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Corey Mason Out As CEO Of Dallas Safari Club

July 11, 2024 by

Corey Mason, the CEO and Executive Director of the Dallas Safari Club since September 2017, is out according to an email sent to DSC members today. Whether he was fired or decided to step aside is not known at this time.

There was a good deal of discontent over the decision to move the annual convention from Dallas to Atlanta for the next five years. That move was due to the demolition and reconstruction of the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Dallas Convention Center. Work on it was due to begin this summer but seems to have been postposed until after January 2025. Many felt that the convention should have remained in Texas and been moved to a city like San Antonio. In the meantime, the Texas Trophy Hunters Association which is now part of SCI, scooped up the open January slot and will hold their Outdoors Extravaganza there in 2025.

DSC President Ray Mulholland sent out this message today around 2:30 PM EDT:

Good afternoon DSC Members, Volunteers, Exhibitor Partners and Sponsors,

I’m writing to share an important update about the evolution of our leadership team. Our CEO, Corey Mason, will be transitioning to a new professional opportunity. Corey has been a pivotal force in driving numerous successful national and international initiatives and strengthening our organization. While we will certainly miss his leadership, we fully support his decision and recognize that this move is a testament to the high regard in which he is held within the world of wildlife conservation. We wish him nothing but the best and are deeply grateful for all he has done for DSC.
 
In light of this transition, our Board of Directors will immediately engage in the search for a new CEO who will continue to build on the strong foundation Corey has laid. During this time, our dedicated executive team will maintain focused and steady leadership, while continuing to advance the DSC mission.  Brian Fienhold, DSC’s Director of Operations and Development, will serve as Acting CEO during the search process.
 
We are eagerly anticipating our upcoming annual convention in Atlanta, which promises to be another incredible hunting and conservation gathering for all.  We look forward to seeing you there and thank you for your continued support and dedication to DSC.

I am not upset that the convention is going to Atlanta as that is an easy drive for me. However, if you have to come from Texas for an event that used to be in your own backyard, I can understand the angst.

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Hopes For Reform At NRA Dashed

July 11, 2024 by 2 Comments

When the NRA Board of Directors meeting ended on the Monday after the NRA Annual Meeting many, including me, had high hopes that reform was finally coming to the organization. Reformers had won two out of three of the officer positions, the EVP, and a majority on the Nominating Committee. This was on the heels of the resounding victories of the Four for Reform. Doug Hamlin, the new CEO and EVP, started making good changes and signaled a new openness.

However, as I noted at the end of May, how newly elected NRA President Bob Barr handled committee assignments would be the key to showing the court in New York just how much the NRA had changed and embraced reform. I went on to add that Charles Cotton and David Coy must not be allowed to serve on the Audit and Finance Committees respectively.

I began to be more than a little concerned when it came out that Barr had made Cotton the new chair of the Ethics Committee. That was the harbinger of more to come as it became obvious that Barr had ignored his mother’s warning about running with the “wrong crowd”.

Yesterday, Barr’s appointments to the Audit, Finance, Ethics, Bylaws and Resolutions, and Legal Affairs Committees were announced.

NRA President Bob Barr has announced some committee assignments:

Audit

Charles Cotton – Chairman
E. Wilkinson – Vice Chairman
Charles Beers
Curtis Jenkins
Rocky Marshall

Bylaws & Resolutions

Carol Frampton – Chairman
Charles Cotton – Vice Chairman
Scott Bach
Bob Barr
Larry Craig
Joel Friedman
Jim Wallace

Ethics

Charles Cotton – Chairman
Joel Friedman – Vice Chairman
Clel Baudler
Jay Printz
Barbara Rumpel
Mark Vaughan

Finance

David Coy – Chairman
Ron Schmeits – Vice Chairman
Joe Allbaugh
Bill Bachenberg
Isaac Demarest
Patricia Clark
Allan Cors
Charles Cotton
Joel Friedman
Curtis Jenkins
Carolyn Meadows
Bill Miller
Buz Mills
Amanda Suffecool
Mark Vaughan

Legal Affairs

Sandra Froman – Chairman
Scott Bach – Vice Chairman
Bob Barr
Charles Cotton
Carol Frampton
Charles Hiltunen
Curtis Jenkins
John Sigler

The first thing you will notice is that Charles Cotton is on every single one of these important committees and retains his chairmanship of the Audit Committee to go with his newly appointed chairmanship of the Ethics Committee. The next thing you notice is that David Coy has retained his chairmanship of the Finance Committee.

