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Monday’s NRA Voting Factoid

March 10, 2025

by John Richardson 3 Comments

In what should not surprise anyone, voting participation in the NRA Board of Directors election has dropped by almost half since 2019. That year the percentage of members voting was 5.95% which is not that great in and of itself. In 2024, it was 3.16%. Over that same time period membership in the NRA has dropped by almost two million members.

We have 27 days left in which to reverse this trend and to elect the NRA 2.0 slate of candidates. Ballots must be received by April 6th. Given that April 6th is a Sunday, I’m am thinking a day or so earlier is the absolute cut-off for your ballot to be received.

Given everything that has been revealed since the 2019 Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, it is no wonder that members have left and voting has dropped off. This year is our chance to reverse the voting trend, clean house, and give the NRA a chance to regain its strength. By cleaning house, I mean defeating those who stood by while Wayne and company were merrily grifting away. The old guard, the Friends of Wayne, the cabal, or whatever you want to call them have stood in the way of change and are trying to get elected on the basis of old, sometimes very old, accomplishments. Their time is past.

Now it is time to elect those who stand for accountability, integrity, and, most of all, transparency.

Thanks to the Falls Township Rifle and Pistol Association for creating the NRA Voting Facts series.

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Push For Permitless Concealed Carry In North Carolina (Updated)

March 10, 2025

by John Richardson 2 Comments

Do you want permitless carry in North Carolina? Do you live in the Piedmont or within an hour or two of Raleigh? Do you have some free time on Tuesday morning?

If you can answer yes to any of these questions then Grass Roots North Carolina needs your help. Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Beaufort, Dare, Hyde, Pamlico), primary sponsor of H5 – NC Constitutional Carry Act, is having a joint press conference with House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Caldwell & Watauga). GRNC will be there to deliver thousands of your petitions supporting permitless carry.

If the General Assembly passed H5/S50 – and overrides the anticipated veto by Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC) – North Carolina will become the 30th state with permitless concealed carry. It would mean another 11 million people would have Constitutional or permitless carry.

Here are the details from GRNC:

WE NEED YOU FOR
TUESDAY’S PRESS CONFERENCE

We need YOUR help, this Tuesday, to present the Constitutional Carry Petition …

Other than newborn babies, interesting and important things tend to lack a lot of prior notice, and it turns out this Tuesday’s (3/11) pivotal event in our state’s capital is no exception. NC Representative Keith Kidwell, sponsor of HB5 (“NC Constitutional Carry Act”), is getting together with NC’s House Speaker, Destin Hall, this Tuesday for a joint press conference. What exactly makes this presser so important? It turns out that GRNC leaders and supporters (like you) will also be there to present the thousands of ‘Constitutional Carry’ petitions that North Carolinians have signed.

We Need You There
We’re asking you to set aside some time and meet us in Raleigh this Tuesday morning. The “and supporters (like you)” part is only true, and only effective, if you’re actually there, and the more gun rights supporters the better to make the greatest possible impact, so please bring along everyone you can.

The precise time and precise room number is currently unknown, but it will almost surely be before lunch, and in the General Assembly Legislative Building. If there is any chance at all that you can meet us there, it would go a long way in finally bringing constitutional carry to our state. More details are below, with the understanding that updates with precise information will be passed along as soon as they are available. If you can set aside the time, and plan to be at the legislature on Tuesday morning, that’ll do the trick to get things going…

UPDATE: The exact time and place has been announced in a GRNC press release sent out at 2:30pm today. Moreover, Speaker Destin Hall will receive the petitions in person for which GRNC President offered his thanks.

On Tuesday, March 11, at 1:50 PM EDT at Speaker Destin Hall’s office, Legislative Building
Rm. 2304, 16 W. Jones St., Raleigh, NC. GRNC will present 5,000 petition signatures to NC House
Speaker Destin Hall, who has agreed to receive them in person in what we regard as significant
progress in moving the bill.

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Let’s Be Above Average

March 7, 2025

by John Richardson 2 Comments

In another voting facts factoid from the Falls Township Rifle and Pistol Association, we learn that in the last five NRA Board elections that it took an average of 51,774 votes to be elected.

If what I’m hearing on the ground is accurate, it should take more than that to be elected. The reason being is that I’m hearing from long time members that they plan to vote for the first time. Moreover, they plan to vote for NRA 2.0 and reform.

If you have friends who are NRA members, ask them if they are a voting member? Ask them if they have voted yet? If they answer no, tell them they need to vote and they need to vote for NRA 2.0. While it might be nice to see the NRA returned to its former prominence, I am more concerned about it being an effective advocate for the Second Amendment and not worrying about who gets the credit for the win.

Go to ElectANewNRA.com to see the whole slate.

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Brewer Withdraws From Dell’Aquila Case

March 5, 2025

by John Richardson

When the Brewer law firm said they were severing ties with the NRA, I wondered how long it would take them to withdraw as defense counsel in the case of Dell’Aquila et al v. NRA. Thanks to a Courtlistener alert I received today, we have an answer.

