From the Editor

As I write this editorial, I have just finished reading the January, 2025 issue of the American Rifleman – the flagship publication of the National Rifle Association. Before I go any further, let me make two qualifying statements. Firstly, I want the reader to remember that this is an editorial, which, by definition is merely one person’s opinion and secondly, I am not currently an NRA member. I was for many years, but when I began to detect an unhealthy smell from within the organization, I ceased to renew my yearly membership, sending my money to other pro-Second Amendment groups instead. The fact that ultimately my sense of that situation was correct is not something that I’m proud of.

Given Wayne LaPierre’s resignation from the NRA in January of 2024, and the courts demanding that he re-pay over $4,000,000 back to the organization that he was allegedly guilty of “misappropriating”, I think that the most charitable among us can say that things had gone seriously off the rails at the NRA. This, along with a $2,000,000 fine for Wilson Philips, the Chief Financial Officer and a $100,000 fine for Joshua Powell, Director of General Operations. I don’t believe for a moment that these gentlemen were the only ones involved in wasting the membership’s money, but they are those who have been singled out by the courts.

Another fact that we shouldn’t be surprised at was the huge effort put forward by the anti-gun zealot Letitia James to “break the NRA”. The state of New York is notoriously anti-gun and anti-Constitution, so there certainly should have been no surprises to anyone in charge of the preeminent pro-gun organization in the United States that the Attorney General would come after them in what many described as a political “witch hunt”. One would think that in this toxic environment, you would make sure that you weren’t doing anything dodgy, forewarned being generally forearmed.

However, this is all old news. Since the LaPierre Debacle, we are being assured that it is a new day at the National Rifle Association. There is a new Executive Vice President, Doug Hamlin, as well as a new President, Bob Barr. Both have written positive columns in the January 2025, issue of the Rifleman, trying to rally the troops. In Mr. Hamlin’s case, he seems to assure us that without the NRA, Donald Trump would not have been elected as the 47th President. I think that is a bit too much of a “pat on the back”, as disaffected NRA members are not going to suddenly reverse their core political beliefs and vote for a Leftist candidate in any election. However, I will agree that the NRA was part of the support for President Trump and as such, certainly helped him win the election.

Mr. Barr’s column references the need for current NRA members to vote in the Board of Directors election. He then relates the astounding fact that, according to the NRA Secretary John Fraser, only three to eight percent of the membership vote in the annual BOD election. To quote: “Given the critical role the Board of Directors plays, one would think NRA members would be very interested in participating…but voter turnout has been dismal over the last decade.”

It is very obvious, I think, what is going on concerning the malaise of NRA members not participating in the Board of Directors election. It would seem that many current members are disillusioned with what they think will be “business as usual” at the NRA. This situation is not a new one as Mr. Barr relates that these numbers go back over the last decade. Years ago, there were rumors that all was not on “the up and up” at the NRA, and the court proceedings seem to verify this.

President Barr makes the point that members need to step up and participate in the BOD voting process, and he is correct. However, instead of chiding the membership over their lack of participation, one would think that appraising them of new steps taken to ensure that there is never going to be such an “abuse of position” as we saw in the LaPierre Debacle, would be a much more positive tone. I know that personally, a column convincing me of those desperately needed changes would go a long way towards me sending in my dues.

As a former member, I would assume that I’m part of the “target audience” that the new movers and shakers at the NRA want to bring back to the fold. I’m not saying that they can’t, but they are going to have to do more than just offer me a jackknife along with my membership dues. They have to seriously reestablish their credibility by actively working for the membership, rather than simply using them. This means breathing life back into discontinued programs and a much-heightened level of transparency that assures their members that the days of the “Good Old Boys” are indeed over. Until that happens, I will continue to vote in support of the Second Amendment and the Constitution, as an engaged, intelligent citizen. I would prefer to do that along with supporting a revitalized and re-focused National Rifle Association. It’s their choice.

– Gut Ziel