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NRA Board Election Results

May 13, 2022 by 5 Comments

The following was sent out to the NRA Board and to all the candidates running in the 2022 board election. As I understand it, these are still unofficial tallies as the election has to be certified by the Elections Committee. However, this is as close to official it is going to get until the meeting in Houston.

From John Frazer who sent this out:

The NRA mail ballot election results have been received. Formal notices were sent yesterday by e-mail and overnight Federal Express to each candidate.  The overall results are below, in rank order of votes received. Final vote tallies will be released at the Annual Meeting of Members in Houston.

Please join me in welcoming our newly elected and re-elected Board members.

ELECTED FOR A THREE-YEAR TERM ENDING IN 2025

  1. Sandra S. Froman
  2. Bob Barr
  3. Marion P. Hammer

[Don Young*]

  1. Joe M. Allbaugh
  2. Blaine Wade
  3. Matt Blunt
  4. Larry E. Craig
  5. Johnny Nugent
  6. Carol Frampton
  7. Dwight D. Van Horn
  8. Willes K. Lee
  9. Mitzy McCorvey
  10. James W. Porter
  11. Ronald L. Schmeits
  12. Danny Stowers
  13. Dave Butz
  14. Todd R. Ellis
  15. Cathy S. Wright
  16. Steven W. Dulan
  17. Tom King
  18. Al Hammond
  19. David Norcross
  20. Anthony P. Colandro
  21. Charles T. Hiltunen
  22. Paul D. Babaz

* Congressman Young ranked fourth in the vote count, but passed away during the election.

ELECTED FOR A TWO-YEAR TERM ENDING IN 2024

  1. Antonio A. Hernandez

ELECTED FOR A ONE-YEAR TERM ENDING IN 2023

  1. James Chapman

NOT ELECTED — ELIGIBLE TO RUN FOR 76TH DIRECTOR

  1. Frank C. Tait
  2. Isaac D. Demarest

In a real sense, there is no rhyme nor reason to this order of finish. You have people with minimal name recognition finishing well ahead of those who are fairly well known. For example, I would have expected the current 1st VP of the NRA Willes Lee to have finished ahead of most of those who finished higher. Likewise, you have a Danny Stowers whose career seems to have been in Human Resources at a couple of Texas companies finishing ahead of Tom King who heads the NYSRPA. Similarly, you have Cathy Wright who was ostensibly from North Carolina with virtually no name recognition in the Tar Heel State finishing ahead of Frank Tait who is a 3-time candidate and who has generated lots of press.

We still don’t know how many ballots were received nor how many got returned to sender due to the Zip+4 fiasco. We don’t know how many ballots were considered spoiled. Would a comment on the ballot saying, “Fire Wayne” or the other F word, cause a ballot to be “spoiled” and not counted?

Finally, there is the issue of bullet voting. If a good number of people did bullet vote as was urged for Frank Tait, then it stands to reason from a statistical point of view that votes for Frank should have weighed more than those where a voter filled out 20-25 spots. Yet, Frank finished next to last and people who no one had ever heard of before finished middle of the pack. Is the Nominations Committee endorsement that strong an endorsement? Are that many people really just zombies plodding along voting for whom they are told in a brain-dead manner?

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What District Was That Congressman?

May 13, 2022 by 1 Comment

I live in the 11th Congressional District of North Carolina. Our current congressman is Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) who is the youngest member of Congress.

Cawthorn is facing a stiff challenge in the Republican primary for a number of reasons. These include a poor voting record, doing dumb shit like trying to take a firearm on an airplane (twice), driving on a suspended license while speeding, lots of embarrassing videos coming to light, and crappy constituent service. Topping this all off is that before the Democrat-controlled NC Supreme Court threw out the General Assembly’s redistricting plan, Cawthorn had planned to ditch the 11th District for a new, more heavily Republican district, closer to Charlotte. The rationale was that he would gain more media attention from the Charlotte media than he could from the local Asheville media outlets.

I got an email today from Cawthorn trying to raise money. Here is how it concluded:

I’ll be traveling across my district here in North Carolina and hope to have your support as I make this critical push to stay in the race!
Thanks,  
Madison Cawthorn
Congressman, NC-14

I don’t know about you but I prefer a congressional representative who remembers what district he or she actually represents.

