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The Most Brutal Tweet About The NRA

July 25, 2024 by 1 Comment

The Firearms Policy Coalition attracted the attention of The Trace for calling out Kamala Harris as being authoritarian. Given that the FPC has it roots in California I think they know of what they speak. The Trace said the FPC was “even more strident than the NRA” which is correct in my opinion. I think The Trace’s writer was horrified that someone would drop the F-bomb when speaking of the selected (not elected) Democratic candidate for President.

This led to someone who goes by Factotum leaving this comment:

That has got to be the most brutal tweet I’ve ever seen about the NRA. I don’t necessarily agree with it but I can see why someone would write it given the NRA’s long history of accommodation. One need only look to the NRA’s role in the recently overturned bump stock ban to see that.

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Quote Of The Day

July 25, 2024 by 2 Comments

The quote of the day comes from Don Surber. He started in journalism when journalists reported the facts and left opinions to the editorial writers. Sadly today every so-called journalist on TV or in the press wants to add their own slant to every story.

From Don on how the press covered Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu‘s address to Congress and how it virtually ignored the violent pro-Palestinian demonstrations in DC which made January 6th look like a picnic:

Today’s journalists do not write news stories. They write press releases.

Unlike Winston Smith who had doubts about the Party, today’s journalists are busy rewriting history so that it matches the narrative of the day. If they aren’t rewriting history, they are erasing it.

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What Do You Mean, You Don’t Know

July 19, 2024 by 2 Comments

John Frazer served as NRA General Counsel from January 2015 until May 21st of this year. That is when Doug Hamlin separated the positions of General Counsel and Secretary and appointed Michael Blaz as the new General Counsel. Frazer retained his position as Secretary.

Frazer was on the stand today in the remedial phase of the New York Attorney General’s lawsuit. He was asked about how much money the NRA had paid Brewer, Attorneys and Counselors, since 2018. Additionally, he was asked how much the NRA had paid for the defense of Wayne LaPierre and himself.

As reported by Erik Uebelacker of Courthouse News who has been following the trial:

While I might give Frazer a pass on how much has been paid to Brewer, Attorneys and Counselors, for their work on the NYAG’s case, it is only because the Special Litigation Committee was formed to make decisions on that case – and only that case – due to Frazer and Wayne being named defendants. However, William Brewer and his firm have done plenty of other legal work for the NRA ranging from the multiple lawsuits against AckMac to the Vullo case that went before the Supreme Court. Brewer’s firm even handled the lawsuit against former NRA President Oliver North which is currently on hold pending the outcome of the NYAG’s case.

He certainly ought to have an idea how many billable hours have been spent on his defense by William Fleming of Gage Spencer and Fleming LLP. How hard is it to multiply hours billed times a per hour fee? Moreover, to say he has no idea how much has been paid to Brewer is ludicrous. He might not know the exact figure but he certainly has to know a ballpark figure.

If he doesn’t, then what was he doing as General Counsel all these years? Unless I’m greatly mistaken, doesn’t the Office of General Counsel have to approve bills submitted for NRA legal work before it is passed on to the Accounting Department for payment?

Frazer was never a grifter like Wayne. I will give him that. However, I do expect a certain level of responsibility from an officer of an organization when he is being paid a substantial 6-figure salary. That responsibility includes making sure the members’ dues spent on outside lawyers is well spent. It is impossible to do this if, as Frazer testified, he didn’t know how much was being spent on his defense, on Wayne’s defense, and on the myriad of legal issues being handled by Brewer, Attorneys and Counselors.

To all those who have insisted that membership and revenues are down because Tish James initiated a lawsuit against the NRA, think again. It is down because members, both Life and annual, have had the blinders pulled off their eyes and don’t want to waste their hard earned cash on an organization that seems intent on just pissing it away. Can you blame them when the former General Counsel says he has no idea how much has been spent on legal expenses?

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Forge Of Freedom Podcast With Alex Ooley

July 17, 2024 by 0 Comments

I was a guest last night on attorney Alex Ooley‘s Forge of Freedom Podcast. It was Episode 144: The NRA’s Fall from Grace Corruption, Trial, and Declining Influence. As you can guess by that title we discussed the New York Attorney General’s suit against the NRA.