The only one of the Four for Reform members to be appointed to any committee was Rocky Marshall who was appointed to the Audit Committee. I find this disappointing as their election is being used by the NRA in its court filings to assert that things have changed and no special monitor was needed. While Rocky’s appointment is good and proper, why was not Jeff Knox put on Bylaws and Resolutions as he probably knows more about the Bylaws than any member of that committee. Likewise, would not it have been wise to put Judge Phil Journey, the only jurist on the Board, on the Legal Affairs Committee.

With the exception of the Finance Committee which has has four known reformers on it (out of 15 total members), the remaining committees have one and perhaps two known reformers on them. If Barr wanted to signal to the members of the NRA and to Judge Cohen that things had changed at the NRA, this certainly was not the way to do it.

While I don’t have a crystal ball on what will happen in the remedial phase of the New York trial, I think the odds are better than even that a special monitor will now be appointed to oversee the NRA’s finances. It should be noted that this monitor will have nothing to do with functions and programs of the NRA including its political functions. While this will put me at odds with some friends on the Board who are reformers, I think that the special monitor will be a requirement if the NRA is ever to crawl out of the morass it finds itself in.

UPDATE: I can fully understand the frustration that Judge Phil Journey must have felt that caused him to file a motion to intervene in the New York trial. That was on July 3rd and he obviously saw things that are now only coming to light. It has been suggested to me that the appointment of Charles Cotton to head the Ethics Committee was specifically meant to go after Judge Journey for having the temerity to break ranks.

Stephen Gutowski has more on Journey’s motion here along with the NRA’s denials.

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13th Annual Free Firearms Training Event For Women In Detroit

July 9, 2024 by

Registration has opened for Rick Ector’s 13th annual introduction to handguns event for women in Detroit. His goal this year is to provide 1,700 women with a free shooting lesson. When he started his goal was 50 women and it has increased over bit by bit.

The event will be held on Saturday, July 27th, and Sunday, July 28th, at the Recoil Firearms range in Taylor, Michigan. Registration for the even opened yesterday (July 8th). Interested women can register for a 90-minute time slot here.

Here are the details of the event:

  • No previous experience required
  • Ammunition and firearms will be supplied
  • All women participants from age 12 to 80 are welcome
  • All minors must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian
  • Please register for only one 90-minute time slot
  • Over 10,000 women have been trained over the years

The event is presented by Legally Armed in Detroit and Rick’s Firearm Academy of Detroit with the aid of a cadre of volunteer instructors from around the US.

More information is available here.

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The NRA, LaPierre, And Frazer Appeal

July 8, 2024 by 6 Comments

Attorneys for the NRA, Wayne LaPierre, and John Frazer all filed appeals in People of New York v. National Rifle Association of America et al on Friday. They are appealing Judge Cohen’s decision and “order on motion” in which he denies their motions to set aside the jury’s verdict and enter a judgment for them as a matter of law. Frazer’s motion was to only set aside part of the jury’s verdict but that was also denied. Attorneys for Wilson “Woody” Phillips had filed a similar motion to set aside the verdict but are not appealing. As noted earlier, it appears he has settled with the New York Attorney General’s Office.

The appeals will go to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, First
Judicial Department. That same court has denied all previous appeals made by any of the defendants and have upheld all of Judge Cohen’s rulings in this case. The Appellate Division is the intermediate appellate level in New York State with the Court of Appeals being akin to Supreme Courts in other states.