As an aside, Cawthorn still got the NRA-PVF endorsement given their pro-incumbent bias. Grass Roots North Carolina-PVF however has recommended St. Sen. Chuck Edwards (R-Henderson) who not only has helped pro-gun legislation in Raleigh but actually holds a FFL.

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Supply Chain Issues?

May 13, 2022 by

The tweet of the day illustrates the cognitive dissonance on the part of the Left with regard to the firearms industry. A Florida lawyer who devotes much of his time to researching “the right-wing” seems to think that the firearms industry has had no supply chain issues.

Rob Romano’s tweet humorously corrects that misapprehension.

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The Drones Keep Listening To Big Brother

May 12, 2022 by
Image from Apple “1984” ad

I have to wonder who votes in the election for the NRA Board of Directors. You have a few good candidates and you have a lot of hacks. You have mostly Friends of Wayne and the rare candidate who wants to do something worthwhile. Invariably, it is the hacks who are the Friends of Wayne who get elected.

Many of us thought this year might – and I emphasize might – see some change in this.

We were wrong.

Frank Tait got this message today from John Frazer who is the NRA Secretary and a named defendant in the NYAG lawsuit:

“Based on the draft report from Rogers & Company, you have not been elected to the NRA Board of Directors. In accordance with Article VIII, Sec, 4 of the NRA Bylaws, your name will be automatically placed on the ballot for one Director for a one-year term to be voted on by those members present and eligible to vote on the occasion of the Annual Meeting of Members.”

You have to wonder if Wayne and his cabal will be so bold this year as to again push their preferred candidate for 76th Director using so-called volunteers who have their expenses paid. In their arrogance, I would not be surprised to see them deployed.

I do think the postal issue had some impact even if this is routinely denied by the NRA. Until we see the actual vote numbers, it will be impossible to determine.

In the meantime, I feel it is as if too many voters are like those drones in the Apple 1984 commercial listening to Big Brother. Just substitute Wayne’s bespectacled face for that of Big Brother and you have the results we have been seeing for years.

From the Apple 1984 commercial

I do have one question to those of you in California. Have you seen or heard of “ballot harvesting” by the NRA Member Councils in California?

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CZ 600 Recall

May 11, 2022 by 1 Comment

The CZ 600 rifle was meant to replace the CZ 550. Unlike the CZ 550 which had a lot of dangerous game calibers such as the .375 H&H and the .416 Rigby, the CZ 600 topped out at the .300 Winchester Magnum. I know this caused some consternation in the African hunting circles as the CZ 550 was seen as a good safari rifle at an excellent price point.

Now, CZ-USA has announced a recall of the CZ 600 due to an issue with the barrel interchangeability feature.

From CZ-USA:

CZ-USA has recently learned of a potential safety issue with the CZ 600 bolt-action rifles.  CZ-USA is voluntarily initiating a recall of these rifles to protect the safety of its customers because of the potential for a catastrophic failure if the barrel is not installed correctly. 

To prevent the possibility of death or serious personal injury, you should immediately stop using your CZ 600 rifle and not load or fire it until it has been returned to CZ-USA to be inspected and modified.

CZ 600 rifles were designed to allow the users to replace the barrels themselves to change the caliber.  CZ-USA has learned that if the barrel is improperly installed, it is possible that the rifle could still be fired, but potentially result in a catastrophic failure.  CZ-USA will correct this issue by permanently installing the barrels in CZ 600 rifles.  As a result, the barrels on CZ 600 rifles will no longer be interchangeable.  CZ-USA understands that this solution may not be acceptable to some of our customers, in which case we will issue a full refund upon presentation of a valid receipt for the purchase of your rifle.

CHECK YOUR SERIAL NUMBER

If you own a CZ 600 rifle, CZ-USA urges you to determine whether it is affected by this recall by clicking the button below:CHECK YOUR SERIAL NUMBER

START A CLAIM

If your rifle is determined to be affected, submit your information to CZ-USA by clicking the button below:START A CLAIM

Or call Customer Service at 913-413-1825, or email us at cz600recall@cz-usa.com for information about returning your rifle to CZ-USA for inspection and modification in accordance with this notice.

