Bombshell

John Richardson finds some very interesting material. Granted, I’ve known in my life people who were decent folks, but who had horrible judgement in the kind of people they surrounded themselves with. That’s the best case scenario here.

Also, this is a huge deal if it turns out to be true:

This is a good time to start developing local networks in the issue, because none of this is good for RKBA. In fact, it might be disastrous. We might have to do a lot of that self-organizing while NRA is going through all this.

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24 thoughts on “Bombshell”

  1. I’m a member of TSRA, and donate to 2AF. Would they be sufficiently shielded from this?

    I’ve also recently started to receive mailings from new RKBA groups I’ve never heard of, that all seem to be related in some kind of way. Have you heard of this? Could there be imposters looking to get a buck from a 2A-friendly donor like me?

    Thanks for your blog and posts.

    1. TSRA and 2AF should be insulated. They are separate entities. Don’t know about specific groups, but I personally would not give a dime to GOA or NAGR.

  3. Zelmanpartisans.com is where anyone from “Jews for Preservation of Firearms Ownership”who didn’t like being bought by Second Amendment Foundation went instead.

    1. Weredragon,

      I go there often. They are one of the strongest gun rights groups around. They are not quite as active as they were awhile ago, but they are still very relevant.

  4. The NY AG can OFFER immunity to anybody they like. They could offer it to you, or to me, or to a grandma in a tree. For all we know this is a simple “shake-the-box” move by the NY AG who has nothing substantive to work with, in the hopes that inspiring fear will drive emotional decisionmaking. Note the headline doesn’t say that a senior exec in the NRA has ACCEPTED an immunity offer. Even that wouldn’t be decisive, but we’re not even THERE yet.

    –Andrew

    Attorney Andrew F. Branca
    Law of Self Defense LLC

    1. “For all we know this is a simple “shake-the-box” move by the NY AG who has nothing substantive to work with”

      I really hope you’re right.

  5. “This is a good time to start developing local networks in the issue, because none of this is good for RKBA. In fact, it might be disastrous. We might have to do a lot of that self-organizing while NRA is going through all this.”

    Gee, I wish we had thought of that 30 years ago! :-)

    I really don’t want to be an old wise-ass, but the percentage of times that has been done successfully in this country has been minimal, and usually depends on what is defined as “success.” Mere longevity/survival doesn’t necessarily qualify. Nor does success at fund-raising, and sometimes longevity is an indicator of a group that is really fronting for something else that is facilitating the group’s survival. More than one group has survived thanks to the “friendship” of a handful of legislators and politicians who have the group wrapped around their little fingers.

    I don’t want to sound negative, because damn if I know what else to do, but the number of pitfalls awaiting “new networks” is incredible, and the number of people who vastly over-estimate their own political/organizing acumen is even more incredible.

  6. Whoa if true.

    Still pissed the NRA got themselves into this position.

    1. “Still pissed the NRA got themselves into this position.”

      Got themselves? When do you want to start the clock on when that began?

      Forget the details, I knew 30+ years ago that the NRA wasn’t the pure, noble, altruistic organization everyone needed to believe in. Remember that scumbag Warren Cassidy?

      The position the NRA got itself into is, it finally went a bridge too far and too many people caught on to it. I won’t deny they had many altruistic people, but all along those people were shoveling manure against the tide, and knew it, and helped conceal it. I don’t know if they didn’t want to believe it, or hoped for Divine Intervention and Deliverance, or what, but they fellow-traveled with everything that led to what we’re learning about today.

      1. I am not normally quick to naval gaze and give ascent to the old kodger over there, but on this one I’ll nod yea.

        When you have someone in the inside turning states evidence, this isn’t simply a he-said she-said. It will be all the better for daylight to shine here. Corruption does not help advance gun rights.

        FWIW, I also said the same thing about the pedo priest scandal (as a Catholic) even with a disgustingly leftist AG leading the charge, too.

        1. Here’s what I can say with certainty about NRA experience — as opposed to “what I’ve read” or other hearsay:

          At the time of the transition from Warren Cassidy to Wayne LaPierre as EVP, I had friends inside the NRA who I had known for over a decade at that point. They were in non-political, non-ideological, non-management positions. We never talked about NRA gossip, because I was mainly interested in firearms technology at the time, and that and competition were to bases for our acquaintance.

          When the Cassidy-to-LaPierre transition took place, the people I knew lost their jobs, to make room for a new faction. Even then, I had had experience with “factional management” in industry, and I knew it was invariably corrupt and invariably led to disaster, in terms of an organizations goals. People hired for “friendship” are more often than not incompetent as well as crooked.

          So, knowing how blatantly factional the NRA was, I have expected trouble of several decades now.

          What I’m saying is in no way intended in defense of my former friends. I have no knowledge how they got their jobs with the NRA in their day. I only know they had kept their jobs through several administrations, including Arnett and Cassidy, but lost them when LaPierre came along.