Alex and I discussed what led to it the lawsuit, how it evolved, the jury phase, and now the remedial phase. We also discussed the impact the trial has had on the advancement of Second Amendment rights.

The podcast went for about an hour and 15 minutes. You can watch and listen to the whole podcast below.

The show notes for this episode are here. It also gives you time breaks if you want to skip to certain sections.

If YouTube is not your thing, the podcast can be found on Rumble and on Spotify.

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Amazon Prime Days 2024

July 17, 2024 by 0 Comments

I am an affiliate of Amazon which means I get a small commission when you buy from items I have linked here. It costs you nothing but does help me defray the costs of running this blog. The deals today are for Amazon Prime members but you can sign up for a free trial and still qualify.

The products below are ones I’ve used or are things that I think you will find useful.

These Soundcore Q20 noise canceling headphones are the ones I bought for my trip to South Africa. While there are more expensive noise canceling headphones such as from Bose or Apple Beats, these worked just fine on my 15 hour plus flight. Not only did they have good audio quality, they were comfortable. They hold a charge for up to 60 hours and mine still have plenty of juice left when I got home. In addition to canceling noise, they are a great way to listen to podcasts music using the Bluetooth feature. They also come with a microphone jack and cord so that you can plug into in-flight movies. They don’t come with a case but you can buy this one for $20 less than the “official” Soundcore case. The headphones fit in it and were protected.

Next up is a book that I think everyone needs to read. It is David Yamane’s Gun Curious. David is a good friend who has worked on this book for many years. I am disgusted that a major publisher didn’t pick it up given it was a fair and even-handed view of the gun culture. I guess they only like stuff that makes us look crazy. If you haven’t bought a copy yet, do it now.

If you don’t have an emergency bag at home or in your car, you should. One of the essential items needed is a way to get pure drinking water. I got the LifeStraw for both myself and the Complementary Spouse. For under $10, it is a cheap way to avoid gastrointestinal distress while staying hydrated.

Another thing I was very glad I had on my trip to South Africa was the Apple Air Tag. I put one in my suitcase and one in my gun case. Not only was I able to track their movement around the airport, I was able to confirm that they were loaded on the plane. I had heard too many horror stories about people flying with firearms on a hunting trip (or any trip for that matter) and their guns went elsewhere. I consider it cheap insurance.

Finally, everyone can use an EDC small flashlight. This 250 lumen Streamlight Microstream is rechargeable through a USB port. The flashlight I brought with me to Africa failed so I wish I had brought this one. If you don’t mind a red flashlight, you can save $8 over the cost of one in black or copper. To my mind, it will be easier to find when you need it assuming you were not smart enough to clip it to your pocket. Even though this flashlight is rechargeable, many of your other battery-operated lights and tools are not. This is a good time to stock up especially on odd sizes like CR2.

MORE ITEMS: I came across a couple of more items that I can highly recommend. Both are custom molded ear plugs from Decibullz.

First, are the Decibullz Percussive Moldable Earplugs. I have a pair that brought with me to Africa on my safari. The price on the Prime Days is exactly the same as what I got them for with a discount given to me at the SHOT Show. I found that they worked as well as my custom-molded injected plugs. With help from the Complementary Spouse, these were easy to mold to my ears.

If you just want plugs to use at the range that block all sound, the regular Decibullz give you a 31 NRR with customization at a great price. I have a couple of pairs that were given me at the SHOT Show’s range day. They work and they fit.

EVEN MORE ITEMS: I saw this Yeti cup this morning. I have a couple that I received as gifts. If you want a cup that will keep your coffee hot for a long time, this is it. Normal price on these cups is $30, so getting one for $19.50 is a great deal. The only downside is that it doesn’t fit in a lot of cup holders.

These Howard Leight electronic hearing protection muffs are selling for $20 less than when I bought them and are 66% off the current price. I have had my first pair for 15 years and they still work fine. All I’ve had to do over time is change the batteries. I did update them with these gel pads which I highly recommend. They really do make a difference in both comfort and fit while wearing eye protection.