At CZ-USA, we value our relationship with you and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Your safety comes first.

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Allen West Agrees To Challenge Wayne

May 10, 2022 by 4 Comments

Lt. Col. Allen West (USA-Retired) has agreed to challenge Wayne LaPierre for election as the Executive VP and CEO of the NRA.

Now do I think he will be successful?

No.

The reason is that too many members of the Board of Directors mistakenly believe their loyalty should be to Wayne and not to the NRA. They have long ago forgotten their fiduciary duty – if they ever learned it to begin with. I have read the attacks by David Keene and Marion Hammer on the idea of West being the next EVP and it is obvious that they think their loyalty should be to Wayne. More on that in a separate post.

As Rocky Marshall notes in the press release embedded below, the leadership of the NRA will be changed. The only question is whether it will be in Houston by the board or will it be in New York by the judge. When I say leadership I mean more than Wayne. Both Charles Cotton and David Coy, due to their chairing the Audit and Finance Committees respectively, are in too deep for the courts to allow them to remain in office. As to Willes Lee then moving up to be President of the NRA, I feel the same about that as I would about Kamala Harris moving up to be the President of the US.

Below is the press release sent out today announcing that West had agreed to challenge Wayne.

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GRNC And GOA Win Against Mecklenburg Sheriff

May 9, 2022 by

Pistol purchase permits in North Carolina should be you go to the sheriff’s office, fill out a form, pay your $5, wait 15 minutes while they run you against those in the databases, and you walk out with your permit. However, that was not the way it was happening in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Sheriff Gary McFadden was taking upwards of a year to process some purchase permits as well as on NC Concealed Handgun Permits. He was using the pandemic as an excuse.

As a result, McFadden got sued and now a preliminary injunction is forcing him to start processing permits without further delays. This is a great win for the combination of Grass Roots North Carolina and Gun Owners of America who worked together on this.

From GRNC:

Release date:            May 9, 2022

Judge Orders Mecklenburg Sheriff to Issue Handgun Permits  Sheriff Garry McFadden enjoined by Court from delaying handgun permits

[Charlotte] In response to litigation filed by Grass Roots North Carolina (GRNC) and Gun Owners of America (GOA) over delays in handgun permits, a Superior Court judge has issued a preliminary injunction enjoining Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden from further delays.

Says the order:

“…the Court concludes as a matter of law Plaintiffs have shown a likelihood of success on the merits and are likely to suffer irreparable harm in the absence of injunctive relief…”

The order enjoins McFadden from: 1.    Failing to process pistol purchase permit applications within the 14 days required by North Carolina statute; 2.    Failing to process concealed handgun permit applications within the 45 days required by statute; 3.    Failing to request mental health records to process concealed handgun applications within 10 days as required by statute; and 4.    Failing to process fingerprints for concealed handgun permits within 5 business days.

To see the order, go to: https://www.grnc.org/documents/meck-prelim-injunction.pdf

Statement from GRNC president Paul Valone:

“In violation of North Carolina law, Sheriff Garry McFadden has been dragging his feet in processing North Carolina pistol purchase permits and concealed handgun permits, often taking up to a year to issue permits and preventing lawful North Carolinians from buying and carrying handguns for defense of themselves and their families.

“We believe this order sends a clear message to sheriffs in Guilford, Mecklenburg and Wake counties, among others, that obstructing lawful citizens from exercising the right to keep and bear arms will no longer be tolerated. To ensure compliance by a sheriff who has so far dragged his feet, Grass Roots North Carolina advises anyone whose fingerprints are not taken with five business days of completing a concealed handgun application to contact us immediately.”

“GRNC thanks Attorney Ron Shook for volunteering his time to litigate this case for our members. Ron is one of our ‘gun-friendly lawyers and helps people state-wide in fighting for their Second Amendment rights. Ron’s contact information can be found on our website under the ‘gun-friendly’ lawyers tab.”

Background:

For years, GRNC has received complaints from Mecklenburg County residents over unlawful delays in issuing pistol purchase permits and concealed handgun permits. Because all handgun transfers in North Carolina require either a pistol purchase permit or concealed handgun permit, lawful North Carolinians are being prevented from protecting their families at precisely the moment that violent crime is exploding around the country.

