Wayne LaPierre

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2023 NRA Meeting Of Members – Resolution 3 (Updated)

April 19, 2023 by 4 Comments

The third resolution presented at the 2023 NRA Meeting of Members generated the most comment. It was a resolution from Jeff Knox that expressed no confidence in Wayne LaPierre as the Executive Vice President.

After NRA Secretary John Frazer read the resolution, Charles Cotton asked for those for and against it to speak. Those speaking in favor of it were Jeff Knox, Rob Pincus, John Carr, and Michael Mc (missed the rest of his name.)

When it came to speaking against it, the Friends of Wayne on the Board fought one another to express their confidence in Wayne as well as to attack Jeff either directly or through innuendo. These included Tom King, Mark Robinson, David Keene, Joel Friendman, and Jay Printz. There were two others that spoke against it but one of those was a comedian similar to Jason Selvig in 2022.

Here is Jeff’s resolution which failed again in 1/3 aye, 2/3 nay vote.

Resolution of No Confidence in Wayne LaPierre

Submitted by Jeff Knox, Endowment Life Member, Arizona

April 15, 2023

Whereas the NRA has seen a dramatic decline in Annual Members over the past 4 years, with sources indicating a drop of close to 30%, and

Whereas the NRA has experienced a significant declines in revenue over the past 4 years, with sources indicating declines of almost 50%, and

Whereas, between the years 2015 and 2018, the unrestricted net assets of the NRA declined by over 60 million dollars, and

Whereas 2018 saw financial belt-tightening, and the total collapse of the NRA’s heavily promoted, and very expensive Carry Guard program, which had only been introduced a few years earlier, and

Whereas, the advent of the SARS COV 2 pandemic caused layoffs of some 400 NRA employees, along with announced reductions in executive and managerial pay of 20%, and

Whereas, during this time of austerity measures, layoffs, significant financial losses, and growing legal expenses, in 2018, Wayne LaPierre, as Executive Vice President and CEO of the NRA, received a significant pay increase and a four hundred and fifty five thousand dollar “bonus,” bringing his total compensation that year to more than 2.2 million dollars, up from the 1.4 million he received in 2017, and for 2019 and 2020, while the layoffs and pay cuts were being implemented, Mr. LaPierre received compensation of approximately 1.7 million dollars each year, and

Whereas, along with this generous compensation, Mr. LaPierre received numerous other perks, including chartered, corporate jet travel at an average cost of seven thousand dollars per hour, limousine service, luxury accommodations, and a substantial expense and entertainment account, all totaling well over an additional million dollars per year, and

Whereas the National Rifle Association’s positions and objectives are supposed to be based on certain unwavering principles, beginning with the fact that the right to arms is an unalienable, fundamental, individual right, bestowed by our creator, and enshrined in the Constitution, and that restrictions on inanimate objects can never control the behavior of persons with evil and criminal intent, and

Whereas Mr. LaPierre, in his capacity as Executive Vice President of the NRA, publicly declared in 1999 that the National Rifle Association believes in “absolutely gun free, zero tolerance, totally safe schools.  That means no guns in America’s schools, period, with the rare exception of law enforcement officers or trained security personnel,” and

Whereas, at other times, while serving as Executive Vice President of the NRA, Mr. LaPierre has declared the NRA’s support for the creation of an “Instant Background-Check System,” declared the NRA’s support for laws requiring background checks for all firearm sales at gun shows, declared NRA support for so-called “red flag” laws, which provide for the confiscation of firearms from people accused of being a threat to themselves or others, with only bare consideration of due process, and declared that “the NRA believes that… (bump-stocks) …should be more tightly regulated,” and

Whereas President Trump subsequently acted on that last statement of support from the NRA, resulting in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives declaring bump-stock devices to be “machine guns,” effectively banning them under the Hughes Amendment, and

Whereas, while serving as chief lobbyist for the NRA, when the Hughes Amendment was attached to the Firearm Owners Protection Act as a “poison pill,” Mr. LaPierre asked the Republican Senate to agree to the amendment in order to pass the law, and asked President Reagan to sign the law, and subsequently stated that repeal of the Hughes Amendment would be the NRA’s number one priority going forward, but has never taken any substantive action toward repealing this travesty of a law, and

Whereas Mr. LaPierre has testified in court and on tax documents that he improperly charged personal and other unauthorized travel on multiple flights on chartered jets, and other unauthorized expenses to his NRA account, and