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Sorry Charles – Doug Hamlin Is Not A Placeholder

July 17, 2024 by 1 Comment

My good friend Todd called me this morning asking if I had seen this report from the New York trial. It was from The Trace’s Daily Bulletin. The report was a one paragraph blurb about Charles Cotton’s testimony.

From The Trace’s Daily Bulletin for July 17th:

The National Rifle Association’s new chief executive Doug Hamlin is a placeholder, according to the testimony of former NRA president Charles Cotton that points to fault lines in the gun group’s leadership. In May, board members chose Hamlin, who led the NRA’s publications arm, as Wayne LaPierre’s replacement. Hamlin is allied to a small, self-described reform bloc at the group. “The intent is to try to get, frankly, some high-powered person to take it over,” testified Cotton, a LaPierre defender whom the reformers consider part of an old guard. Cotton made his remarks in a New York courtroom where the final phase of New York Attorney General Letitia James’s lawsuit against the NRA is underway. —Will Van Sant 

Say what you will about The Trace and reporter Will Van Sant but they don’t get stuff like this wrong. I’m sure Cotton actually said that in his testimony in court. That said, I don’t think anyone who participated in the NRA Board of Directors meeting in May thought the election of Doug Hamlin to be the new CEO and Executive VP was to be as a placeholder. Moreover, I don’t think Hamlin would have stuck his neck out if he himself thought he was only destined to be a placeholder.

If you are talking placeholders then you are talking about people like then-Interim EVP Andrew Arulanandam. You could even include Cotton in this category as he was pitching himself as the EVP to settle thing down for a few years and then ride off into the sunset. I don’t know where Cotton got the idea that Doug Hamlin was a placeholder unless that is how the Cabal would like to see it.

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NRA Hasn’t Decided Yet To Collect The Money Wayne Owes?

July 16, 2024 by 5 Comments

NRA President Bob Barr was on the stand today in the second day of the remedial phase of the New York trial. According to Erik Uebelacker of Courthouse News, Barr just said moments ago that the NRA has not yet decided if they will actually try to collect the $4.4 million the jury said Wayne owes.

What do you mean you haven’t decided to try and collect the money Wayne looted from the NRA?

WTF, Bob! That’s the members’ hard-earned dues and contributions we are talking about.

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What Goes Around, Comes Around

July 16, 2024 by 1 Comment

The bench phase of the NRA’s trial in New York City opened today. The first witness to take the stand was former NRA President Charles Cotton who now chairs both the Audit and Ethics Committees. Among the things he included in his testimony was the following regarding succession planning according to AP reports.

Charles Cotton, an NRA board member, was the first witness to take the stand. He revealed that the organization did not have a succession plan in place when LaPierre announced his retirement in January, just before the start of the trial’s first phase — suggesting his exit was hasty and not expected.

If only they had listened to one of their members who offered a resolution asking the Board of Directors to draft and adopt a formal succession plan. That resolution was offered at the NRA Meeting of Members held in Tucson, Arizona in October 2020. Mind you that this was in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and the most vulnerable population included senior citizens like LaPierre. That meeting was being run by 1st VP Charles Cotton as then-President Carolyn Meadows was absent due to health concerns.

As you can probably guess by now that resolution was soundly defeated. One of the arguments offered against it was that the NRA Bylaws provided a succession plan in that the Executive Director of General Operations would take over as the Interim EVP and CEO. This is exactly what happened when LaPierre resigned. Another argument was that the NRA was not the same as a for-profit corporation where succession planning is a best practice.

Among those testifying against the resolution in favor of succession planning was Joel Friedman who now sits as Vice-Chair of the Ethics Committee. Friedman is also a member along with Charles Cotton on both the Bylaws and Resolutions Committee and the Finance Committee. He is only on the Board now because Carl Rowen, Jr. was convinced to resign in order to allow Friedman to ascend to a directorship.

This truly is a case of what goes around, comes around.

As to the Endowment Life member who offered that serious resolution of succession planning, it was me. Perhaps if the Board had listened to the members instead of kowtowing to the Cabal, the NRA wouldn’t be in the position it is now.

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Yes. Yes, She Is.