Today was the day William Brewer and the attorneys from Brewer, Attorneys and Counselors have officially withdrawn as defense counsel in the case. NRA General Counsel Michael Blaz approved the withdrawal on February 19th and the firm of Neal and Harwell PLC will now represent the NRA in this case. The new firm is out of Nashville, Tennessee which makes sense as the case is being heard in the US District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.

The case was originally brought by David Dell’Aquila against the NRA, the NRA Foundation, and Wayne LaPierre. The complaint said that they had fraudulently solicited memberships and donations saying the monies would be used to further the mission of the NRA. In 2020, Judge William Campbell dismissed the cases against the Foundation and Wayne LaPierre but allowed one charge against the NRA itself to proceed.

You can see the filings related to the withdrawal by Brewer, Attorneys and Counselors below:

Brewer withdraws from Dell’Aquila case Download

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This Is One Way To Increase Voter Turnout

March 4, 2025

by John Richardson 13 Comments

The factoids from Falls Township Rifle and Pistol Association illustrate that voter turnout in the NRA Board elections is terrible. Indeed, to put it bluntly, a fraction about 3 percent is an embarrassment.

I think the Dallas Safari Club might be on to something. Not only have they gone to online voting but they are offering an inducement to increase voter participation.

If the chance to win a $4,000 +/- rifle doesn’t induce you to vote, then nothing will.

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NRA Voting Facts Revisited

March 3, 2025

by John Richardson

In another illustration of how so few eligible NRA voting members actually vote is this factoid from the Falls Township Rifle and Pistol Association.

Thanks to Bitter and the Falls Township Rifle and Pistol Association for compiling these numbers. Imagine a NRA if a million members voted for change, reform, and NRA 2.0. Nothing could stop us!

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March 7th Is Deadline To Become A Voting Member

February 28, 2025

by John Richardson

I received an email this morning from NRA Secretary John Frazer which clarifies the deadline to become a voting member eligible to vote in the 2025 NRA Board of Directors election. The deadline is March 7th.

Here is the email from Frazer:

To: Board and Executive Council members

2025 Board of Directors candidates

We’ve received a couple of questions about the voting eligibility of members who paid their Life membership dues in January or February.

Under the Bylaws, anyone who is a fully paid Life member (or reaches the five-year mark of annual membership) at least 50 days before the Annual Meeting of Members is eligible to vote. This year, that date is March 7.

However, anyone who becomes eligible after late December wouldn’t get a ballot in the February magazines (or the initial first-class mailing for overseas ballots). Members who qualify to vote between that initial data pull and March 7 will receive a ballot by first-class mail around March 11.

Based on the questions we’ve received and some social media posts, it appears that our Membership call center may not have communicated that clearly. We’ve reminded the call center about this timeline.

Anyone who joined early enough to get a ballot in the initial mailing, but still hasn’t received one, can contact Membership to verify their ballot status, and request a replacement if appropriate.

Many thanks to those who called this to our attention, and please let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

John Frazer

Secretary

National Rifle Association of America

11250 Waples Mill Rd.

Fairfax, VA 22030

So if you are planning on buying or upgrading to a Life Membership so that you can vote in this election, your deadline to do so is March 7th.

The half price Life Membership offer at $750 has reportedly expired. However, it is still listed online here. If you are considering becoming a Life Member, do it now and take advantage of that discount. I sincerely doubt that the days of the $300 “friends and family” Life Memberships will ever return.

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Picture Of The Day

February 27, 2025

by John Richardson 6 Comments

The picture of the day is one that gun rights activists will love and that the gun control industry hates.

It is a screen capture of the BATFE’s Leadership page. I am happy to see that they didn’t waste any time in updating it. Gee, it is almost like the BATFE is trying to suck up to the White House.

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Proof Online Voting Is Viable

February 27, 2025

by John Richardson 1 Comment

One of the questions I have been getting with some frequency as a candidate for the NRA Board of Directors is, “Can I vote online?” I have to answer that they cannot and they must use the paper ballot that was mailed to them in the February issue of the various NRA magazines.

It is a reasonable question and with today’s technology the question really should be “Why can’t I?” We vote proxies for multi-billion dollar public companies online all the time with the option to use a paper ballot. We use DocuSign to sign off securely on mortgages and financial transactions. Judge Cohen called the paper and ink petition signature gathering process as very “20th Century” and “antiquated”. In his Final Order, while permitting the paper petitions to remain, he said the NRA must provide an online alternative.

It is doable and I know it is doable because I just voted that way this evening for the Dallas Safari Club Board of Directors. I realize that DSC is a much smaller organization but I can’t see why it could not work for a larger organization like the NRA.

I was given an Election Code and Voting PIN. The ballot had the names of five candidates plus spaces for three write-in candidates. I could vote for up to three candidates. I ended up voting for only two and the system questioned whether I wanted to vote for a third candidate before submitting my vote. I didn’t and it went through with no troubles. As you can see above, I even got a confirm that it was a success.

This system was run by a company called YesElections which was formerly known as Election-America, Inc. According to a PDF e-book that I downloaded, they are able to handle hybrid elections where members are sent a paper ballot with the option to vote it online.

