by Al Hammond III has been a member of the NRA Board of Directors since he was elected to it in 2022. Before running for the Board, he had been the Southern Regional Director, Field Operations Division, for the NRA. Hammond has also been affiliated with the Unified Sportsmen of Florida which was headed until 2022 by Marion Hammer.
I received an email from multiple sources that Hammond sent to fellow Board members yesterday. It expressed his concern about the NRA’s future and the information shared with the Board regarding the outcome of the recent jury trial in New York.
From: Al HammondIII <alhammond3@gmail.com> Date: April 24, 2024 at 1:43:14 PM EDT To: Al HammondIII <alhammond3@gmail.com>
Subject: NRA Court Final Documents
I wanted to share excerpts of the summaries from both the bankruptcy trial and the jury trial in NY. I am deeply concerned about our future and the involvement of the lead council in the governance of the day to day operations of the NRA. NRA Secretary John Frazer still could face disciplinary action and or dismissial by the judge based on the findings as well. Please read both these documents. We were never told about all of these conclusions and the subsequent consequences if we don’t make a course correction.
Al Hammond
NRA BOD Member
I have only seen one of the attachments. However, it is my understanding that the first attachment was from the court and the second (see below) concerned the bench trial that begins on July 15th. Neither document says who created them.
While the jury did find cause for removal for both Wayne LaPierre and Wilson (Woody) Phillips, they did not find cause for removal for NRA Secretary and General Counsel. They did however find that he had breached his fiduciary duties and had made false filings on behalf of the NRA. While it is my own opinion that much of Frazer’s actions stemmed from a lack of spine and willingness to say no to Wayne and his grifting cohort, virtually every other well-run organization would have already terminated him by now. Having a general counsel found guilty of a breach of fiduciary duty and making false filings is just beyond the Pale.
Hammond’s email and the attachment lead me to conclude two things. First, all together too many Board members were willing to believe the sugar-coated spin put on the outcome of the jury trial by Bill Brewer, Charles Cotton, and the Cabal. This correlates perfectly with their long-time behavior of willful ignorance and unwavering trust in “well, Wayne told me…” Second, many Board members have not done their own research. They have not read the thousands of pages of court filings nor read the many analyses of the jury’s findings. They should not have to be spoon fed information to understand the good, the bad, and the ugly of what lies ahead for the NRA if changes are not made.
I could go on and on about what changes need to be made and who needs to go starting at the top. However, it is a beautiful Spring afternoon and I wanted to enjoy it.
All I can say is, Better late than never.
I hope more Directors are finally waking up and realizing that folks like you and me never were the bad guys.
Thanks for your diligent reporting on this.
“Second, many Board members have not done their own research.”
They were told not to by some. If you don’t seek it out, you can pretend everything told to you by WLP & other staff, plus Brewer, is fully factual. When members bring it up to you, you can easily claim you know nothing of the rumors and gossip and conclude that everything concerned members cite is false. If a member says the information comes from sworn testimony that proves WLP was actively lying to them, they are allowed to say that they simply don’t believe it and are not required to read the testimony to find out.
For them, ignorance isn’t just bliss, it’s a legal strategy.
If Al is communicating in a way that helps break the bubble of purposeful ignorance and the ability to deny knowing anything about the specific problems, it seems likely that a future nomination won’t be forthcoming.
Not only were they told not to, those that tried or spoke out were punished.
While I support the NRA fixing itself, it may be too late.
Another reason for the board members apathy could be the perception, which I share, that the NY court system is kangaroos all the way down.
I still hear serious commentators on the right refer to the “political prosecution of the NRA”, which although true, leaves out the fact that there appears to be a significant factual basis behind the political prosecutions. They may have been out to get the NRA, but it isn’t like the NRA didn’t make it really easy for them by violating all sorts of laws against graft and corruption.
True enough. Also the NRA should have bailed on NYC in 1911 when the Sullivan act was passed. One would hope that the political persecution would induce the NRA to clean up its act. I am waiting.