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2025 NRA Committee Assignments

June 11, 2025

by John Richardson 5 Comments

The list of NRA committee assignments has been released for 2025. It is preliminary as committee members must still accept their assignment to the various committees. This goes for both Board members and non-Board members.

I also want to note this list is not confidential. I specifically asked the Office of the Secretary about that in an email.

From what I understand, the officers put a lot of time and effort into filling the committee positions. I can believe it as finding the right people for the right committees while taking into account the person’s preferences is not a small task. Additionally, consolidation of committees is under discussion. I am sure it will be on the agenda of our September board meeting. You can see from the listing below how there will be an effort to consolidate competition shooting committees along with “fun” shooting committees.

As for me, I got everything I sought. I wanted to be on the Membership Committee to look for ways to reach out to younger potential members as our membership base is aging. I wanted Legislative Policy and the State & Local Subcommittee for obvious reasons. Likewise, my interest in hunting has grown in recent years so I was happy to be assigned to Hunting and Wildlife Conservation. I think bringing hunters back into the fold is a key component of rebuilding NRA membership. Finally, the Audit Committee is a committee of the Board and I was elected to it.

Below is the list. Again, as a reminder, it is preliminary but I don’t expect many changes. I will post the final list down the road. If you would like to compare 2025 with 2024, go this page.

2025 Committee Assignments Download

UPDATE: I was asked why Maria Heil’s name appears in red on the Nominating Committee list. That is because she has resigned from that committee and it is an indication of an open seat. As a reminder, the Nominating Committee is elected by the whole board and is not an appointed seat.

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Frederick Forsyth RIP

June 10, 2025

by John Richardson 1 Comment

One of the greatest thriller authors of all time has died. Frederick Forsyth was 86.

Among his many novels were The Odessa File, The Dogs of War, The Afghan, The Fist of God, and, most famous of all, The Day of the Jackal. (#commission earned) Whether he was writing about ex-Nazis, mercenaries, jihadis, or an assassin hired by the Organisation armée secrète (OAS), he always made it believable.

The Day of the Jackal was made into a movie starring Edward Fox as the Jackal. It is one of the rare movies where it was as good as the book.

According to The Telegraph, prior to becoming a best-selling author, Forsyth was a pilot in the RAF and a journalist. He also was a secret agent for MI-6. As a foreign correspondent Forsyth worked in places like Paris and East Berlin during the Cold War as well as Biafra in Africa. I assume his time in Biafra provided him the background for his novel on mercenaries in Africa – The Dogs of War. His books have sold 75 million copies. I know I have bought and read many of them over the years with some read multiple times. For his contributions to literature, Queen Elizabeth II made him a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

For two decades, until his 85th birthday, Forsyth shared his views through a weekly column in the Daily Express. He retired from writing thrillers in 2018.

His wife of 30 years, Sandy, died last year after a four-year decline in her health. She was his second wife after Carrie, the mother of his two sons, Stuart and Shane, who are both now in their 40s.

In 2023, he said: “Among the sadnesses in my life is that my two sons emigrated. One lives in Sweden with his wife and three children, and the other in Ibiza with his wife and my fourth grandchild.”

The Independent writes of Forsyth and his early career:

Born August 25, 1938, in Ashford, Kent, Forsyth served as a pilot in the Royal Air Force before becoming a journalist. He was hired by Reuters in 1961 before moving over to the BBC in 1965, where he worked as an assistant diplomatic correspondent.

During much of his early career with Reuters, he reported on French affairs and the attempted assassination of President Charles de Gaulle. After transitioning to BBC, however, he was sent to Nigeria to report on the Biafran war.

With a background like that it was no wonder he could write such detailed thrillers. While Forsyth stopped writing novels around 2018, they are still worth going back to read again and again.

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Permitless Carry In NC Needs Your Help

June 9, 2025

by John Richardson

SB 50 – Freedom to Carry NC – has passed the NC Senate and has now passed out of the NC House Judiciary 2 Committee. It is now in the House Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Committee which is the last step before coming to the floor of North Carolina House. It is thought it could be voted on in committee ~~either~~ Tuesday, June 10th~~, or Wednesday, June 11th~~.

Update: The bill is on the Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Committee schedule for tomorrow, June 10th.

