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Thanks For The PR, Marion!

September 11, 2019 by 1 Comment

There is a concept in public relations called strategic silence. While normally you want to respond to critics, sometimes it is advisable to do nothing. This is especially true when you are a large organization and the critic is small and not well-known. It is counterproductive.

Marion Hammer obviously never learned this.

Yesterday, the Washington Times ran a commentary by Ms. Hammer attacking Save the Second. It also had a condescending attack by her on Alan Gottlieb of SAF and CCRKBA as well as on the late Neal Knox. Her purpose in this op-ed seems to have been to defend Wayne LaPierre as well as position the NRA as the be all and end all of the Second Amendment.

Some attackers, including some of the NRA’s own members, have created an outfit that calls itself “Save the Second.” 


The organization is most definitely not about saving the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. 


It is about destroying the National Rifle Association. Save the Second has never done anything to save the Second Amendment. It was created to oust NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and take control of NRA. 


Save the Second maliciously encourages the harassment of NRA board members who oppose attempts to oust NRA leadership.

There are many in the Second Amendment community who have not heard of Save the Second. They have now.

Save the Second is a 501(c)(3) non-profit established for the sole purpose of reforming the NRA so that it can be a more effective advocate for the Second Amendment and gun rights.

One of the original founders – Anthony Garcia – was one of the organizers of the successful recall effort in Colorado. (Corrected – I had both Ron Carter and Anthony as organizers while it was only Anthony.) The recall was to replace prominent Democrats who passed universal background checks and a magazine ban. Those Democrats had been funded by Michael Bloomberg and the opposition to their recall was funded by his millions as well. Both Senate President John Morse and Sen. Angela Giron were recalled and a third Democrat resigned before she could be recalled.

Ms. Hammer continues:

Leaving the NRA in the hands of a bunch of novices who haven’t done 1 percent of what Wayne has helped the NRA accomplish is a pure recipe for disaster.


You may think they’re well-meaning but they likely couldn’t figure out how to run the NRA or a 50-state legislative operation, period.


From all appearances, Save the Second is just an extension of the 22-year-old failed coup attempt against Wayne by led by the late NRA board member Neal Knox, whose son is gun-rights supporter Jeff Knox of the Firearms Coalition.

Oh, I think they could figure out how to run a 50-state legislative operation. After all, the blueprint for the NRA’s grassroots efforts did come from former BOD members Tim Knight and Sean Maloney who just happened to work with Ron and Anthony in the Colorado recall effort.

As to the “failed coup attempt” of 1997, this is actually a rewriting of history. I have been going back and re-reading Neal Knox – The Gun Rights War. Just as now, there was a call for financial audits as well as a “management audit” ordered by the NRA Board of Directors in 1996. There were serious concerns about a decline in assets and a “failure to manage, poor internal controls, too much reliance on outside vendors, and too many multi-million dollar agreements without written contracts.” (As an aside, I really suggest buying the Kindle version of this book to learn more.)

Then, as now, the chief resistance to financial openness was Wayne LaPierre. Then, as now, his chief backer was Marion Hammer. The two have a long-term symbiotic relationship which seems to have little to do with protecting the Second Amendment and all about protecting their perks.

Ms. Hammer concludes by saying, ” Our country needs the NRA. And Wayne LaPierre is the only person who can lead us through this hate-storm. ”

She is half right. We do need the NRA. However, we need an effective NRA with an effective Board focused on the Second Amendment. Unfortunately, it seems that the most effective people such as Chris Cox, Jennifer Baker, Emily Cummins, and David Lehman are all gone having been forced out due to Wayne’s paranoia fed by William Brewer III and Josh Powell.

Now that you know about Save the Second thanks to Ms. Hammer, they plan to be at the NRA Board of Director’s meeting this Saturday morning. It is being held at the Hilton Washington Dulles. Save the Second will be presenting the member’s petition calling for a vote on mandatory attendance at NRA Board meetings. If you are in the area, I hope you will attend.