          All I have to contribute these days is experience, and I remember that everyone (including me) believes that politics started the day we started to pay attention ourselves. But my own father used to say, “Just think if you could add your own experience on top of all the experience I’ve had — you’d be on your way to being the wisest man in the world!”

          There are of course some faults with that premise, but the one thing I know from experience is, everyone discounts as irrelevant whatever went down before they got involved in a situation; while those of us who have been down some roads several times see the same situations playing out over and over and over again.

  7. Can somebody explain the rational for NRA staying a New York Corporation, especially past the 1990’s?

    It seems like an incredibly poor choice on the organizations part.

    1. It’s not trivial to switch states of incorporation. It would invite some degree of control from the State of New York..

      1. It’s not trivial, but it can be done is the point. And it should be and will be, probably, but this has little to do with NY and more to do with corruption and rot from the BOWELS.

        1. If it were done (change the state of incorporation) I’m not sure that would bode well for the long-run interests of the Association.

          I’m not an attorney; nor am I versed in corporate law. Nevertheless, I am assuming that NY NfP corporate law is designed to impose a modicum of discipline on NfP corporations so that they don’t fleece their contributors. As self-interested Association members, don’t we want that sort of discipline?

          I don’t think NYState’s motivations have anything to do with upholding the 2A. I think they want to destroy the NRA. If they do a full proctological examination of NRA’s books and records and discover malfeasance, then wouldn’t we want to know about that alleged malfeasance? Wouldn’t we want to see the allegations aired in a trial “by combat” before a jury?

          I am, by no means, eager to see the dirty laundry aired. Nevertheless, if that’s the only way members can see the laundry and judge for themselves, then I’m prepared to hold my nose and open my eyes.

          If NYState can prove its case then NRA may fail. Or, it might be reorganized under judicial supervision. Should that occur then we will incorporate an New NRA. Possibly, we will organize its politics to better ensure against an autocracy with a croney board of directors.

          NRA is our association. We let it deteriorate to the point its at. It might survive; after which WE will be the ones to see to its reformation. If it dies, WE will be the ones who will organize a New NRA; for better or worse.

          One thing is becoming clear. There is no majority of the board of directors that is committed to righting the ship. They are determined to spend it’s last dime keeping it afloat under the command of Captain La P. Nothing is more important to them but keeping the Captain in his post.

          The excuses made for doing so appear to me to be lame. Yet, even if these excuses were valid, it remains indisputable that the board and EVP have lost the confidence of members. That fact of perception – make no mistake about it, perception is the most powerful fact – is unsustainable.

          1. I’m sure other states have similar requirements. The difference is NYS will wield them to silence the NRA. They can make it difficult and expensive, even if they are on the level.

    2. I don’t think they understood the depths of hatred held by the urban ruling class. Many traditional conservatives still don’t.

  8. When I see people that I respect in the firearms community, people like Michael Bane, and Tom Gresham, calling for Wayne Lapierre to step down, it means something. I mean, Michael Bane! He is one of the most patient, influential people that I could imagine in the gun culture, and I have learned so very much from him. And when he reluctantly speaks up and says that it is time for WLP to retire, even willing to let him take his golden parachute and fly off into the sunset, if he will just get the heck out and let the NRA start over with new management, it really means something.
    I had joined the NRA when Obama was elected, on the exact day, in fact, if I recall correctly. I became disenchanted with them and let my membership lapse, and then a couple of years ago, rejoined, as it seemed like the thing to do, to try and give them numbers, to also try and be part of the solution and work from within. Now, I see all of this horror show going on, and I admit, I was tempted to leave again, but I realized that my decision to return was no different now than a couple of years ago, I want to try and make things work for the NRA. It belongs to us, the American people, and not to the few leaders who might be doing bad things at the top. But I can say for certain that I will not be giving anything extra, and I won’t renew until the last minute, so I do not give money to them to spend on things that make the leaders rich, and do nothing to advance the 2nd amendment. You do not have to follow my lead. Everyone must make up their own mind, and this is just where I have landed.
    Sebastian, I am a member of the GOA. I joined them first, before returning to the NRA. What is wrong with them, I don’t want to support a group that is pointless?

    1. The biggest problem with the GOA is that they are largely conservative, and sometimes even let other conservative issues to take priority over the 2nd Amendment.

      If you’re comfortable with that, I don’t think you should sweat GOA membership. While conservative myself, I personally want to support an organization that’s 100% gun-rights-and-other-politics-free-to-the-greatest-extent-possible. The NRA is *supposed* to be such an organization, but they’ve been getting entangled in conservative politics, too (just not to the degree of GOA).

  9. Three of the reform minded board members resigned. Adam Kraut won’t take the vacant seat. Rumors that NRA has dropped their D&O insurance. If that is true other directors would be wise to bail too. Wayne is going to ride this into the ground. I wonder how they are laundering the money flowing through Brewer and for what purpose?

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