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NRA In Danger On Subtlety

September 18, 2024 by 1 Comment

NRA In Danger had a very interesting post this afternoon. It dealt with how the cabal has become subtle as they go about clinging to power.

From the post:

Has “leadership” turned over a new leaf? No, they just got subtle. Instead of using the big-name anti-reformers, they substituted ones not so well-known (they have a bench of 30+) and made sure the important committees (important from the standpoint of hiding corruption) had an anti-reformer chair and an anti-reformer majority.

Read the whole thing and read the stats presented. If anything it points to how important this next Board election will be if we are to reclaim the NRA for the members and not for the enrichment of the grifters.

Getting petition candidates on the ballot will be a necessary first step. Here again is the link to all the petition candidates on the reform platform. Remember, original signed petitions need to be to Rocky Marshall by September 30th. Time is of the essence!

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Remember In November

September 17, 2024 by 3 Comments

Grass Roots North Carolina has a biennial project whereby they evaluate candidates at the national and state levels on where they stand on gun rights. Candidates are rated from zero to four stars with four stars being the best. The evaluation process uses any votes the candidate may have taken plus their responses to a survey sent to every candidate at their registered office. It is called Remember in November.

This guide estimates where candidates stand on gun issues by comparing their views with those of a control group of gun owners. As noted below, a “4-STAR” candidate agrees with the control group on at least 90% of gun issues, a 3-STAR agrees on least 80%, a 2-STAR on at least 70%, a 1-STAR on at least 60%, and a 0-STAR candidate agrees on less than 60% of gun issues….

GRNC’s “Remember in November” project estimates candidates’ views on “assault weapons,” concealed handguns, gun storage laws, gun rationing, other gun control and the Second Amendment.  THE EVALUATIONS HEREIN ARE NOT ENDORSEMENTS.  We issued surveys first to a control group of gun owners and then to candidates. Next, we measured how closely each candidate’s views and voting record (if available) agree with the control group.  Pay more attention to voting records than survey results unless, of course, you believe politicians never lie.

The 2024 General Election candidate evaluations have been released. If you want to view by office and name, use this link. If you would prefer to have the higher ranked candidates for each office, use this link. I find the latter more useful myself.

It should be pointed out that if a candidate just blows off the survey, they will get a zero star rating as well they should. Most of the candidates blowing off the survey tend to be the Democrats. That said, you do get Republicans who should be pro-rights just ignoring it as well. See for example both Dave Boliek (R) for State Auditor and Mike Causey (R) for Insurance Commissioner. They are both zero stars as they didn’t return the survey. Likewise for Sherry Higgins who is running as the Republican in my state house district. In my opinion, this is foolish. In a close race every vote is needed and ignoring gun rights voters could be the difference between winning and losing. These are the type of Republicans that whoever coined the term for the GOP as the Stupid Party had in mind.

While the higher rated candidates tend to be either Republicans or Libertarians, I did find a race where both the Republican and Democrat were both 4-star rated. That was in State Senate District 9 located in southeastern North Carolina. Incumbent Republican Brent Jackson faces Democrat Jamie Campbell Bowles. Both are from Sampson County. I’m wondering if Ms. Bowles didn’t get the Democrat’s memo that guns are icky or just ignored it. I’m so old I remember when there was actually such a thing as a pro-gun Democrat.

One last thing. If you aren’t registered to vote, now is the time to do it! As someone who registered to vote on my 18th birthday, it always amazes me when I come across gun owners who are not registered to vote. I just can’t see leaving my rights at risk by not voting.

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NRA Petition Candidate – Willes Lee

September 15, 2024 by 1 Comment

Willes Lee got left out in the cold by the Nominating Committee. I don’t think that would be a surprise to anyone who has read my blog or seen his criticisms of the cabal on social media. If there is anything the cabal hates more than a reformer it is one of their own who awakened to the dangers they posed to the organization and thus to the Second Amendment. Willes became dead to them when he resigned from the Special Litigation Committee and they took their retribution.

