy network is tough to kick out with 2/3 of the current board members automatically getting back in.
 
Only about 7% of NRA members who are eligible to vote, actually cast a ballot in any given year. There are over 2 million Voting Members, but only about 150,000 actually vote. That's pretty sad for the leading rights organization in the world.

That's pathetic.......makes it even tougher that there are 35 candidates for the 27 positions this year. The good old boy network is tough to kick out with 2/3 of the current board members automatically getting back in.

Isn't there some rigging problem with the NRA BOD elections though? Like to even be eligible to be on the ballot, you have to pass through a lower level layer of
bullshit?

-Mike
 
Isn't there some rigging problem with the NRA BOD elections though? Like to even be eligible to be on the ballot, you have to pass through a lower level layer of
bullshit?

-Mike
Not sure about that. I've decided to dedicate an hour or two today to researching the nra elections. This article is fantastic. Voters are allowed to vote for up to 27 candidates but can vote for as few as 1 if they choose. When you vote for the nuge.....and olie your reducing the chances of the new blood winning a seat cuz everyone votes for them! Ammoland recommends that to make changes....vote only for 1 new comer and they even make recommendations.

I think I have one more year before I can vote.......let a year lapse I think 4 years ago.

Knox: My Voting Picks for the 2019 NRA Board of Directors
 
I'm not saying that they are NOT doing something wrong. But there needs to be ejamacation (like you are doing). Too many people see ANY amount and knee-jerk into next week. You'd be astonished to see the gross and nets on a lot of charities. Like, "We brought in over $100 million last year." And then you find out $50Mil is fundraising expenses. Because. . . . it's expensive. Fundraising isn't just about raising money. As we saw with the Notre Dame rebuild last week. . . as well as the Damn'o'craps base right now. . . . a few BIG donors can make your campaign a winner. But it's touches that make you last a long time. Damn'o'craps don't realize that now. NRA and most charities do. If they spend $20 for every $40 donation, they aren't wasting $20, or $15 even. That extra $ goes towards making sure hte MOST people are emotionally involved in their work. Ditto for the NRA.

Is there corruption? Without a doubt. We are all human. There isn't an organization that size that is without it. The question will become: Is it significant?
 
I'm not saying that they are NOT doing something wrong. But there needs to be ejamacation (like you are doing). Too many people see ANY amount and knee-jerk into next week. You'd be astonished to see the gross and nets on a lot of charities. Like, "We brought in over $100 million last year." And then you find out $50Mil is fundraising expenses. Because. . . . it's expensive. Fundraising isn't just about raising money. As we saw with the Notre Dame rebuild last week. . . as well as the Damn'o'craps base right now. . . . a few BIG donors can make your campaign a winner. But it's touches that make you last a long time. Damn'o'craps don't realize that now. NRA and most charities do. If they spend $20 for every $40 donation, they aren't wasting $20, or $15 even. That extra $ goes towards making sure hte MOST people are emotionally involved in their work. Ditto for the NRA.

Is there corruption? Without a doubt. We are all human. There isn't an organization that size that is without it. The question will become: Is it significant?
I hear you. However in think the current question is......can we change the NRA from the better as members?
 
Answer: NO! Because of apathy and momentum. It will be very hard to change anything. Sometimes it takes something ugly to fix things. Hoping this just gets resolved quietly and quickly, personally. However large it is. We need all the members we can get and a scandal will put a multi-year dent in the # of members.
 
Back
Top Bottom