Whereas the various disclosures, revelations, and numerous substantiated accusations that have come out about Mr. LaPierre in recent years, along with his lack of principled stands on critical rights issues, have damaged the reputation of the National Rifle Association and its members, and have destroyed Mr. LaPierre’s personal credibility, severely limiting his abilities as a fund raiser or a political influencer on behalf of the NRA and its members, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the members here gathered for the 152nd Meeting of Members of the National Rifle Association, here gathered in Indianapolis, Indiana on this 15th day of April, 2023, do hereby declare that we have No Confidence in the ability of Wayne LaPierre to lead this organization going forward, and while we appreciate his contributions to the fight for rights over the past 40 years, we call on him to resign his position as Executive Vice President and to not seek reelection to that, or any other leadership position in the NRA at any time in the future, and, be it further

Resolved, That we call on the NRA Board of Directors to recognize the will of the members and ensure that Mr. LaPierre is not reelected to the office of Executive Vice President, or elected or appointed to any other office of importance within the National Rifle Association or its affiliated organizations, nor be awarded any contract or employment by any NRA-related entity, and, be it further

 Resolved, That the Secretary is instructed to cause a full, legible copy of this Resolution to be printed in the Official Journal of the Association within 120 days of the close of this meeting.

UPDATE: I did record Jeff Knox and Rob Pincus speaking in favor of this resolution. Their videos are below. In the one with Rob, you will seek Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R-NC) giving a loud defense of Wayne. While I like Mark, I find it incredibly sad that he had “drunk the Kool-Aid”.

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Tweet Of The Day

March 22, 2023 by

The tweet of the day comes from F-111 John in response to Tom Gresham on the “dear employee” letter sent out by Wayne LaPierre yesterday.

I must say I agree with his sentiment.

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“Dear Employee” Letter From Wayne

March 21, 2023 by 8 Comments

I had speculated in late February about whether some moves on rental space in the NRA Headquarters might be seen as a predecessor move to selling the building. This was based upon the reaction of commercial real estate brokers in both Virginia and North Carolina.

The letter from Wayne LaPierre to NRA employees sent out today confirms my speculation regarding the sale of the NRA Headquarters Building.

From Wayne:

Dear Employees,

As you know, the NRA continuously pursues new business and strategic options in the interests of the Association and our members. Along these lines, we are going to explore the marketability and potential sale of our headquarters.

The NRA has long considered a move of its headquarters – and has been working to identify a new location that allows us to enhance our advocacy and national platform, recognize operational efficiencies, and become an even stronger organization. Assuming we find such a location and favorable opportunity to sell the HQ, we will present such plans to the Board of Directors for approval. I want you to be aware of these ongoing developments.

Naturally, there will be no impacts to our staffing, our programs, or our Second Amendment advocacy as we explore this opportunity and many others. We remain committed to the fight for freedom.

Thank you for your support of our mission.

Sincerely,

Wayne

On the plus side for the NRA is that they bought the building years ago at a fire-sale price. On the downside, with rising interest rates, a move towards “work from home, and many newer, updated buildings in the Northern Virginia inventory, it is a buyer’s market.

There is a reason the headquarters of the NRA has traditionally been in the Washington, DC metro area. It is the seat of government and the NRA, like many other organizations, wanted to be close to that. When there was an effort to relocate the NRA out West, it led to the Cincinnati Revolt. Unfortunately, the rules in place at that time have been changed so drastically, that another such revolt – an Indy Revolt, if you will – can never again happen.

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NRA Moves Of Note

March 16, 2023 by 7 Comments

Two interesting developments concerning the NRA crossed my desk today. One was expected in the sense that the position had to be filled and the other has me wondering.

First, Randy Kozuch has been appointed to be the Interim Director of the NRA-ILA. The position had to be filled with someone after Jason Ouimet left as the Director of the ILA. There are boards and foundations within the NRA that specify the Director of the ILA must be a member. If I remember correctly, Kozuch was a candidate for the position when Chris Cox resigned. He had served as ILA head of state and local affairs.

According to the press release, Kozuch has been with the NRA for 29 years and had “overseen state lobbying efforts in all 50 state legislatures and served as the primary point of contact between NRA and the nation’s governors and state constitutional officers.” I will leave that statement there as is and refrain from any comments on his effectiveness in North Carolina.

