I’m done with the NRA. I work too hard to have my donations and dues spent so that WLP can have a Summer intern to fuck.
And yes, that is exactly what $13,800 in just rent for a female Summer intern (roughly $4,600/month) is financing. The Board is aware which means that the organization is corrupt.
People need to stop financing corrupt organizations like the NRA, Catholic Church, etc. just because they seem to advance political interests. That is how counties fall apart.
Last edited by Sensei; 05-12-2019 at 10:58 AM.
I like my rifles like my women - short, light, fast, brown, and suppressed.
Articles said that LaPierre was reelected unanimously by the board. Does anyone know if that was 100% of the board voting and they all voted for him? Meaning no one was absent or voting as absent in protest? Or is it a procedural thing, as in he was unopposed and board members have to vote, meaning they had to vote for him and the NRA is spinning it as a show of solidarity?
If the board does unanimously support him that's a problem. If a part of the board doesn't support him but are afraid of voting against him that's a problem. If procedure forced them to vote for him they need to at least publicly speak to that, and their silence is a problem. Whatever it is I will continue not being a member or financially supporting them until they unfuck themselves. The idea that we should give corrupt assholes money or any other support just because they are on the same side of an issue is, to loosely paraphrase Sensei, a crock of shit.
@joshs, how commingled are the funds of the NRA, NRA-ILA, and the NRA-PVF? If I give money to ILA, do those funds ever flow backwards into the NRA general fund?
I'm a life member and have no plans of ending my membership over this, but all signs are pointing to very very poor stewardship of funds by the NRA. Hopefully, there is some meaningful separation in the budgets of ILA and PVF.
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What reasonable alternatives do we have for the NRA?Originally Posted by Sensei
I lost faith in them awhile ago, but there do not seem to be organizations that fill all the niches they held (poorly... incredibly poorly).
It looks like the Second Amendment Foundation and Gun Owners of America are the big ones, but I don't see either of them providing insurance for ranges and all the other little things that used to make the NRA a great organization.
The final straw for me has been their shameless use of foreign cash to support "Take the guns first, go through due process second" bump-stock banning President Trump, but it feels like they have been on a downhill path for awhile. Do we need a rise from the ashes phoenix moment, or is there another organization waiting in the wings to take over?
While ILA is part of the same corporate entity (501(c)(4)) as "main" NRA, we do have separate finances. Money donated to ILA will get spent on legal, legislative, or political activities.
PVF is a segregated fund (political action committee) that can directly contribute to and and endorse candidates for office. In certain cases, PVF may also be able to fund ballot initiative fights in certain states. In other states, we will set up a committee if required under state law (it seems like we've had to setup one in Washington state every election cycle to oppose ballot initiatives).
As executive director of ILA and chairman of PVF, Chris Cox has ultimate control of funds in ILA and PVF. I'm not aware of any allegations that we've misspent or mismanaged funds. We certainly are going to put any donations to good use. Between the case that is currently before the court and several others that are on track to go to SCOTUS on carry outside the home, semi-autos, and mags, we're as heavily invested in litigation as we ever have been. The other sides legal strategy has also turned to convincing localities to violate state preemption laws. This lets them co-opt public funds to drain our litigation budget (we obviously have to challenge these ordinances to vindicate preemption.)
We're also doing our best to bank funds for what is sure to be a very difficult fight in 2020. Beyond the political races that we need to win, we are likely to see the first major attempts in recent years to ban guns by ballot initiative. Those are sure to be high-profile seven figure fights that we must win.
There are other (c)(3) donation options that also have limited purposes for which the funds can be spent (although there isn't as much of a tax benefit for charitable giving anymore). NRA's Freedom Action Foundation was setup to ensure that a high percentage of gun owners are registered to vote (you may remember some of our "Trigger the Vote" advertising). However, we've now gotten to the point where most gun owners who are likely to register, are already registered. Under its organizational documents, FAF funds can also be used to fund certain types of litigation. Generally, the types of litigation that ILA gets involved in (civil rights, statutory violations of preemption laws, etc.) can be paid for with (c)(3) dollars. FAF is closely associated with ILA (a majority of it's directors are ILA staff.)