July 14, 2024 by 4 Comments

Gun rights attorney Kosta Moros calls out Shannon Watts for this incredibly stupid post. She didn’t even bother to edit out the bit about “child access prevention laws” as if that would have made a difference.

I don’t think anything more needs to be said.

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Follow-up On Corey Mason

July 13, 2024 by 1 Comment

The new “professional opportunity” to which Corey Mason will transition is as the Executive VP for Conservation and COO of the Wild Sheep Foundation. It appears that he will remain with the Dallas Safari Club over the next month before moving on to the new position.

The Wild Sheep Foundation announced his hiring yesterday.

BOZEMAN, MT — The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) is pleased to announce that Corey Mason of Texas will join WSF as Executive Vice President of Conservation, effective August 12, 2024. In this capacity, Mason will lead WSF conservation efforts to conserve and enhance wild sheep and their habitat worldwide. He will also serve as Chief Operating Officer, supporting the foundation’s current and future programs and strategic initiatives.

“Corey has served the conservation and hunting community with distinction as CEO of Dallas Safari Club (DSC) for the past seven years and as a Regional Director, Program Leader, and biologist roles for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department for sixteen years before leading DSC,” stated WSF President and CEO, Gray N. Thornton. “He is a Certified Wildlife Biologist®, and a recognized industry leader in promoting sustainable use, not only in North America but around the globe. Corey has worked extensively with state, federal, and international agencies and conservation industry NGOs. He brings talent, capacity, relationships, and additional leadership to the WSF staff  – he is a blue chip hire, a franchise player, and a force multiplier to our team. I am thrilled, and we are honored to have him join WSF.”

Mason has a BS and MS in Wildlife Management and has served as an organizational lead for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and CITES Conference of Parties and Animals Committee meetings. He also serves on the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation Board and state advisory committees for bighorn sheep, mule deer, and whitetail deer and was a member of the National Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation Council.
 
Corey will work closely with WSF Vice President of Conservation Kevin Hurley, a 50+ year wild sheep conservation leader and veteran who on July 1st transitioned to part-time with WSF as he nears retirement. As COO, Corey will work alongside WSF President & CEO Gray N. Thornton to expand current programs as well as help launch innovative WSF initiatives.

“I could not be more excited to join WSF’s incredible team. I have admired the organization’s focus on strategic initiatives and programs, and having worked in the conservation space for decades, I have seen that WSF’s leadership is widely recognized and respected and that the professionalism and efficiency of the staff are appreciated by members and partners worldwide,” Corey Mason stated.  “I am eager to support the important mission of WSF and look forward to serving its members,” Mason added.
 
“As the world’s leading wild sheep conservation, advocacy, and hunting organization, WSF directed $9.2 Million to Grant in Aid, education and outreach programs, and our state, provincial, and tribal agency partners during our 2023-2024 fiscal year ending June 30th. This is $1.7 Million more than the $7.5 Million we directed in fiscal year 2022-23 for an incredible $16.7 Million to mission programs in just two years. Adding Corey Mason to our team will help ensure that those dollars make an impact on the resource,  and with our agency and chapter and affiliate partners, Put and Keep more Wild Sheep on the Mountain,” Thornton concluded.

From what I can gather reading comments on various forums made by long time DSC members, there has been a fight going on between those who wanted DSC to remain a “hunting club” and those who wanted it to progress into more conservation and advocacy for some time. A number of board members and the President-elect resigned over it. There was a dissident faction in 2019-2020 that floated an effort called “Save DSC” that some have called an attempted coup. The “Save DSC” group forced a vote on changing the bylaws which only got 18% in favor of it. As I have only been a member of DSC since 2022, I am somewhat ignorant of all the forces at work behind the scenes, what happened in the past, and who is who. This all could have been the straw that broke the camel’s back for Mason who decided it was time to leave for greener pastures. I will say that in the couple of meetings I was in with Mason that he seemed like a breathe of fresh air after enduring some of the stuffiness of the NRA’s hierarchy.

I do hope that all goes well for him at the Wild Sheep Foundation and DSC can find a new Executive Director and CEO that can take it into the future.