The second development is of far more interest. A “Dear Director” email went out today from former NRA President David Keene. Under the current bylaws (Article V, Sec. 1 (a)), the president of the NRA “may not succeed himself or herself more than once, after being elected to serve a full term.” There is an exception made in the bylaws for the late Charlton Heston who was allowed to succeed himself up to four times.

A resolution is being submitted by Carol Frampton and Joel Friedman that would waive this limitation for current NRA President Charles Cotton and allow him to serve a third one-year term as President. The email from Keene is below:

Dear Fellow NRA Director.

This morning’s mail brought a copy of the resolution submitted by Carol Frampton and Joel Friedman to extend NRA President Charles Cotton’s term for another year. We will be asked to vote on this resolution at the Indianapolis Board meeting and it is my hope that you will join me in supporting it.

As a former NRA President, I can tell you that during challenging times, I know of no one in that job who would want an additional year on the firing line, but sometimes sacrifices are necessary for the good of the association membership and the Second Amendment. As a competent and careful attorney, himself, Charles has been a steady helmsman during the legal battles in which we have been enmeshed during his term. These battles should wind down over the course of the next year and he should be there to serve our interests during this crucial period. He deserves our thanks not just for what he’s accomplished thus far but for his willingness to allow us to ask him to carry on for another year.

David A. Keene

I find this quite interesting. It engenders a lot of questions as to the reasons behind this move. I don’t have any answers to them. Cotton’s term as President would normally end in April at the next Board meeting. At that time, First VP Willes Lee would be the successor to Cotton as President and David Coy would move into Lee’s position. A new Second VP would be selected at that time.

One potential reason, and the most innocent, is that the terms of office were interrupted during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. The Annual Meeting happened later in the year which screwed things up a bit.

It could also be that Wayne and Brewer prefer to keep Cotton in the position while the New York proceedings are active. As Brewer plays Rasputin to Wayne’s Czar Nicholas II, this is believable. The shots are being called by Brewer and the Board does what they are told to do by Wayne.

Another alternative is that there is a faction who want to prevent Willes Lee from assuming the position of President of the NRA. His past actions as the leadership’s number two hatchet man (Marion Hammer holds the number one position) are coming back to bite him. I have referred to Lee as the Spiro Agnew of the NRA in the past. While that might be an insult to Agnew, Lee has served that role as Agnew did Nixon.

In the end, if this email is being sent out now, it is a fait accompli or done deal. The overwhelming majority of the Board does what it is told like obedient children. There are only a few members who have rocked the boat and they will be off the Board come the Annual Meeting. The sad thing is I have more faith in NY Assistant AG Monica Connell to represent the members of the NRA than I do in the Board.

UPDATE: Here is a copy of the actual resolution. It is a screen shot.

The resolution has been added to the agenda of the Bylaws and Resolutions Committee.

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NRA Finances And An Interesting Proxy

February 9, 2023 by

The blog NRA In Danger has posted another look at the NRA’s finances by former director Rocky Marshall. As I noted in introducing his guest post on this blog, he has significant expertise in examining a company’s or organization’s finances. Rocky brings up the concept of industry related metrics as a way to validate financial forecasts. As it is, he holds that the NRA’s forecasts for revenue are unrealistic and have no substantiating business plan to validate them.

From Rocky at NRA In Danger:

A Realistic Projection: The obvious relationship most closely associated with NRA revenues are U.S. Gun sales¹. In reviewing US gun sales data, NRA Revenues will increase or decrease as gun sales vary from year to year. From 2004 through 2019, the NRA received on average $25 for every gun sold in the United States.  However, after the breaking news of corruption in 2019, the NRA revenue dropped 48% to $13/gun sold.

The ratio of NRA Revenue/US Gun Sales is a useful metric because revenue for the NRA can be easily calculated for 2023 with a high degree of certainty.  Based on the current declining trend of US gun sales, it is projected that total US gun sales will be similar to historical (pre-covid) norms of roughly 13 million guns sold². With this in mind, a quantifiable estimate of projected revenues for the NRA in 2023 is $169 million (13 million guns sold at $13/gun). 

The NRA is projecting $230 million in revenue, which would equate to $18 for every gun sold in the US.  This is the same group that also planned $241.2M for last year and missed this estimate by $36M. The NRA estimates are not based on any practical industry metrics or upon a viable business plan to increase revenue; but, instead are misleading the BOD once again into a false premise.  