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9-11 Plus 18

September 11, 2019 by 1 Comment

It has been 18 years since a group of Islamofascists hijacked four planes bound for the West Coast. Two were crashed into the Twin Towers, one was crashed into the Pentagon, and the fourth never made it to its target thanks to the bravery of the passengers on Flight 93.

Our local news made the point in its evening broadcast that, with few exceptions, kids in school today have no memory of the event because they weren’t even born yet. I have vivid memories of that day. For me they are indelible yet these children will only learn of it through books, the media, and the memories of those of us old enough to remember.

We need to keep those memories alive for posterity.

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Dear Larry J. Merlo

September 10, 2019 by 6 Comments
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This is an open letter to the CEO of CVS Health.

Dear Mr. Merlo:

I have been a customer of CVS and its predecessor chain Revco since the early 1980s. That is when I moved to Waynesville, North Carolina. I received fantastic service from Ken Holland, R.Ph., who has long since retired. The advice and consultation I received from Ken proved invaluable over the years.

Due to a change you announced on September 5th, I can no longer ethically or morally patronize your stores.

The announcement read:

We support the efforts of individuals and groups working to prevent gun violence (sic), and continually review our policies and procedures to ensure our stores remain a safe environment. We join a growing chorus of businesses in requesting that our customers, other than authorized law enforcement personnel, do not bring firearms into our stores.

This goes to the heart of my ability to provide for my own self-defense and that of my family. I am a law-abiding citizen with a North Carolina Concealed Handgun Permit. I have gone through multiple background checks including both criminal and mental health. I have been fingerprinted. I have had training.

My wife and I are the type people you want shopping in your stores and pharmacies. However, in an effort to curry favor with those who would put us at risk, you don’t want us in your establishments. That is your choice and it is our choice to move our patronage elsewhere.

I totaled the amount I spent on prescriptions alone with CVS this year. It amounts to $213.23 as of September 4th. I realize that this is only 0.00097% of your fiscal 2018 compensation of $21,939,098.

This is only a drop in the bucket compared to what you make as CEO of CVS Health. However, if just a fraction of the approximately 17 million plus concealed carry permit holders decide to shop elsewhere, that could impact your corporate bottom line. It is not like there aren’t other options outside the major chains.

I wish you the best as you try to explain to your board and others why you don’t want us, the most law-abiding citizens in the country, as your customers any longer.

Sincerely,

John Richardson

UPDATE: I had a prescription waiting for me at CVS. Rather than picking it up, I had it moved to another local pharmacy today. In doing so, I saved $13 over the price that CVS was charging. That is a win-win in my book!

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Another Illegal Mayor

September 9, 2019 by 1 Comment

Michael Bloomberg and his Mayors Against Illegal Guns can sure pick them. The newest member of his slate of illegal mayors is Jasiel Correia II of Fall River, Massachusetts.

The good mayor and his chief of staff Genoveva Andrade were just arrested on Federal charges. The indictments include bribery, extortion conspiracy, extortion and aiding and abetting, wire fraud, and filing false tax returns

From Business Insider:

The 27-year old mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts, was arrested Friday morning and charged with a slew of crimes, including extorting legal marijuana businesses for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, federal prosecutors said.


Jasiel F. Correia II, the mayor, was arrested along with his former chief of staff, Genoveva Andrade. Beyond the bribes, Correia has been accused of extorting a building owner for cash and a Rolex watch in exchange for activating the water supply to a commercial building, and demanding that his chief of staff give him half of her salary in return for appointing her and allowing her to keep her city job, according to prosecutors.

Correia would get anywhere from $100,000 to $250,000 in bribes to issue “non-opposition letters”. These letters are a Massachusetts requirement that marijuana businesses are required obtain from the local head of government. Without these “non-opposition letters”, they could not open for business. Correia has issued 14 of these letters.

As I’ve said many a time in the past, this organization should be renamed Mayor Bloomberg’s Illegal Mayors given their criminal activities.