Grass Roots North Carolina released the following alert asking for people to contact the Rules Committee to urge its passage.

TELL HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE
REPUBLICANS TO PASS SB50

Senate Bill 50 (“Freedom to Carry NC”) is likely on to get a hearing in the Rules Committee on Tuesday June 10, 2025.

That’s the good news. We know that the Dems are planning stiff opposition to this bill and will likely throw all their underhanded tactics to slow it down and defeat it. You can be sure the anti-gun lobby will be present in numbers to try and defeat liberty.

We need you to remind the Rules Committee Republicans who “brung ’em to the dance,” and tell them what you expect them to do.

We also need you to show up and let them know we’re serious about getting this passed. Location and directions below.

Remind them that we were denied permitless carry in 2023… We expect it in 2025.

This is just one more necessary step to make North Carolina the 30th state to adopt permitless carry. Given that one of the license plate slogans in North Carolina is “First in Freedom”, it is time to pass this bill.

Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC) has signaled that he intends to veto the bill if passed.

However, the bill’s path to law faces a major roadblock if it successfully passes through the House: Democratic Gov. Josh Stein. On Tuesday, Stein suggested to reporters that he would veto it if it passes the House, which could be his first veto since taking office in January.

“My standard reviewing any piece of legislation is, will this make us safer?” Stein said when asked about Senate Bill 50. “I don’t know what the version of the bill is today. I was going to see what they ultimately do with this bill. If it doesn’t make us safer – and the previous version certainly did not – I cannot support it.”

I don’t think this is a surprise to anyone who has followed firearms politics in North Carolina in recent years. Democrats have been fairly united in opposing any measure aimed at removing any of the restrictions on firearm rights. Whether it was allowing churches with attached private schools to protect their congregations or removing the Jim Crow-era pistol purchase permits, they have voted as a bloc. Indeed, their treatment of any legislator such as Rep. Tricia Cotham who was absent for the vote on these bills was so vindictive that it proved to be counter-productive.

With the Republicans only one vote short of a super-majority in the House and holding a super-majority in the Senate, timing is going to be the key to overriding the veto. All it will take is 2-3 Democrats being absent on the day the override is brought forward for it be successful.

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D-Day Plus 81 Years

June 6, 2025

by John Richardson 1 Comment

Today marks the 81st anniversary of the Normandy invasion aimed at ending the war in Europe. By the time of this post American soldiers had finally advanced beyond the beach defenses at Omaha Beach and a beachhead had been established on all invasion beaches.

Searching for new materials to post about D-Day I came across some things from the Library of Congress. First was a map of the positions of all units, Allied and German, on June 6th at 2400 hours.

The second thing I found at the Library of Congress was Gen. George S. Patton’s diaries from World War II. While Patton did not participate directly in the Normandy invasion, he played an important role in keeping the Wehrmacht and German leaders incorrectly focused on the Pas-de-Calais as the actual invasion site. This was called Operation Fortitude and involved deceptive radio transmissions along with a fictional 1st US Army Group.

Here are Patton’s entries for June 6th. I have a translation added afterwards as many would have a hard time reading his cursive handwriting.

6-5-44
(I listened to the radio at 0600 but no news in fact none by radio all day. 
Called Hughes and asked him to get off radio of congrats. to Alex, Keyes and Clark.
About 0900 we got a COSITINTREP #4 
A. Enemy intelligence. No change.  
B. Bombarding forces still at sea.  Ships and craft assault force at anchor waiting.  Convoys proceeding according to plan.  U. S. LCT 2498 sunk off Portland Bill 01600
4 June no casualties.
D.D.E.
I think this means that the attack has not started. Brad did not want to attack until the 6th as the tide was good later 0645 and gave more time for
Navy Bombardment.)  I still believe in night
attacks. 

6-6-44
[*Type*]
(The war is on.  At 0700 BBC announced that the

the German radio reported allied landing boats w of Le Havre to the Cherbourg 
Peninsular.  It is a nice bright day for a battle.  I hope I get in before it
is all won.  I need some glory.

According to all reports we have things are going very well our troops (British Para) are in CAEN and tanks (Br) are reported nearing that town. 
 
Fighting reported Cherbourg-St. LO road (103 & 82 US Air B)
I have horrible feelings that fighting will be over before I get in but I know 
this is not so as destiny means me to be in. 

