Month: May 2024

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Axios – Kristi Noem Wanted To Be Next NRA EVP

May 7, 2024 by 7 Comments

Axios, the online political news site, is reporting this evening that South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R-SD) approached Wayne LaPierre last fall pitching herself as his successor as CEO and Executive VP of the National Rifle Association. Noem, who has been an ally of the NRA and a very pro-gun governor, also came up in discussions as his successor after Wayne resigned in January according to Axios’ sources.

Official picture of Gov. Kristi Noem

Noem, of course, has also been in the news most recently for a story in her new book No Going Back (#commision earned) about shooting her German Wirehaired Pointer “Cricket” after he killed a chicken and bit her. Frankly, I agree with her agents, editors, and consultants who urged her not to include the story in the book. It seems to have been a very foolish way to show you can make tough decisions.

The story has not gone over too well with many people. People might have understood if she said that Cricket was taken to the vet to be euthanized for being dangerous. However by shooting Cricket, as my friend Dave said, she “euthanized her career” and probably ended her chances of being Trump’s VP pick.

Axios reports the dog killing incident and then continues:

The other side: A spokesperson for Noem “unequivocally” denied that the governor had a conversation with LaPierre.

  • “She loves her job as Governor of South Dakota,” Ian Fury told Axios.
  • LaPierre, through his lawyer Kent Correll, declined to comment.

Whether or not Noem actually held talks with Wayne and others of the Cabal I can see why she might want the position of EVP. Her current salary is $139,000 which probably would at least quadruple if named EVP, South Dakota is rural backwater compared to either Fairfax or Dallas, and she apparently has even greater political ambitions. Whether she was ever right for the job is another story.

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GRNC Feedback Day

May 6, 2024 by

Grass Roots North Carolina has declared Tuesday, May 7th, as Feedback Day. In an effort to get HB 189 for permitless concealed carry back on the agenda, they are urging everyone to call NC House Speaker Tim Moore and NC Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger. You are asked to thank them for ridding the state of the Jim Crow-era pistol purchase permit and then urge them to get HB 189 back on track.

I would add that if you live and vote in the 14th Congressional District of North Carolina please remind Tim Moore that he needs your vote if he wants to be elected to Congress.

The alert is below with phone numbers and instructions.

‘FEEDBACK DAY’ ON
CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY
GRNC ‘Feedback Day’ will drop calls into leaders’ offices

 Should you need governmental permission to exercise a basic civil right? 

Last week, legislative team volunteers led by GRNC President Paul Valone delivered a hand truck full of petitions calling for constitutional carry to Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, arguably the most powerful politician in the state, and then held a press conference on his doorstep. That is called “speaking truth to power.”

The effort kicked off GRNC’s renewed campaign to pass House Bill 189, “Freedom to Carry NC,” sponsored by Rep. Keith Kidwell (R- Beaufort, Dare, Hyde, Pamlico, GRNC ****). The bill stalled last year when Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger told reporters that, having repealed the pistol purchase permit law, legislators had no “need” to address another gun bill. GRNC President Paul Valone has countered that ours is a Bill of Rights, not “needs,” and that Sen. Berger is not a self-appointed arbiter of “needs.” 

When Berger conceded later to reporters that “Constitutional carry is something that is worth talking about. We’ll talk with our members and see whether there is an appetite to move forward with it,” Valone responded: “We’re the ‘members’ who gave you a supermajority, Sen. Berger, so let’s talk.”

GRNC in action: For a video of GRNC’s Legislative Action Team holding a constitutional carry press conference on Berger’s doorstep CLICK HERE.  
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!
It’s time to make your voice heard loud and clear in the halls of the legislature by sending a message to Republican leaders in Raleigh. We would like you to call during a two-hour period from 9:00 AM EDT to 11:00 AM EDT this coming Tuesday, May 7.

Why Tuesday? Because NC Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger and NC House Speaker Tim Moore are more likely to be in their offices. Legislative assistants will prevent you from speaking with them, of course, but they will witness the huge number of resulting calls, all calling for constitutional carry. Set a reminder in your phone. 