Noah Peters of Brewer, Attorneys and Counselors, is arguing on behalf of the NRA. His argument centers around whether there enough evidence to find that the NRA payments for Susan LaPierre’s hair and makeup, to David Keene, and to Woody Phillips were anything other than “de minimis”. He goes on to question whether people like Phil Journey, Craig Spray, Rocky Marshall, Ollie North, and others should really be considered “whistleblowers”. Finally, he questions whether the jury had sufficient cause under New York’s Executive Law to find the NRA submitted false filings.

The attorney for Wayne, Kent Correll, is arguing that the Attorney General lacked the “power, authority, capacity or standing to seek or procure a judgment” under New York law to seek monetary damages against an officer of a not-for-profit, to seek the removal of such officer, and to bar the re-election of a person who is no longer employed by the non-for-profit. He also attacks the sufficiency of the evidence against Wayne.

John Frazer’s appeal argues that since the jury did not find grounds for either monetary damages or removal from office, it erred in finding he failed in his fiduciary responsibilities. Moreover, since no claim of false statements were made against the NRA’s accountants, they should not have found he knowingly signed off on a false filing.

Given the past history of appeals in this trial, I really don’t seeing any of these defendants winning their appeals. Moreover, with the exception of Frazer who is essentially fighting to stay employed, I think the other appeals are going through the motions because a) they will generate more billable hours and b) for the public relations aspect of it. Wayne is fighting to say he really wasn’t a grifter and the NRA is trying to assert that the jury should never have agreed with the Attorney General because, you know, she hates us and wants us gone.

Vendetta or no vendetta, the attorneys for New York had a strong case against the NRA and the individual defendants. Josh Powell and Woody Phillips have realized it and settled. That the NRA has not settled like that did with the Attorney General for the District of Columbia is a shame. I think what they will get now in terms of punishment is going to be worse than if they had settled. The only winners are the attorneys who will rake in even more fees that are being paid out of members’ dues or, at least, that is the case for sure with regard to the NRA. Who is paying the fees for Wayne and Frazer and whether it will ultimately be the NRA is up in the air.

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Unprofessional? Hardly

July 3, 2024 by

I wrote back in March about the promotion that Colleen Sterner received in the NRA’s Office of Advancement. As a refresher, she is the niece of disgraced former NRA CEO and EVP Wayne LaPierre who mere days after he retired was appointed to Director of Events for Advancement with a six-figure salary. That post stirred some angst within the NRA’s PR department.

There have been a number of filings in recent days in the bench phase of the New York Attorney General’s suit against the NRA. These filings include both witness lists and exhibits that the parties want to bring to the attention of Judge Joel Cohen. One that caught my eye was by Noah Peters of Brewer, Attorneys and Counselors, on behalf of the NRA. Exhibit 38 was a string of emails involving Sterner, NRA CFO Sonya Rowling, and Bob Mensinger who at the time had not yet been named the NRA’s Chief Compliance Officer.

NRA Exhibit 38 by jpr9954 on Scribd

If you read through the string of emails starting on the last page and going to the top, you see it involves a review of a contract for an event to be held at the 2024 NRA Annual Meeting. Sterner was pushing to get a contract approved quickly by Sonya Rowling. Unfortunately for her, it appears Sterner did an incomplete job that was not in compliance with the NRA’s Procurement Policy for which Rowling called her out.

Like a spoiled child who finally gets disciplined, Sterner threw a fit and complained about the response to both then Interim EVP Andrew Arulanandam and Mensinger as head of compliance.

Andrew and Bob,
See Sonya Rowling’s unprofessional email below. I can’t believe I am being viciously retaliated against based on who my uncle is and Sonya’s disdain for him. Financial Services Division, under the leadership of Rowling, has constantly moved the goal post for NRA’s contract processes.
Colleen Sterner

I would hardly call Rowling’s email “unprofessional”. I see it as the response of someone who knows the loose ways of the past are over and is perhaps a little frustrated over having to continuously correct the errors of those who have not realized this yet. I will say that Mensinger’s response was quite diplomatic as he politely says in so many words “not my problem”.