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Victimhood Does Not Convey Policy Expertise

September 8, 2019 by 6 Comments

Being a victim does not make you an expert. Further, being a victim does not make you morally superior. People need to remember this.

CBS Sunday Morning ran an editorial this morning from Shauna Saxton of Odessa, Texas. She “locked eyes” with the murderer in Texas. Fortunately for her and her family, she had the presence of mind to hit the accelerator and get out of there. Nonetheless, she is calling on Congress to take action.

I’m not sure how Mrs. Saxton has become the public face of the tragedy in Odessa and Midland. Neither she nor her family were injured and I’m thankful for that. A Google search on her name and Odessa pulls up many stories about her experience along with multiple interviews. In a sense, she has become the David Hogg of the Odessa tragedy – there but not injured.

Mrs. Saxton gave a tearful commentary intended to tug on your heartstrings. It is aimed at conservatives to make them agree that we need more gun control.

This awful experience has changed me. Things I once believed to be true have now been brought into question. Do private citizens need access to weapons as deadly as an assault rifle? This question and others like it are a hot topic here in Texas, and in other states around the nation. It is a very difficult question. How do we promote public safety whilst protecting the rights of people who choose to bear arms? 


The problem, by necessity, will require compromise from both sides. No one is going to get exactly what they want; life just isn’t that way. (I learned this lesson as a young girl with six brothers.) But we can look for common ground and be willing to give and take.

There are two problems with this argument. First, the ideas being promoted – red flag laws, assault weapons (sic) bans, and mag restrictions – would not have changed a thing in Odessa and Midland or anywhere else. Dangerous people are going to use whatever tool is at their disposal. Red flag laws remove the weapon but not the dangerous person.

In this case, the murderer reportedly obtained his firearm from an illegal manufacturer making any sort of universal background check irrelevant.

The second problem with her argument is that the only side giving up anything will be gun owners. The gun prohibitionists will be getting something. The only compromise they make is not to take everything now.

Mrs. Saxton concludes:

As Congress reconvenes, I call on all its members to be men and women of action. I implore our leaders to recognize this growing danger for what it is, and act upon it. If we continue to do nothing, these tragedies will repeat themselves, and more innocent lives will be lost.


To the leaders of this great country, I say, take up the mantle of the responsibility you have been given. Be courageous. Stand for those who you represent. We pray daily for you that you will do the right thing, and that you will be honorable in your work, indeed, that you will find a solution by which all Americans can benefit.


We must take action. We must do something. Doing nothing is not an option.

Doing nothing is always an option. As a former student of public policy at the graduate level, doing nothing is always on the table. Indeed, doing nothing is often the best option. “Doing something” in response to a tragic event leads to bad and ineffective policies.

I’m afraid that in the current political climate politicians will agree with Mrs. Saxton and think they have “to do something”. It won’t save anyone but “they did something”.

UPDATE: The video of Mrs. Saxton’s commentary has been removed from both YouTube and from the CBS News website. You get this message when you click on the link to it above: “The page may have been removed, had its name changed, or is just temporarily unavailable.” Interesting.

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Perceptive Comment On Walmart Ammo Decision

September 5, 2019 by 3 Comments

If anyone knows the small firearms retailer, it would be Brownells. They have worked with gunsmiths since time immemorial. Jim Shepherd of the Outdoor Wires had an editorial today on the implications of the Walmart decision which is well worth a read.

In the editorial, he quoted Pete Brownell regarding Walmart’s move.

“It’s really a time of opportunity for small retailers,” Pete Brownell of the eponymous Brownells told me yesterday, “the core of our industry, small retailers are going to have an opportunity to get back some of the business lost by a retailer that focuses on squeezing the margins, not selling based on knowledge, experience and affinity.”


“To me,” he says, “it’s actually good news, although it’s never all good news when any company starts to give in to social pressure.”