[*Type*]
(There is a report that all bridges (23) over SEINEWest of Paris are out by
our air. Of course these can be replaced rapidly with posters if the 
Germans want to. I feel sure that all the so called information we
hear on the radio is

imaginary as if I were present at the landing I would not realy know a damned
thing - how can the commentators. The PM and the King both made fine speeches.  We did not get in on FDR's. Started to pack a little.

6-7-44
Gen Hinds spent the night he is chief of Art 3rd Army Grp AA Radio still full of platitudes.  We hear that OMAHA Beach in front of VII Corps is giving trouble it is a sad branch until it is taken Cherbourg can't be attacked.  That will delay
the whole operation.

We will not get a good picture till tomorrow. I have just found out that 
the trouble is at UTAH Beach and not Omaha if they stick there it will 
leave a gap between us and the British. Went for a drive in 
a M-29 snow buggy

Reading Patton’s thoughts is interesting. You can see how desperately he wanted to be involved even it was to seek “glory”. I did appreciate his comment that if he were present he would “not realy (sic) know a damned thing”. He understood the concept of the fog of war probably better than most.

It is somewhat remarkable that even 81 years later we are learning more about the invasion and the participants. It just takes a little bit of digging.

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On To The Senate

May 29, 2025

by John Richardson 6 Comments

Now that the House of Representatives has approved the One Big Beautiful Act aka the budget reconciliation bill with the removal of suppressors from the National Firearms Act, it is time to move on to the Senate. As someone noted elsewhere, closed mouths never get fed.

Some will argue that we should not request the inclusion of the SHORT Act as well as other parts of the Hearing Protection Act. That is, we should take removal of suppressors from the National Firearms Act and leave it at that. I disagree. In any sort of bargaining – political or economic – it is customary to start from a position asking for everything you want and then some. If you end up getting more than you hoped for, that is a plus. If you end up getting what would satisfy you, then you’ve won. In this case, that would mean suppressors out of the National Firearms Act. Having SBRs and SBSs removed would be a plus.

I had a long conversation with Knox Williams who is the Executive Director of the American Suppressor Association. We discussed the issue raised by how laws are written in many states regarding suppressors and other NFA arms. For example, North Carolina classifies suppressors as “weapons of mass destruction.” If that is not a case of hyperbole I don’t know what is! However, we are allowed to have them if they are held in compliance with 26 U.S.C. Chapter 53, §§ 5801-5871. Section 3 of the Hearing Protection Act would provide that compliance. Knox said that given this section of the bill deals with the Internal Revenue Code that it should pass muster under the Byrd Rule. If the Senate Parliamentarian disagrees, then VP J.D. Vance as President of the Senate can overrule her. Knox also noted that the sponsor of the Hearing Protection Act in the Senate was Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) who chairs the Senate Finance Committee. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) who chairs the Senate Budget Committee has signed on to the bill as a co-sponsor.

The National Coalition of Gun Rights Groups has created both an open letter to Senators and a petition urging inclusion of the HPA and the SHORT Act in the final version of the budget reconciliation bill. We are asking that state level gun rights groups, gun clubs, hunting groups, and legislators sign on to the open letter. For groups signing on to the letter, we have automated the process unlike the House version where you had to email J. R. Hoell of the New Hampshire Firearms Coalition. We had over 100 groups and representatives sign on the House letter and we really should surpass that number.

In addition, individuals can sign on to the petition using the same link.

Use the link below to sign:

—-> Reform NFA Now! <——

HPA-Short Act letter 20250524 Senate version 20250528 10pm Download

I would like to note two things before concluding. First, the anti-rights gun control industry and their minions in Congress are against this proposal. As I pointed out in their responses, they have resorted to lies, hyperbole, and fabrications. Second, this is an independent and organic effort that has arisen from the grass roots. It was neither conceived nor organized by any of the major gun rights groups. This is not meant as a criticism of those groups who, like us, have been in the fight to remove suppressors from the NFA. Instead, it is an affirmation that the pro-rights grass roots can come together as “We, the People” and demand change without being led from above unlike the other side.

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The Difference Between Us And Them

May 27, 2025

by John Richardson 3 Comments

I had an email the other day from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Gun Violence Solutions. They were offering a “toolkit” on advocating for so-called “safe storage.” There were some things that just jumped out at me in their email.