Of course, Sterner is not satisfied with that. It ends with a huffy statement about how she is working on “12 events”, the contract review is “old and entirely vague”, and they are moving the goal posts on her.

I would say that this is a prime example of the Peter Principle in action except that Sterner’s promotion to Director of Events for Advancement happened long after she had reached her level of incompetence. That may sound harsh but members of the NRA have a right to expect that people are hired and promoted based upon their competency and not their family ties.

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GOALS Comes To Knoxville In August

July 2, 2024 by

Gun Owners of America will be holding their first annual GOALS event in Knoxville, TN on August 17th and 18th. GOALS stands for Gun Owners Advocacy and Leadership Summit. This two-day weekend event will feature speeches from leaders in the gun rights movement, educational panels, meet and greet sessions, and musical performances from major artists. There will be special breakout sessions specifically for women and students.

The event will be held at the Knoxville Convention Center in downtown Knoxville. The Convention Center is located on the site of the 1982 Worlds Fair. It will be free to GOA members. You can obtain tickets by going here.

Unlike many other 2A events, GOALS will be emphasizing the role of 2A advocates in the media and content creators. I see many folks that I have known for years participating including Chris Dover, Jared Yaris, IraqVeteran8888, and MrGunsandgear.

You can hear more about it in this YouTube short.

I love the fact that this event is being held just over the mountains from me. Both the Complementary Spouse and I have registered for this event. If you plan to go to Dollywood, Gatlinburg, or Piegon Forge in August, why not include this in your plans as well.

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(Un)Happy Canada Day!

July 2, 2024 by 2 Comments

Note: This post was originally planned for July 1st which is Canada Day. However, due to server issues, the blog was down and it could not be posted.

Growing up I knew July 1st as “Dominion Day”. It was a Canadian holiday that commemorated the granting of dominion status or autonomy to Canada by the British Empire on July 1, 1867. It was renamed in 1982 to Canada Day upon the adoption of the Canada Act which provided Canadians with a constitution and ended the UK’s Parliament ability to amend it.

I have a great love and admiration for our northern neighbors. I have visited Canada many times and have been to most of their provinces. Going even further, my first girlfriend Pat was Canadian and lived in Ontario. Thus, it is with great sadness that I see the arrogant disregard for the rights of Canadians by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Whether it was the attempt to freeze the bank accounts of those protesting his Covid policies or his authoritarian decrees on firearms, Trudeau fils has shown utter contempt for the democratic process.

It is no wonder then that 70% of Canadians feel their country is “broken”.

Canada won’t hold federal elections until October 2025 unless Trudeau and his Liberal Party decide to dissolve Parliament sooner. One can only hope that Pierre Poilievre and his Conservative Party can win enough seats to form a government. His approach to various policies have been labeled libertarian and he definitely does not have the authoritarian streak possessed by Trudeau. Besides, anyone who has seen his handling of a journalist’s questions while eating an apple has got to be impressed how he dealt with those leading questions.

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Snark For A Friday Morning

June 28, 2024 by 4 Comments

I’ve been a little slack for the last week or so about blogging. I hope this little tidbit will make up for it. I saw it on X or Twitter this morning. The response was so perfect especially coming on a day when the Supreme Court finally (!) killed the abomination that was the Chevron Doctrine. Combine Looper Bright with Cargill and there are a lot of sad faces at 99 New York Ave, NE, in DC.

Enjoy!

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The End Of An Era

June 21, 2024 by 4 Comments

Miguel Gonzalez of the Gun Free Zone blog announced today that his blog is closing. He started his blog in 2008 and it was one of the blogs that I visited frequently. He started adding co-bloggers AWA and J.Kb. a few years ago and J.Kb. went too far in a post.

From Miggy:

Gunfreezone.net is my brand and has been since 2008. Good or bad, I am responsible for what is being published under it and I have dealt consequences for mistakes made before and carried on…

The advocacy of sending anybody to a gulag camp and stealing their money is not acceptable under any circumstances in this blog. NONE.

I do not give a damn if it was sarcasm, joke, titillation or clickbait, it simply is a Mortal Sin.