He’s right on both points. Granted, some consumers will lose the ability to hit a Walmart for a box of rifle shells, diapers, orange juice and sodas. But they’ll now have a valid reason to go back to the stores where the shelves and displays are full of products they actually enjoy.

Brownell is correct. This is an opportunity for the Mom and Pop gun stores. That is, if they play it right. By right, I mean have deals on bulk ammo and reasonable prices on the rest.

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Tweet Of The Day

September 4, 2019 by 1 Comment

It would be hard to top this tweet for a tweet of the day or even the week.

Just as a side note, how can you have a buy back when it was never owned by the buyer in the first place?

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Only In San Francisco

September 4, 2019 by 6 Comments

Only in San Francisco do you have widespread defecation on the streets.

Only in San Francisco do you have a five-time deported illegal alien found innocent of murder.

Only in San Francisco are convicted felons now called “justice-involved persons.”

Only in San Francisco do you have an organization dedicated to the advancement of an enumerated civil right declared a “domestic terrorist organization.”

Say what? The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution yesterday that brands the National Rifle Association a “domestic terrorist organization”.

The resolution was sponsored by Supervisor Catherine Stefani (D-SF). She is an attorney, former prosecutor, and, according to her official bio, a “leader and spokesperson for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.” Gee, no conflict of interest there, is there?

Catherine Stefani, Official SFBOS Picture

Reading the resolution is like reading some bizarre alternate reality short story. It claims that the NRA “incites gun owners to acts of violence” among other things. It goes on to claim that the NRA, by being advocates for gun rights, have armed those who have committed acts of terrorism.

You can read the whole thing at this link. Try not to gag when reading it.

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Might I Make A Suggestion

September 4, 2019 by 1 Comment

If you have been following Facebook, Twitter, or the news today, you know that Walmart’s CEO just announced changes in their firearms policy. They will no longer carry handgun ammo. Also included in the change was “short-barrel rifle ammunition”. Finally, they will be stopping handgun sales in Alaska.

From Walmart CEO Doug McMillon’s memo:

Today, we’re sharing the decisions we’ve made that go further: After selling through our current inventory commitments, we will discontinue sales of short-barrel rifle ammunition such as the .223 caliber and 5.56 caliber that, while commonly used in some hunting rifles, can also be used in large capacity clips on military-style weapons; We will sell through and discontinue handgun ammunition; and We will discontinue handgun sales in Alaska, marking our complete exit from handguns.

Walmart currently has a 20% market share of the civilian ammunition market. McMillon wants to get it down to between 6% and 9%.

If McMillon had stopped there or just made the change without a big announcement, it would have been one thing. However, McMillon decided to go “full corporate virtue signaling”.

Finally, we encourage our nation’s leaders to move forward and strengthen background checks and to remove weapons from those who have been determined to pose an imminent danger. We do not sell military-style rifles, and we believe the reauthorization of the Assault Weapons ban should be debated to determine its effectiveness. We must also do more, as a country, to understand the root causes that lead to this type of violent behavior. Today, I’m sending letters to the White House and the Congressional leadership that call for action on these common sense measures. As we’ve seen before, these horrific events occur and then the spotlight fades. We should not allow that to happen. Congress and the administration should act. Given our decades of experience selling firearms, we are also offering to serve as a resource in the national debate on responsible gun sales.

McMillon then alludes to the late Sam Walton and his love for hunting in an appeal to the Fudds. McMillon then says his family raised bird dogs when he was growing up and, of course, the obligatory “I’m a gun owner myself .”

Doug McMillon can protest all he wants but he is just another Ed Stack. He wants to hang out with what he perceives to be the cool kids (who really aren’t that cool).

I am an affiliate of Lucky Gunner. They carry good handgun ammo. They carry good 5.56×45 and .223 ammo. They have good prices. They provide research on handgun ammo penetration. Most importantly, they stood up when it counted after being sued by the Brady Campaign. They won and dedicated a good part of their winnings to backing Second Amendment organizations.