While I am sure it was unintentional on their part, this email illustrated the stark differences between the Astroturf of the gun control industry and the actual grass roots of the pro-rights movement.

They have shareable social media graphics. We develop our own memes and graphics.

They have “pre-written social media posts” which I am sure they have run by focus groups. We, by contrast, write our own social media posts including tweets, blogs, and Instagram posts.

They have “talking points”. We speak our minds.

In terms of real-world solutions to protect kids, it is the gun rights movement that does the heavy lifting. Whether it is the NRA’s Eddie Eagle program for children, the NSSF’s Project Childsafe locks, or an independent group like Kids S.A.F.E. Foundation, it is us doing the training and providing the tools. We don’t have to rebadge Project Childsafe gun locks like gun control front groups.

If the gun control industry were actually serious about providing safe storage they would be pushing for tax credits for safes and lockboxes. Moreover, these tax credits for safes and lockboxes would have a fairly high annual cap of say $5,000 with the ability to rollover expenses from one year to the next. In other words, if you spent $6,000 on a safe and/or lockboxes this year, you would get a $5,000 credit this tax year and could rollover the extra $1,000 to the next tax year.

Frankly, economic solutions usually have a better outcome than the nagging one gets from the gun control industry.

You can see their whole “toolkit” below.

safe-storage-saves-lives-public-toolkit Download

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The First Fallen

May 26, 2025

by John Richardson 2 Comments

While Memorial Day was not officially observed until 1868 and was designed to honor the Union soldiers who died in the War Between the States, it has now evolved to honor all those who have died while fighting for our country.

In that spirit, let us honor the first eight who fell in battle. They were all killed by British regulars on April 19, 1775 on Lexington Green or nearby. Seven of the eight were members of Capt. John Parker’s company of militia while Asahel Porter had been captured earlier and was killed as he tried to escape.

Ensign Robert Munroe, Age 63
Jonathan Harrington, Jr., Age 31
Samuel Hadley, Age 28
Jonas Parker, Age 53
Caleb Harrington, Age 23
Isaac Muzzy, Age 31
John Brown, Age 24
Asahel Porter, Age 23

These farmers, tradesmen, and inn keepers faced what at the time was the strongest professional army in the world and did not flinch when it came time to take a stand.

So it is, 250 years later, on Memorial Day 2025 that we honor their sacrifice. For without their sacrifice on that April day we would have never become the United States of America.

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NRA Statement On One Big Beautiful Bill

May 22, 2025

by John Richardson 3 Comments

This statement was released by the NRA on the passage of HR 1, “One, Big Beautiful Bill”, which included the removal of suppressors from the National Firearms Act.

This morning, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, the budget reconciliation bill known as the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act, on a 215-214 vote. Included in the House’s reconciliation package was NRA-ILA’s number one legislative priority for the reconciliation fight – the full removal of suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA). This is a massive win for NRA members, law-abiding gun owners, and Second Amendment supporters in this country. The work continues, though, as the bill now heads over to the Senate for their consideration. Following the passage of H.R. 1 this morning, the NRA released the following statements from Doug and John:

“On behalf of the millions of NRA members, I thank Speaker Johnson and Republican House leadership for including a pro-gun victory in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill. Eliminating the onerous tax and regulations surrounding suppressor purchases would mark a significant and long-overdue reform. Despite the fearmongering from anti-gun activists, suppressors are important safety devices that protect the hearing health of gun owners and hunters. The NRA looks forward to working with the pro-gun majority in the U.S. Senate to see that this bill becomes law.” – Doug Hamlin, NRA EVP & CEO

“This morning, the U.S. House of Representatives passed President Trump’s One, Big, Beautiful Bill, which includes the complete removal of suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA). This represents a monumental victory for Second Amendment rights, eliminating burdensome regulations on the purchase of critical hearing protection devices. The NRA thanks the House members who supported this bill and urges its swift passage in the U.S. Senate.” – John Commerford, NRA-ILA Executive Director

We are grateful for all the NRA members who have been calling their members of Congress advocating for this change. NRA-ILA will keep you updated as the One, Big, Beautiful Bill continues through the legislative process.