I will admit that it still pisses me off that he called me a hater back in 2019 when I said there were problems within the NRA and it needed fixing. Being of Irish extraction, I can hold a grudge with the best of them. That said, I really do think Willes could bring something to the Board with his knowledge of how the cabal thinks and his knowledge of the inner workings of the NRA. He reached out to me with regard to the Special Litigation Committee to correct my erroneous belief (and that of others) that the members were chosen by position and not by name. He didn’t have to do it but he did it.

Given all of this, Willes has my support as a petition candidate for the Board. Both the Complementary Spouse and I have signed his petition and returned it. Besides, his cryptic needling of the cabal is quite entertaining!

Willes Lee Petition (1)Download

You can return Willes’ petition either to him directly at 5527 3rd Street South, Arlington VA 22204. Alternatively, you can return it along with other petitions to Rocky Marshall. That address is Frontier Truck Gear, Attn Rocky Marshall, PO Box 277, Center Point, TX 78010. Regardless of which address you send it, the petition should be sent so that it arrives by September 30th.

As with all of these petition candidates, if you can get more voting members to sign it, so much the better. A voting member is a) a Life Member of whatever level or b) an Annual Member with five years of continuous membership without a break.

Time is of the essence. We have about two weeks to go in which to secure the necessary signatures to get Willes and the others on the ballot. The goal is to have a reform candidate for every slot just like the cabal has loaded the ballot with those who support the status quo.

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NRA Petition Candidate – Scott Emslie

September 15, 2024 by

Scott Emslie is a retired New York State Bridge Authority administrator where he managed multiple-million dollar budgets. Now residing in Florida, he is a NRA Certified Rifle and Pistol instructor as well as treasurer of his local Friends of the NRA committee. His budget experience is what is needed by the NRA especially now given the financial straits it has been left in thanks to Brewer and company.

Scott’s bio is below:

Robert Scott Emslie BIODownload

You can return Scott’s petition either to him directly at 1061 Morgans Treasure Rd, St. Augustine, FL 32084. Alternatively, you can return it along with other petitions to Rocky Marshall. That address is Frontier Truck Gear, Attn Rocky Marshall, PO Box 277, Center Point, TX 78010. Regardless of which address you send it, the petition should be sent so that it arrives by September 30th. Both the Complementary Spouse and I have signed his petition.

Petition Robert _Scott_ EmslieDownload

As with all of these petition candidates, if you can get more voting members to sign it, so much the better. A voting member is a) a Life Member of whatever level or b) an Annual Member with five years of continuous membership without a break.

We have about two weeks to go in which to secure the necessary signatures to get Todd and the others on the ballot. The goal is to have a reform candidate for every slot just like the cabal has loaded the ballot with those who support the status quo. It was defending Wayne, the grifters, and the status quo that put the NRA on trial in New York!

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NRA Petition Candidate – Todd Figard

September 15, 2024 by

Todd Figard is a retired quality engineer whose career made him a believer in compliance and corrective action plans. That certainly sound like something the NRA could use! Moreover, he is a certified instructor across multiple firearms disciplines and has served as the Lead Safety Inspector for the past couple of years at the Great American Outdoor Show and the NRA Annual Meeting for displayed firearms.

His bio is below:

Richard Todd Figard BIODownload

You can return Todd’s petition either to him directly at 1640 Reimer Rd, Wadsworth, OH 44281. Alternatively, you can return it along with other petitions to Rocky Marshall. That address is Frontier Truck Gear, Attn Rocky Marshall, PO Box 277, Center Point, TX 78010. Regardless of which address you send it, the petition should be sent so that it arrives by September 30th. Both the Complementary Spouse and I have signed his petition.

Richard Todd Figard PetitionDownload

As with all of these petition candidates, if you can get more voting members to sign it, so much the better. A voting member is a) a Life Member of whatever level or b) an Annual Member with five years of continuous membership without a break.