Look at the bottom of my blog on the left side. There is a link to Luckygunner.com. If you buy through that link, I earn a commission. Making the move to WordPress and a dedicated domain was not free. Commissions earned will go to support the costs of this blog. Commissions over and above the blog costs are donated to Second Amendment organizations.

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Marion Has A Worthy Adversary

September 3, 2019 by 5 Comments

Marion Hammer, current NRA Board member and former President, has (or has had) a reputation for cowing legislators in Florida. She also expects subservience from those around her including NRA staffers. I think she may have met her match.

In a recent NRA-ILA alert for Florida by Ms. Hammer, she made a direct attack David Dell’Aguila who wants reform in the NRA.

Are David Dell’Aquila’s gun rights worth $100,000?  Worth more than $100 million?  Worth whatever it takes to defeat the anti-gun agitators and enemies of the Second Amendment? You’re damned right!  Whether he donates money to NRA to fund the fight or not – NRA is fighting for his rights and yours. 

This was in response to criticism of the $100,000 lost in fees and cancellation expenses to move the NRA Board meeting from Anchorage, AK back to the DC area.

Ms. Hammer is using Mr. Dell’Aquila as a foil for her fundraising appeal. Her letter includes 3 embedded donation links and another at the bottom.

She concludes:

It’s time to stop the lies, stop the attacks, stop manufacturing fake documents, stop cutting off your nose to spite your face.  It’s time to focus on stopping the anti-gun, anti-freedom, hate-mongering enemies of our rights. 

Hey, David Dell’Aquila! you may have abandoned the only organization capable of protecting your rights — shame on you — but nonetheless, we’ve got your back.  We’re donating to the fight!

I’m of the opinion such a letter would never have gone out if Chris Cox and other NRA-ILA leadership were still there. It is too personal, too petty, and too spiteful. Indeed, it was counterproductive.

Ms. Hammer finds a worthy opponent in Mr. Dell’Aquila. Indeed, a worthy opponent that is not cowed by her reputation. He has responded with an open letter today which is embedded at the bottom of the page.

Here are a few quotes from it.

First, thank you for so prominently repeating my name in your recent fundraising appeal. I can’t tell you how many people have reached out to me, who didn’t know anything about the concerns of improper spending at the NRA that the grassroots organization has raised, or about my lawsuit and campaign to withhold donations until the NRA gets its house in order. So far donors are withholding over $162 million from the NRA until the organization adopts new management and more transparent accountability.

Had it not been for your fundraising letter about the value of my Second Amendment gun rights, these people might never have discovered the nearly 100 news articles (linked here and here) detailing the allegations of improper spending by NRA executives and the failure of the NRA Board of Directors to provide oversight and fiduciary prudence to address the situation.

Ouch!

Now he goes for the jugular.

The available records are not particularly clear. However, it is clear that NRA members have paid you something in excess of $2 million dollars. In 2018 alone, a year when NRA finances were reported to be exceptionally low, records show that you were paid $270,000. Would these payments have something to do with your current vigorous defense of Wayne LaPierre, and his open-purse spending practices at the NRA? This would appear to be a conflict of interest, regarding any Board vote concerning Mr. LaPierre’s continued stewardship of the organization.

In addition, according to Article V, Section 5 of the NRA’s bylaws, no director — such as yourself — is entitled to receive “any private benefit” from NRA unless payment is specifically authorized by a resolution of the Board of Directors or an authorized committee of the Board. I would be very curious to see whether the NRA’s board has approved these payments to you. If so, perhaps you could forward a copy of the written resolutions.

Mr. Dell’Aquila concludes by noting that Ms. Hammer has done good work over the years. He also notes that so have others on the Board and with state-level groups. The difference is that the others received no direct compensation from the NRA for their efforts.

I imagine this letter will make Ms. Hammer spitting mad. That is, if she ever reads it. Nonetheless, I’m sure fundraisers in Fairfax will read it and say, “Please God, no more alerts from Marion!”

Hammer-2019-09-03 by jpr9954 on Scribd