One gentle reminder – it is not time to stop calling Congress and in particular your two US Senators. Tell them you want to have suppressors removed from the NFA. You might also say that it would be even better if they included the SHORT Act in the bill. You don’t get what you don’t ask for. The US Capitol switchboard number is (202) 224-3121. Ask to be connected to your Senator’s office.

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Prohibitionists Gotta Lie, Example 3

May 22, 2025

by John Richardson

Brady United considers suppressors to be dangerous accessories. The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery disagrees and has endorsed their use as an effective means of reducing hearing loss.

From Kris Brown, President of Brady United:

“It is outrageous that the Trump administration and its allies in the House have advanced a bill that simultaneously puts countless lives at risk and gives a ‘big, beautiful’ gift to gun industry executives and any mass shooter or assassin who intends to take lives. We do not need to speculate about how dangerous this will be: In 2019, a shooter armed with a silencer killed 12 people in Virginia Beach, and most of the victims were unaware that a mass shooting was even taking place. Americans will die if this becomes law, hard stop.

This provision would allow anyone to buy or even 3D print a silencer without registration or even a simple background check. This flies in the face of almost 100 years of sensible regulation of silencers that has saved lives. If House leaders want to legislate actual changes to gun policies, they should hold public hearings on bills and not sneak devious provisions into a massive tax giveaway in the dark of night. Brady fiercely condemns the House bill and urges the Senate to reject any effort to put gun industry profits above American lives.”

Americans will die if this becomes law? What would the gun control industry do without hyperbole?

Hold public hearings on bills? What do you call the marathon sessions of the House Ways and Means, House Budget, and House Rules Committees? I guess they weren’t awake when their pet legislator Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) railed on about silencers (starts at about 9:00 mark) and her desire to raise the tax exponentially. I consider that a public hearing even if you don’t.

Devious provisions? Given how public we on the pro-rights side have been about our advocacy for both the Hearing Protection Act and the SHORT Act, I hardly would call it devious. Devious implies that we went about this sneakily and that certainly is not the truth.

3D print a silencer? OMG! Why go to all that trouble when all you need to do is screw on the right sized oil filter.

The funny thing is that in countries that have the level of gun control that they desire for in the USA, you can pick up a silencer readily, cheaply, and without any government interference. Here is an example from the gun control paradise formerly known as Great Britain. Or in South Africa given how their president is making news by visiting the White House. I can assure you that transporting a firearm from one airport to another in South Africa is strictly controlled.

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Prohibitionists Gotta Lie, Example 2

May 22, 2025

by John Richardson

Our next example of prohibitionists lying about suppressors comes from the Cult of Personality known as Giffords.

Silencers, also known as “suppressors,” obstruct law enforcement efforts to quickly and effectively respond to active shooters since they make it more difficult to recognize the sound of gunfire and locate the source of gunshots. They also mask muzzle flash and reduce recoil, increasing the risk of multiple-casualty shootings. A silencer was used in the 2019 Virginia Beach shooting that killed 12 people. It has also been reported that the shooters in the 2022 Tops Friendly Market massacre in Buffalo, New York, and the 2023 Lewiston, Maine, shooting that murdered 18 people, had tried to purchase silencers, but were denied.

“Instead of focusing on the safety of American families, House Republicans just gave gun industry CEOs a $1.5 billion tax break to help boost their bottom line. Silencers will only enable shooters to cause more violence and damage without being detected. Law enforcement has opposed efforts to make silencers more accessible for a reason—they’re dangerous and make their jobs harder. For a party that claims to ‘back the blue,’ House Republicans just gave dangerous people a big win and ignored the impact to public safety,” said GIFFORDS Executive Director Emma Brown.

As I noted in my previous post, 130 decibels is the average of a suppressed gun shot from a 9mm Glock. That is the same amount of sound of a F-18 taking off from a carrier deck. More difficult to recognize the sound of gunfire? I don’t think so.

Reducing recoil and muzzle flash increase the risk of mass-casualty events? Are you kidding me? That has to be one of the more ludicrous arguments made by the prohibitionists.

Insofar as law enforcement opposing efforts to deregulate suppressors, the very article used by Giffords says just the opposite. It points out that the then head of the Fraternal Order of Police didn’t consider it a law enforcement problem. Using 7-8 year old articles regarding LEOs and suppressors to try and make your point just fails.