We have about two weeks to go in which to secure the necessary signatures to get Todd and the others on the ballot. The goal is to have a reform candidate for every slot just like the cabal has loaded the ballot with those who support the status quo. It was defending Wayne, the grifters, and the status quo that put the NRA on trial in New York!

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NRA Petition Candidate – Jonathan Goldstein

September 14, 2024 by

Jonathan Goldstein is an attorney specializing in firearms law, a serial entrepreneur, and a private equity investor. He has served on the NRA’s Legal Affairs Committee and lectures on firearms law and safety across Pennsylvania. He is the founding partner of Goldstein Law Partners. He is seeking to be on the 2025 ballot by petition. The Board certainly could use more members with entrepreneurial experience as they tend to think outside the box.

Jonathan’s biography is below:

Jonathan Goldstein BIODownload

You can return Jonathan’s petition either to him directly at 824 Buck Lane, Haverford, PA 19041. Alternatively, you can return it along with other petitions to Rocky Marshall. That address is Frontier Truck Gear, Attn Rocky Marshall, PO Box 277, Center Point, TX 78010. Regardless of which address you send it, the petition should be sent so that it arrives by September 30th. Both the Complementary Spouse and I have signed his petition.

Jonathan Goldstein PetitionDownload

As with all of these petition candidates, if you can get more voting members to sign it, so much the better. A voting member is a) a Life Member of whatever level or b) an Annual Member with five years of continuous membership without a break.

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NRA Petition Candidate – Howard Massingill

September 14, 2024 by

Howard Massingill is many things: a retired Special Forces Sergeant Major, a combat veteran, a gunsmith, a gunsmithing instructor, and a gun store owner. He is the CEO of Massingill and Massingill Tactical Security Group (M2TSG) located in Pueblo, Colorado. He is seeking to be on the 2025 ballot for the NRA Board of Directors as a petition candidate for the reform slate.

Howard’s bio is below:

Howard Massingill BIODownload

You can return Howard’s petition either to him directly at 138 N. Merrill Dr., Pueblo West, CO 81007. Alternatively, you can return it along with other petitions to Rocky Marshall. That address is Frontier Truck Gear, Attn Rocky Marshall, PO Box 277, Center Point, TX 78010. Regardless of which address you send it, the petition should be sent so that it arrives by September 30th. Both the Complementary Spouse and I have signed his petition.

Howard Massingill PetitionDownload

As with all of these petition candidates, if you can get more voting members to sign it, so much the better. A voting member is a) a Life Member of whatever level or b) an Annual Member with five years of continuous membership without a break.

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NRA Petition Candidate – Jason Wilson

September 14, 2024 by

Jason Wilson is an entrepreneur and the CEO of Lucid Optics. I can’t swear that I’ve met him at the SHOT Show but I do know I’ve visited the Lucid Optics booth many a time. They make good stuff and I have one of their “blue dot” scopes. The Board and the NRA need entrepreneurs who will think outside the box like Jason has done with Lucid. In addition to being in the firearms business, Jason is a competitor or has been in everything from 3-gun to PRS.

Here is more about Jason from his bio:

Jason Wilson BIODownload

You can return Jason’s petition either to him directly at 1697 N. 8th St. West, Riverton, WY 82501 . Alternatively, you can return it along with other petitions to Rocky Marshall. That address is Frontier Truck Gear, Attn Rocky Marshall, PO Box 277, Center Point, TX 78010. Regardless of which address you send it, the petition should be sent so that it arrives by September 30th. Both the Complementary Spouse and I have signed his petition.

Jason Wilson PetitionDownload

As with all of these petition candidates, if you can get more voting members to sign it, so much the better. A voting member is a) a Life Member of whatever level or b) an Annual Member with five years of continuous membership without a break.

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NRA Petition Candidate – Todd Vandermyde

September 14, 2024 by 1 Comment

I remember Don Moran, then president of the Illinois State Rifle Association, telling me that no one knew the laws concerning firearms in Illinois better than Todd Vandermyde. Don said he could quote the laws to you. Todd used this to our advantage for years in Illinois when he served as the NRA’s contract lobbyist and put together coalitions to both stop bad bills and pass good bills in Springfield. If Todd makes the ballot as he should and gets elected to the Board of Directors, the impact he would make on the Legal Affairs and Legislative Affairs Committee would be tremendous.