I plan to follow up with them this week and ask is there a maximum limit on the number of voters that they can handle. I know there are other companies like ProxyVote that handle millions of proxy votes during Annual Meeting season. While the latter is exclusively for the financial world, YesElections seems to work with a wider range of clients ranging from associations to unions to educational institutions.

Read their e-book yourself. Can you think of any reason something like this could not be implemented for the 2026 NRA Board of Directors’ election?

I can’t.

Ebook _ The Ultimate Guide To Planning & Organizing Elections Download

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NC Legislators: Advance SB50 and HB5 Now!

February 24, 2025

by John Richardson 2 Comments

With Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Guilford, Rockingham) as a co-sponsor of SB50, permitless concealed carry is on the move in North Carolina. This is a big switch from 2023 when Berger said enough pro-gun bills had been passed.

As the Grass Roots North Carolina alert below makes clear, you can help move these bills along. You may need to change the delimiter between email addresses to fit your own email program’s preferences. This is easy to do in MS Word using find and replace. Additionally, I’d suggest using BCC when mailing to the legislators urging the two bills passage in each chamber’s Rules Committee.

From GRNC:

MAKE CONSTITUTIONAL
CARRY NC LAW

Senate Bill 50 (“Freedom to Carry NC”) and House Bill 5 (“NC Constitutional Carry”) are in the process of becoming NC law. We are so thankful to Sen.Berger and Rep Kidwell for their sponsorship and support in this pursuit.

GRNC has been pivotal in this endeavour as we presented a 7,000-signature petition to Berger in a press conference at his office, and thousands of emails were sent to legislators by GRNC supporters.

Additional sponsors for HB 5 are Reps. Jay Adams (R-Catawba, ****), Ben Moss (R-Moore, Richmond, ****) and freshman Brian Echevarria (R-Cabarrus, ****). Additional sponsors for SB 50 are Sens. Danny Britt (R-Hoke, Robeson, Scotland, GRNC ****), Warren Daniel (R-Buncombe, Burke, McDowell ****), and Eddie Settle (R-Alexander, Surry, Wilkes, Yadkin, ****). Both bills are currently in their respective Rules, Calendar and Operations committees.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

IMMEDIATELY CONTACT REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP: Contact both Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger and Speaker Destin Hall to thank them for their support and urge them to give prompt committee hearings to HB 5 and SB 50. Use the links provided in the previous sentence for their contact information. Call and/or email the two leaders to thank them and to encourage them to advance these bills.

IMMEDIATELY CONTACT ALL RULES COMMITTEE REPUBLICANS: Both Rules Committees (for House and Senate) need to hear loud and clear that you want a prompt committee hearing for HB 5 and SB 50. See contact information below.

Please send two messages. Below, find two copy-paste email lists, one for the House and one for the Senate. Below that, find the copy-paste email message.

DONATE TO GRNC: We are still low on funds after our highly successful election effort. Please donate by going to: grnc.org/wp/2012/06/donate-to-or-join-grnc/ NC HOUSE Rules Committee (copy-paste email list):

Reece.Pyrtle@ncleg.gov; Blair.Eddins@ncleg.gov; Brenden.Jones@ncleg.gov; Charles.Miller@ncleg.gov; Donna.White@ncleg.gov; Erin.Pare@ncleg.gov; Jimmy.Dixon@ncleg.gov; John.Torbett@ncleg.gov; John.Bell@ncleg.gov; Karl.Gillespie@ncleg.gov; Kelly.Hastings@ncleg.gov; Kyle.Hall@ncleg.gov; Neal.Jackson@ncleg.gov; Sarah.Stevens@ncleg.gov; Steve.Tyson@ncleg.gov; Ted.Davis@ncleg.gov; Tricia.Cotham@ncleg.gov; William.Brisson@ncleg.gov

NC SENATE Rules Committee (copy-paste email list):

Amy.Galey@ncleg.gov; Benton.Sawrey@ncleg.gov; Bill.Rabon@ncleg.gov; Brent.Jackson@ncleg.gov; Danny.Britt@ncleg.gov; Lisa.Barnes@ncleg.gov; Michael.Lazzara@ncleg.gov; Michael.Lee@ncleg.gov; Norman.Sanderson@ncleg.gov; Paul.Newton@ncleg.gov; Ralph.Hise@ncleg.gov; Todd.Johnson@ncleg.gov; Tom.McInnis@ncleg.gov; Vickie.Sawyer@ncleg.gov; Warren.Daniel@ncleg.gov

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “Advance Constitutional Carry Bills HB 5 & SB 50” Dear Rules Committee Members:

As a Grass Roots North Carolina member, I thank you for your support and strongly urge you to give a prompt committee hearing to permitless or “constitutional” carry bills HB 5 and SB 50.

Fully 29 states have already adopted constitutional carry, with none of its naysayers’ dire predictions coming true. In fact, the Crime Prevention Research Center finds a small but significant reduction in violent crime among states which adopt permitless carry.

North Carolina Republicans are now lagging their counterparts in other states. Accordingly, I strongly urge you to bring constitutional carry to a prompt committee hearing and floor vote.

I will be monitoring your actions through Grass Roots North Carolina legislative alerts.

Respectfully,