NRA's Civil Rights Defense Fund is another (c)(3) option where 100% of the funds will go to litigation. CRDF tends to fund smaller individual cases, and is generally the only option for individuals who have a legal issue that is not likely to affect a more general legal rule. Due to limited funds, ILA litigation strategy is necessarily focused on cases that will have a broad effect. You'll rarely see us funding as-applied challenges unless there is a specific fact pattern that is subject to repetition.
I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
What "foreign cash?" Other than membership dues from a limited number of foreigners (mostly Canadians) we don't get money from foreign sources.
I understand that gun owners are frustrated with the president, but he is by far the most pro-gun president we've had in recent history. If we were completely ideologically pure, gun owners shouldn't have supported Bush 43. He did, after all, openly state that he would sign and AWB reauthorization. Without him, we don't get Roberts and Alito on the court and Heller and McDonald don't happen. The president has openly opposed and stated his intent to veto both HR 8 and HR 1112. Those are the two biggest legislative threats to gun owners. I think his administration is also looking for other ways to help gun owners. I hope that unsigning the Arms Trade Treaty was just the start of his pro-gun administrative agenda.
There fear is that Trump is to erratic and cannot be trusted not go off the rails. I've wondered if the Las Vegas shooter had not used the vivid instance of bump stocks, would he have gone after the MSSAs and the higher cap magazines.
I have also stated that he needs to proactively state that the state bans need to be contested as unconstitutional.
Roberts is the weak link and I have no idea of the back channels to SCOTUS but it needs to be communicated to Trump and Roberts that the next challenge to the state weapons bans, mag bans, lack of easy shall issue concealed permitting (that is blocked by requirements, cost and bureaucracy in many states) need to be declared unconstitutional with clarity and immediacy. Not returned for strict scrutiny, tests of common usage or other rhetoric that might contain hidden minefields. Scalia and Thomas seemed to indicate such in dissents. Kavanaugh discussed common usage but I've seen some folks think this is a risk. One man or woman's common usage may not include the evil looking guns.
The dark fear is that politicians want to keep the issue alive as a campaign point rather than solving the problem.
Last, clearly separating donations to the ILA as not going into the fancy suit account might be useful.
Excellent.
”But in the end all of these ideas just manufacture new criminals when the problem isn't a lack of criminals.” -JRB
Please don't insult our intelligence.
The whole Maria Butina association (and her guilty plea) is not a good look for your organization (and I speak of the broad NRA umbrella). Even if I was to believe your lawyers and accountants statements that everything was on the up and up. After all, WLP would not do anything fast and loose with the cash would he? It is not like the NRA has not recently had a president that had previously explained - under oath - how he illegally used money gained from selling weapons to a country that had just taken a bunch of US Diplomats hostage, and illegally channeled it to a group of less than savory characters. When I say that I don't believe your organizations statements, it is because your organization has gone out of its way to be unbelievable.
President Trump is demonstrably a terrible president for our gun rights. We are well into the third year of his presidency, it is a bit late for your organization to talk about this being the start his pro-gun administrative agenda (especially given what a minor win the pull-out of the ATT was) when he has already taken positions that have established terrible precedent. I don't care at all about bump stocks, but I care a whole hell of a lot about the idea that an executive order can outlaw stuff in a hurry. What if next time it is pistol stabilizing braces? More importantly though, you have demonstrated that the NRA is eager and willing to cozy up to a political party that gives it nothing in return.
What have we seen in the last 2.5 years? We had republican house, senate, and presidency. Nation-wide concealed carry reciprocity as a start? Anything? No, we -gun owners- were taken for granted as the NRA doubled down on supporting politicians who give absolutely zero kittens about our rights outside of using the 2nd Amendment as a get out the vote.
While I appreciate your work on behalf of the Second Amendment, you severely understate my level of frustration.
Agree exactly.
I've been disgusted by the slimy politics of the NRA for several years now, but I've paid my annual dues for over 30 years, and will continue to do so unless the bottom falls out, since the NRA has the strongest pro-2A lobbying voice in congress.
I belong to the SAF and GOA too, since IMO we need all the help we can get in consistently opposing the rising socialist political tide.
It may not prove to be enough at this stage no matter what we do, but quitting an organization like the NRA just because you despise WLP and his graft (I do, too!) doesn't make good sense. Bigger issues are at stake.
"Therefore, since the world has still... Much good, but much less good than ill,
And while the sun and moon endure, Luck's a chance, but trouble's sure,
I'd face it as a wise man would, And train for ill and not for good." -- A.E. Housman
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