Using firearm sales as a proxy in the metric is interesting and makes sense. Both actual gun sales and actual NRA revenue are known from government reports. Actual gun sales are found from the Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Exportation Report submitted to BATFE and the NRA”s revenue is reported on the IRS Form 990. Forecasts on future firearm sales do come from the NSSF and the industry in various forms. The FBI’s NICS data could be used but, as we know, it isn’t a direct correlation with firearm sales. The NSSF-adjusted numbers would be more accurate.

When comparing the ratio of NRA Revenue/US Gun Sale for the pre-2019 and post-2019 time periods, there is another factor in play that was not mentioned. Pre-2019, it was often the case that if you purchased a new firearm from one of the major manufacturers, it would come with a coupon entitling the buyer to a free one-year membership in the NRA. I know Taurus offered this and I seem to remember getting the same offer from Marlin and Ruger. I also remember the Ruger campaign where they would donate $1 for each firearm sold if they reached the 1 million mark. That was in the 2012-2013 timeframe. The key point here is that the industry seems to have backed away from the NRA once the dirty laundry started coming out.

The second part of Rocky’s post on NRA In Danger deals with the cost of corruption in terms of lost revenue. Read the whole thing as Rocky provides hard numbers of the revenue drop and the amount is shocking. Suffice it to say, the longer that Wayne remains as CEO/Executive VP of the NRA, the more potential lost revenue.

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Personnel Changes At NRA

October 4, 2022 by 4 Comments

The blog NRA In Danger is reporting that Millie Hallow and Tyler Schropp have left the NRA.

Mrs. Hallow was the Managing Director of Executive Operations. Her primary function seems to have been as the gatekeeper for Wayne LaPierre as willing to lie for him when needed. I should note that Mrs. Hallow is a prohibited person insomuch as she is a convicted felon. I reported on that in 2019 when it came to light she had been convicted of embezzlement while serving as the Executive Director of the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities.

I have had confirmation from another source that Mrs. Hallow is out. There is no word on whether she received a golden parachute or was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Additionally, it is not known if she left willingly or was pushed out the door.

Tyler Schropp served as the Executive Director for Advancement. I have not received confirmation from a second source that he has left the NRA. If and when I do, I will update this post.

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2023 NRA Board Nominations Released

August 31, 2022 by 1 Comment

The list of people nominated by the Nominations Committee for the 2023 Board of Directors election has been released. Comparing the list below to the candidates who ran in 2020, you find 21 of the 2023 nominees are repeats. A couple more – James Chapman and Isaac Demerest – are board members elected in subsequent years.

It goes without saying that Frank Tait was not nominated. He has indicated he will not be running by petition this time. Also not nominated were Judge Phil Journey and Graham Hill. Given that Journey has been treated as a persona non grata since the bankruptcy filing, his not being re-nominated is not a surprise. It is surprising that Graham Hill who finished 8th in 2020 was not re-nominated as he had served on the board for 15 years and had been an Executive Committee member in the past. One rumor that I heard is that the NRA’s outside counsel didn’t want any attorneys on the board other than NRA President Charles Cotton.

Included as new nominees are Rick Ector and Amanda Suffecool who have done great work at the grass roots level. With the exception of Charles Beers III, I don’t know anything about the rest.

As to Beers, he was the person who offered the resolution at the Meeting of Members that declared “profound support for the past, present, and future leadership of its Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre.” If you read the review of the Annual Meeting in either the American Rifleman or Shooting Illustrated (page 57 in both), that is the only mention of the Meeting of Members. Call me a cynic, but it seems that if you suck up to Wayne big time and publicly then you will get your reward. That really is kind of pathetic.

As of now, I know of no one who plans to run as a petition candidate. If I do hear of anyone, I will post on it.

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Marion Hammer Retires As Lobbyist (Updated)

June 16, 2022 by 3 Comments

Marion Hammer is retiring from her role as a lobbyist for the NRA in Florida. I presume that means she is also stepping down as Executive Director of the United Sportsmen of Florida. She has held this position for 44 years.

But don’t cry for Marion yet.

From the Tampa Bay Times:

Marion Hammer, who became a nationally recognized institution of gun politics in Florida, is retiring after four decades working as a state lobbyist for the National Rifle Association.

Instead, Hammer will serve as an adviser to the NRA, focused on gun advocacy beyond just Florida, according to a Thursday statement from the NRA.