CALL SEN. PHIL BERGER: Between 9 AM and 11 AM on Tuesday, May 7, call Sen. Berger at 919-733-5708. (See below, under ‘Deliver This Message’ for the message to convey). 


CALL SPEAKER TIM MOORE: Also between 9 AM and 11 AM on Tuesday, May 7, call Speaker Tim Moore at 919-733-3451. (See below, under ‘Deliver This Message’ for the message to convey). 


PLEASE CONTRIBUTE TO GRNC: Help us fight fun control while we promote Second Amendment principles. Please CLICK HERE to contribute. Bear in mind that GRNC is an all-volunteer organization, so you can be sure your donations are put to the best possible use. Any amount helps, and any amount is appreciated.   
DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

What to tell Republican leaders:     

Thank them for repealing our Jim Crow purchase permit law, but tell them the job won’t be done until the Republican supermajority passes constitutional carry, including over-riding Gov. Roy Cooper’s inevitable veto.

NC Republicans have fallen behind Republicans in the 29 other states that have already passed constitutional carry.

Research by John R. Lott of the Crime Prevention Research Center found no increase in violent crime in constitutional carry states, and even a slight drop in murder.

Gun voters helped create the supermajority Republicans have used to pass several laws, over-riding Cooper’s vetoes. It is time they acknowledged that by passing House Bill 189, “Freedom to Carry NC” NOW!

Excuses like legislative rules and placing blame on one chamber or the other are just that: Excuses. 
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Self-Defense Law Webinar In North Carolina

May 5, 2024 by

I think the following webinar being offered by the UNC School of Government will be of interest to anyone who is armed for self-protection in North Carolina.

From the description:

The law of self-defense in North Carolina received a jolt from State v. McLymore, 380 N.C. 185 (2022), where the North Carolina Supreme Court held that the only way to claim perfect self-defense is by invoking the statutory right created by G.S. 14-51.3.  The Court went on to say, however, that to the extent the statute does not address an aspect of the law of self-defense, the common law remains intact.  This webinar examines the basic principles of self-defense in North Carolina under four headings: (1) aggressor status, (2) degree of force, (3) proportional response, and (4) reclaiming the privilege.  It aims to place McLymore in the broader context of the common law, so that practitioners will know what aspects of the law are “supplanted” by the statutory right of self-defense, what aspects are still governed by the common law, and what aspects remain unsettled to be determined by future caselaw.

The webinar is being offered on Wednesday, May 15th at 10:30am. The cost is FREE! Attendance is limited to 300 persons and registration closes on Friday, May 10th at 5pm.

The link to register is here. I found the registration was straightforward and easy. It does make reference to billing which is not an issue here as the cost is zero.

Even if you don’t or can’t attend the webinar, I think you will find the following flow chart that accompanies the webinar helpful.

Defensive-Force-Flow-Chart
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A False Flag Operation?

May 3, 2024 by 5 Comments

I received an email out of the blue yesterday evening from a supposed NRA staff member based in Fairfax. The email was sent to “undisclosed recipients”. I know one of the recipients was Jeff Knox as he had received the same email and was suspicious about it. The email alleges that private jets are still in use by NRA leaders including Charles Cotton and Randy Kozuch.

Here is the email in its entirety:

nraexposed <nraexposed@proton.me>Thu, May 2, 8:01 PM (15 hours ago)
to

I am a current staff member of NRA based in Fairfax. NRA President Charles Cotton frequently flies on Bill Brewer’s private jet (I don’t know if the jet is owned or chartered). Despite ILA Chief of Operations John Commerford testifying under oath that no one at ILA has flown private since Chris Cox left, this is not true, maybe he was covering for his boss Randy Kozuch, who has flown private dozens of times since Chris Cox left.