“When people say they are going to kill you/send you to camp, take them at their word.”

How many times through the years I have posted this concept in the blog I am not sure, but probably a lot. It hurt me to no end to see that idiocy published under my brand.

This is something I can’t take back and nobody can. So, the only thing I can do is making sure this stops right here and that means shooting the horse in the head….

Ladies and Gentlemen, it has been a memorable ride. But now it has come to its end.

My social media presence will be at MiguelGGG (@MiguelGGG12) / X. Email should still be working for a while at least.

My eternal thanks to all of you who read, shared, contributed and even gave me crap.

Maybe we will continue in another realm.

This saddens me because another of the old time bloggers has ridden off into the sunset. When I started in May 2010, you had people like Miggy, Sebastian, SayUncle, Tam, Kevin Baker, Joe Huffman, Linoge, JayG, Weerd Beard, Sean, Breda, Thirdpower, and many more putting out stuff every day. We did battle with the evil minions of the gun prohibitionist lobby. We proudly wore the mantle of being called insurrectionists by Ladd and Josh at CSGV. We considered ourselves the Propaganda Corps of the Unorganized Militia and we had patches to prove it.

Some moved on to podcasting like Weerd and Breda, other went mainstream like JayG who is now an editor at Shooting Illustrated, some like Tam, Kevin Baker, and Joe Huffman still are at it, and sadly others like Sebastian, SayUncle, Thirdpower, and Linoge have essentially stopped writing.

I would disagree with those who say blogging is dead. However, it may be on life support. Commercial blogs such as TTAG, AmmoLand, and The Firearm Blog are still going strong but it isn’t the same. Then you have both podcasting and the YouTubers putting out “content”. I’m not sure where Instagram fits in all of this but I guess it does.

I will keep doing what I’ve been doing until I get tired of it. Fortunately, I’m not there yet.

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J. Warren Cassidy, RIP

June 19, 2024 by

Former NRA Executive Vice President and CEO J. Warren Cassidy passed away on Wednesday, June 12th at the age of 93. In addition to serving as the EVP from 1986 to 1991, Cassidy headed the NRA-ILA starting in 1982 after Neal Knox was fired by Harlon Carter. Cassidy was Wayne LaPierre’s immediate predecessor as EVP.

Cassidy served as president of the Goal Owners Action League, was elected to the NRA Board of Directors in 1978, and served one term as mayor of Lynn, Massachusetts. He served for 22 years in the US Marine Corps Reserve retiring in 1975 as a Lt. Colonel.

According to an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from 1991, Cassidy was forced to resign as EVP by the Board of Directors due to mis-management issues related to a new computer system, a drop in NRA membership, and a sexual harassment lawsuit settlement. Another article stated that Cassidy, when he became EVP, wanted to change the NRA’s image to put more emphasis on training and hunter safety as opposed to fierce advocacy for the Second Amendment. From my outsider’s perspective of events almost 40 years ago, it appears that is was a classic battle between the “Fudds” and hardline 2A advocates.

From his obituary:

After retirement, he moved to East Wakefield, NH and later, Mirror Lake, NH where Joan and he enjoyed family visits, golf, home projects, and giving treats to neighborhood dogs.


Cassidy is survived by his wife, Joan Cassidy (Purtell), and five children: Joseph Cassidy III and his wife Anne; Julia Rose (Cassidy) and her husband Ray; Phil Cassidy and his wife Tina; Susan Van Tongeren (Cassidy) and her husband Philip; and Beth Grew (Cassidy) and her husband Steven. He is also survived by his sister Carol Welch (Cassidy); his grandchildren: Michael, Diana, Bart, Cara, and Cassie; and, his great-grandchildren: Aiyla, Shayn, and Alina. Warren was pre-deceased by grandson, Christopher van Tongeren.


In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donations be sent to the Tuftonboro (NH) Free Public Library. Cassidy will be interred at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Lynn with military honors.


A Funeral Mass will be 11:00 AM Saturday June 22 at St Katharine Drexel Church in Alton, NH.