For her service as an “adviser to the NRA”, Marion received $270,000 in 2021. This is according the Report of the Secretary given out at the 2022 Meeting of Members in Houston on May 28th. The payment was classified as “consulting expenses”. The minutes from the NRA’s 2021 Annual Meeting held in Charlotte, NC said this was for “issues affecting the NRA in jurisdictions other than Florida.”

It is my understanding that Marion has a 10-year contract with the NRA for “consulting services”.

Regarding his chief defender and enforcer, Wayne LaPierre had this to say.

“Marion Hammer’s name has become synonymous with the Second Amendment and with the NRA,” said Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president and CEO of the NRA. “She is a dynamic and legendary advocate who has led the way with many laws that started in Florida and then served as a blueprint across the country.”

I will grant you that Marion had some big successes including stand your ground and shall-issue carry permits. She has also had some major failures.

Again, from the Tampa Bay Times:

Following the Parkland shooting that killed 17, the Legislature and then-Gov. Rick Scott moved a bill that raised the minimum age for gun purchases, banned bump stocks and instilled a waiting period for gun purchase, provisions Hammer opposed.

I might also note that open carry is illegal in Florida with limited exceptions.

If I come across as a little cynical regarding Marion Hammer, it is because I am. She has opposed all moves to reform the NRA, she refers to reformers as “the enemy within”, and her chief job lately seems to be as the enforcer cracking the whip to keep most of the NRA Board in line with Wayne’s wishes. I see continuing payments to her as a payoff for protecting Wayne from being ousted in the 1990s and for continuing those efforts throughout the years.

UPDATE: Attached below is the release that the NRA sent out announcing Marion’s retirement as a lobbyist.

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Wayne Gets Punked At Meeting Of Members

June 1, 2022 by 1 Comment

I was one of only about a hundred people that sat through the whole NRA Meeting of Members from beginning to end. I say that not to pat myself on the back but to say I saw what I’m about to show in real time.

The first resolution considered was to commend Wayne LaPierre for his leadership of the NRA past, present, and future. It was submitted by a Charles Beers (spelling?) from upstate New York. While there were people that opposed it, the Friends of Wayne including board members planned to use the discussion of it to run out the clock and to condemn anyone who had not drunk the purple Kool-Aid.

Jeff Knox was ruled out of order when he pointed out the bylaws forbid awards but Charles Cotton and the parliamentarian decided a resolution commending Wayne was not an award.

Here is where it gets interesting. So interesting in fact that it made the Washington Post, Newsweek, and many other publications.

As Stephen Gutowski of The Reload reported on Twitter at the time:

NRA member Jason Selvig says he’s tired of the left wing media spreading misinformation about LaPierre. Says he gets wrongly blamed for mass shootings. He says thought and prayers could stop shootings. He starts loudly chanting thoughts and prayers. Seems like some kind of stunt.

Well, it turns out it was a stunt. I will admit I thought the guy was a little strange. However, after listening to almost an hour of praise of Wayne nothing really seemed that strange.

Jason Selvig is one half of the comedy duo The Good Liars. They tend to poke fun at conservatives.

The video below that has been posted on Twitter has been watched over 8 million times.

While I may vehemently disagree with Mr. Selvig’s politics, I am enough of “an enemy within” and a “son of a bitch traitor” to enjoy the fact that Wayne got punked. I only wish the video contained the end where he was trying to get everyone to chant “thoughts and prayers”.

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NRA Leadership Forum

May 27, 2022 by

The NRA Leadership Forum was meant to be Wayne’s big hurrah. I mean after all he was successful in getting former President Donald Trump to appear as the keynote speaker. Then an unhinged maniac decided to murder school children and teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

As of this morning, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) has canceled his appearance in order to be in Uvalde and will send a pre-recorded message. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has to be in Washington for “personal reasons” according to a report in Politico. Cornyn’s office insisted they had informed the NRA of this ahead of the murders in Uvalde. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) who represents a suburban Houston district is reported still on a trip to Ukraine.

This leaves President Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), NC Lt. Gov Mark Robinson (R-NC) who is also a NRA board member, and Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) as speakers in addition to Wayne and Jason Ouimet of the NRA-ILA.

As an aside, Sen. Cornyn has been tapped by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to be his negotiator with the Democrats on any gun control legislation that results from the murders in Buffalo and Uvalde. As I understand it, they will be discussing “red flag” law type of legislation.

As I don’t plan to be disarmed of even a knife, I plan to watch the speeches or some of them by video from the Press Room. It will be interesting to see if anything is said other than the typical stump speech.