Now the question is why Jeff, I, and presumably others are getting such an email on the same day that the results of the 2024 NRA Board election are released and that reformers took three of the top five spots. Moreover, it is from a Proton Mail account in Switzerland which promises “end-to-end encryption and zero-access encryption.”

While the accusation could be true, so what? If the NRA is not charged for any of these flights do we really care if Charles Cotton flies on Brewer’s supposed jet? A check of the FAA records does not find any aircraft owned by William Brewer III. And what is the purpose of trying to implicate Randy Kozuch who seems a decent enough guy in improprieties?

What makes me really suspicious that this is some sort of false flag or disinformation campaign is what happened when I responded to the email suggesting if this really was the case then they ought to contact the NYAG’s Office.

I got this:

Address not found
Your message wasn’t delivered to nraexposed@proton.me because the address couldn’t be found, or is unable to receive mail.
The response from the remote server was:
550 5.1.1 : Recipient address rejected: Account recently deleted

The KGB was famous for running false flag operations in order to sow confusion.

What a better time to bait the reformers into making false claims than after they’ve just been elected. I don’t know who is behind this but that seems to be their aim in my opinion.

As I said earlier this week, if you are going to levy criticisms against the existing Board and its leaders, you better have documentation to back it up. An email coming in out of the blue like this making serious accusations is just the sort of thing that demands documentation and it is nowhere to be found.

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2024 NRA Board Election Results

May 2, 2024 by 6 Comments

Just hearing the Four for Reform got elected to three year terms was great. Now that I’ve seen the results – holy shit! They got three of top five plus Dennis Fusaro who was less known finished at 16th place. I wish Rick Ector had finished higher but I’ll be happy that he got a three year term.

There are some real surprises here. First, that two ex-Presidents, David Keene and John Sigler, did not get elected. Second, that Kim Rhode was not elected given her Olympic history and that she was a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the State of California. Third, that a sitting officer, David Coy, finished in 22nd place and “Friend of Susan” Janet Nyce in 24th place.

I am not sure why Carolyn Meadows who was too ill to testify in either person or by video in the New York trial finished in the Top 10. It could be name recognition or it could be a sympathy vote. It is my understanding that Wayne Anthony Ross of Alaska is also rather ill.

These results were all one could ask for and more. There were some who won that I’d rather not see on the Board but they are more than balanced out by Phil, Rocky, Buz, Jeff, Rick, and Dennis.

UPDATE: The vote for the bylaw amendment to add the new position of Chief Compliance Officer was “overwhelmingly” in favor of it. I think it is a good idea and I voted in favor of it. My only hesitation would be that the person selected should not have any connections to Bill Brewer.

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Four For Reform Elected!

May 1, 2024 by 3 Comments

The members of the NRA just sent a clear message to the Board of Directors. They want reform and they want it now. The old ways of doing business just won’t cut it anymore.

Jeff Knox posted this to Facebook approximately an hour ago.

The Four for Reform candidates – Jeff Knox, Dennis Fusaro, Phil Journey, and Rocky Marshall – got on the ballot thanks to the many members who signed their petition. Even with the shenanigans from the Nominations Committee of padding the ballot, all four were successfully elected to full 3-year terms.

Additionally, Rick Ector who bucked the Cabal by endorsing Wade Callender to be the next EVP was elected to a full 3-year term.

I have not seen who else was elected. I did see a comment from Gina Roberts on the Members Take Back Our NRA Facebook page that she did not win election. It will be interesting to see who will be running for the 76th Director.

As soon as I can obtain a complete list, I will post it.

Now for a word of caution. This was a great win for the members but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. Moreover, it must be borne in mind that the Board is just too damn large with 76 members and even five members committed to reform will have a hard time changing things. It will take time which, to be honest, the organization doesn’t have a lot of to spare.

One final note and this is not related to the Board election. Judge Phil Journey is the lead individual plaintiff in a Federal lawsuit along with the attorneys general of 21 states challenging the new ATF rule that redefines “engaged in the business” of firearm sales. I will have more on that suit in another post.