Todd is a friend and we have discussed cases and legal strategies for years. Even though Todd is not a lawyer – he was an operating engineer – he sees paths to victory in the courts that many lawyers cannot see due to their rigid mindset. You can see this for yourself on Todd’s YouTube channel called Freedom’s Steel where he discusses the Rahimi case. As Todd has said many times, imagine what could have been done for the Second Amendment with just a fraction of the money wasted on Brewer.

I should note here that I submitted Todd’s name to the Nominating Committee for nomination while he submitted mine. I still think that even though they overlooked him that he was more qualified to sit on the Board than many whom they did put on the ballot. I have embedded his bio below.

Todd Vandermyde BIODownload

I would strongly urge you to sign Todd’s petition if you are a voting member and ask fellow voting members to do likewise. Both the Complementary Spouse and I have signed his petition. This is the second time I’ve posted his petition because I believe so strongly in his candidacy.

You can return Jim’s petition either to him directly at 2341 Iroquois Lane, Yorkville, IL 80560. Alternatively, you can return it along with other petitions to Rocky Marshall. That address is Frontier Truck Gear, Attn Rocky Marshall, PO Box 277, Center Point, TX 78010. Regardless of which address you send it, the petition should be sent so that it arrives by September 30th.

Todd Vandermyde PetitionDownload

As with all of these petition candidates, if you can get more voting members to sign it, so much the better. A voting member is a) a Life Member of whatever level or b) an Annual Member with five years of continuous membership without a break.

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Running As A Petition Candidate

September 14, 2024 by

First things first. I am on the ballot for the 2025 NRA Board of Directors election thanks to being nominated by the Nominating Committee. However, I am also seeking to be on the ballot by petition for two reasons. First, nomination by petition means I’m on the ballot thanks to the rank and file members. This is very important to me and, if elected, that is who I plan to represent. Second, being double nominated will give me an advantage in a very crowded field. You have 39 people on the ballot thanks to the Nominating Committee with potentially another 12-14 solely added by petition. If Judge Cohen so rules, it could be even more than this 51-53 candidates. I need to stick out as something different.

As anyone who has read this blog for any amount of time will realize, I have learned more than I ever wanted to know about the issues facing the NRA as well as too much of the “dirt” that has tainted an organization for which I once had great respect. I have a better feel for the issues facing the survival of the NRA than most and certainly more than those on the Board who have been consciously and blissfully ignorant.

Thus, I need your help to help me reach the 398 signatures of voting members goal. I stand at about 200 signatures plus or minus as of today. There may be more out there that I don’t know about but these are what I have on hand or will have on hand shortly. If you are attending a gun show in the next week or so, please bring my petition to gather a few signatures. If you have a gun club meeting, please bring a copy or two of the petition. If you have family members who are voting members, ask them to stop by and sign my petition.

My petition is below:

John Richardson NRA Petition Form Landscape 2024-2025Download

I am attaching a copy of my resume. I prepared it for the Nominating Committee to emphasize my business experience. I’ve done a lot of stuff in my 67 years in both business and academia which I think would be relevant to serving on the Board of Directors. My experience is somewhat different than many other candidates in that not a competitor but rather a collector of mostly milsurp curios and relics. Both are needed by the Board.

JPR ResumeDownload

I am also attaching a short bio that I put together for a gun club in Pennsylvania. I emphasized the hunting aspect in that along with using a crossbow to take my first deeer.

John Richardson.NRA BioDownload

I am taking a chance by posting my address here but it will make it easier for you to return the petition. Please send to me at 11 Sunview Circle, Arden, NC 28704.

I want to thank everyone who has previously sent me a signed petition. It is greatly appreciated! Now to finish strong down the home stretch..