What is the truth? How can we get back to having a strong, united NRA in time for the 2020 elections? People around the country are asking themselves these questions. This book (Amazon link) can help by shedding light on the NRA's past problems which still exist today. I have been devouring this book since yesterday and want to urge you to read it too.
"The Gun Rights War" was published in 2009 but I only heard about it recently. Though not new....Neal Knox unfortunately passed away in 2005...reading this book will give you the information you need about what ails the NRA...and some ideas for how to fix them.
What are the NRA's problems?
1) Lack of transparency and financial mismanagement
Neal Knox was a key player in the NRA's 1977 members revolt, which helped turn the organization from an educational marksmanship organization into more of a steadfast protector of a vital civil liberty. Following that crucial 1977 meeting, Knox took control of the NRA/ILA (Institute for Legislative Action), the lobbying arm of the NRA. They are a very effective part of the NRA.
Here is an interesting bit. In 1997, the NRA was deeply in the red. A big part of those financial problems resulted from Wayne LaPierre's failure to sever ties with PR firm Ackerman McQueen (a company you will hear being connected to NRA's problems today). LaPierre previously claimed to have severed ties with Ackerman McQueen and then signed up with the Mercury Group....a wholly owned subsidiary of Ackerman McQueen...
Right now we've got NRA leaders hinting that anyone expressing concern about the NRA's financial policies is a Bloomberg stooge. At the same time, I received another mailing from the NRA yesterday saying that the organization might shut its doors if I don't send more money. So which is it?
2) Too much willingness to compromise on gun controls
For years, I've been apologetic about the NRA and pointed out how the organization often offers more palatable version of gun control proposals. For example, the Staggers Bill alternative to the Brady Bill. But was that really a good thing? This book is making me wonder.
It turns out that this is not a new phenomenon. I knew that the NRA supported the National Firearms Act of 1934: the reason you may spend a year waiting for government approval to buy a suppressor or short barreled rifle and then pay a $200 tax. But it turns out that the NRA in 1937 also supported banning a "freakish" class of firearm: the .357 magnum revolver. Elmer Keith was having none of that, though, and organized to fight to defeat that foolish idea.
The NRA also supported a proposal by Senator Ted Kennedy to ban armor piercing handgun ammunition. There are a couple problems with that. First, armor piercing handgun ammunition was always very rare. Second and worse, it alerted criminals to the fact that the police were wearing bulletproof vests....and more officers began to be shot in the head.
This was long before the NRA and the Trump administration encouraged the development of Red Flag laws and a bumpstock ban that is ridiculously wrong from a legality and technical perspective...
There you have it....these are my concerns with NRA leadership. We need the NRA to get its act together and stop being in denial and going halfway towards resolving financial concerns. We also need the NRA to stop compromising our rights away.
What can you do to help?
- Help make the NRA more solid by participating in Save Our Second (link)
- Be an NRA member with skin in the game and eventually a voting member but let them know you will not make additional contributions or upgrade until financial solvency and transparency to members are a priority. The NRA/ILA seems to be mostly avoiding this whole food fight and is ALWAYS in state capitols fighting bad laws and helping to organize grassroots efforts. Consider supporting them (link).
- Support other organizations like the Second Amendment Foundation (link) and Citizen's Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (link), which punch WAY above their size.
This will sound corny but I *love* the NRA, its history and its mission. The organization has a history of positive work but you don't improve a group or yourself during troubled times by putting your head in the sand.
The Second Amendment protects a right that is vital to everyone. Neal Knox's book contains insights from a man who fought to protect it for decades. Let's extend his legacy by cleaning house and getting ready to fight harder than we ever did before.