For more information: www.GRNC.org 

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Update On Move To Draft Allen West

May 6, 2022 by 7 Comments

Stephen Gutowski at TheReload.com has an update on the move to draft Allen West to challenge Wayne LaPierre for the post of Executive VP and CEO of the NRA.

From The Reload:

West said he is “honored” by the call for him to run against LaPierre. He said he is considering the move and consulting with loved ones.

“It is deeply humbling and I am honored that these current and former NRA Board Members would put such trust and confidence in my abilities,” West told The Reload. “I have to pray and consult with my family. I love the NRA and my life has been defined by answering the call to serve, and my oath to the Constitution has no statute of limitations.”

While some who intensely dislike LaPierre wonder if this is a good move, Jeff Knox of the Firearms Coalition had this point to make about Lt. Col. West.

From a comment on Facebook where he points out that perfect is the enemy of good:

Folks, not having an alternative candidate that’s “perfect” is how we end up with LaPierre continuing in power. We must take out LaPierre, and that means running a candidate who has the potential to win, and who will actually run. He might not be your favorite candidate, but he is likely to be the candidate we have, so please don’t be disparaging him.

I think Jeff is correct in that the question comes down to this: do you want the perfect candidate for EVP/CEO or do you want Wayne ousted?

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Draft Allen West For NRA EVP

May 5, 2022 by 3 Comments

I received a press release today seeking to draft former Congressman Allen West (R-FL) to stand against Wayne LaPierre in the election for Executive VP and CEO. Lt. Col. West is a former member of the NRA Board of Directors. He resigned in 2019 after refusing to hew the party line that all was well within the NRA. West now resides in Texas, has served as Chairman of the Texas GOP, and just placed second to Greg Abbott in the Texas GOP gubernatorial primary.

The effort to draft West is led by current NRA board member Judge Phil Journey, former board members Rocky Marshall and Bill Daley, and current board candidate Frank Tait (among others).

I have embedded their press release below:

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Vista Outdoor To Split Company

May 5, 2022 by

Vista Outdoor, itself a spinoff from Alliant Techsystems or ATK in 2015, announced plans today to split itself into two separate publicly traded companies. One company will be devoted to the outdoor brands such as CamelBak, Camp Chef, and Bushnell while the other company will be composed of the ammunition companies including Federal, Remington, CCI, and Speer. The new names will be announced at a later date.

Chris Metz, Vista Outdoor’s current CEO, will be CEO of the new outdoor brand company which will be headquartered in Bozeman, Montana. Jason Vanderbrink, the current president of the sporting products division of Vista Outdoor, will be appointed CEO of the new ammunition-centric company upon the completion of the spinoff. That company will be headquartered in Federal’s hometown of Anoka, Minnesota.

Looking over the different brands within each division, it appears, if I understand it correctly, that both reloading and hunting products such as RCBS and Primos will remain with the outdoors products company.

From CEO Chris Metz on the decision to split into two companies:

“Over the past few years, we’ve made significant progress executing on our strategy to grow our leading portfolio of brands, driving operational efficiencies and delivering value to our shareholders,” said Chris Metz, Chief Executive Officer of Vista Outdoor. “As a result of our efforts, we have built strong businesses that are well-positioned for continued growth and success as independent companies. As a result of the separation, our Outdoor Products and Sporting Products businesses will have resources, management teams and capital allocation priorities tailored to their respective strategic goals. We are confident that this increased focus will better allow each company to deliver long-term value for its shareholders, employees, customers and other stakeholders. The Centers of Excellence we have built will reside within the Outdoor Products business and continue to provide meaningful industry differentiation.”

“Following a thorough assessment of Vista Outdoor’s businesses, operations and value creation opportunities, the Board determined that a spin-off of its Outdoor Products business would unlock significant value,” said Michael Callahan, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “We are committed to working together through this transformative process to ensure that each company is optimized with the right teams and resources in place so that it can continue to deliver innovative, quality products that enhance outdoor experiences and create value for its shareholders.”

One impact from this spinoff or split is that the sporting products component will be the only major, pure ammunition, publicly traded company in the US. Olin, which owns Winchester, is also a major industrial chemical company. Even AMMO, Inc. has other components such as gunbroker.com which are not involved in the manufacture of ammunition.