https://theoldschoolpatriot.com/statement-regarding-nra/

Allen West, May 14, 2019

It has become very apparent that I need to speak out about what is happening at the National Rifle Association.

I am in my second term as a Board member, and I am deeply concerned about the actions and statements being made. The recent statements by Charles Cotton and Carolyn Meadows that are appearing in the Wall Street Journal, and now other news outlets, are outright lies. I have never been told, advised, informed or consulted about any of these details mentioned in the WSJ, and who knows how much more despicable spending of members’ money.

These statements have maliciously, recklessly and purposefully put me, and uninformed Board members, in legal jeopardy.

Prior to the NRAAM in Indianapolis I sent an email to Wayne LaPierre’s managing director, Millie Hallow, expressing my sentiment that Wayne LaPierre resign immediately.

I also drafted a memo entitled “Resolution of Concerns,” both of these statements are known to the NRA Board. It is imperative that the NRA cleans its own house. If we had done so in Indianapolis, much of this could have been rectified.

I do not support Wayne LaPierre continuing as the EVP/CEO of the NRA. The vote in Indianapolis was by acclamation, not roll call vote. There is a cabal of cronyism operating within the NRA and that exists within the Board of Directors. It must cease, and I do not care if I draw their angst. My duty and responsibility is to the Members of the National Rifle Association, and my oath, since July 31, 1982, has been to the Constitution of the United States, not to any political party, person, or cabal.

The NRA Board of 76 is too large and needs to be reduced to 30 or less. We need term limits of four (4) terms on the Board. We need to focus the NRA, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization on its original charter, mission, training and education in marksmanship, shooting sports, and the defense of the Second Amendment.

I will dedicate all my efforts to the reformation of the National Rifle Association and its members, of whom I am proud to serve.

It sickens me to publicly make this statement, but I will not allow anyone to damage my honor, integrity, character, and reputation. Needless to say, there are those who have willingly done so to their own.

Steadfast and Loyal,
Lieutenant Colonel Allen B. West (US Army, Retired)
Member, 112th US Congress
Patriot Life Benefactor, Board Member, National Rifle Association

And this man:

https://www.facebook.com/knight4nra/posts/2666525663389184

As I have already expressed, I am very concerned about the course of our Association. It must always be focused on its stated purposes and objectives. Unfortunately, the NRA’s focus of late has been trying to cover up the financial malfeasance of the last 20 years. Therefore, I do not agree with the statements put out by Charles Cotton and Carolyn Meadows. The majority of the Board did NOT know about the misuse of Member dues. What has been leaked to the press came as an unwelcome surprise to many of us. And it erodes all confidence in management’s ability to lead the NRA. I do not support Wayne LaPierre continuing as Executive Vice President/CEO nor do I support Josh Powell continuing as Wayne’s Chief of Staff. The Assocation desperately needs to regain the confidence of its Members, and that can only happen with new management prepared to lead NRA and right the wrongs of the past.

I 100% agree with Lieutenant Colonel Allen West and fully support what he wrote earlier today.

Yours in Liberty,
Timothy Knight

The tide starting to come in?

It is long past time for WLP to go, his extravagent spending habits are one of the prime reasons the NRA doesn't need this arrogant POS.

Good for West.
Not only does WLP need to go, but the Board needs to take a hard look at what I suspect are a lot of self-dealing business arrangements.

It appears that the NRA has it's own little swamp to drain... WLP is only the beginning...

Perhaps a petition to the board would have some effect? If a million or so members demand WLP's departure maybe the NRA could be saved.

I've been a member for a long, long time, but can't see renewing as long as WLP and others are wasting our funds.

LaPew capitulates too often and when he's being interviewed he has that deer-in-the-headlights look.

Time for the SOB to go.

I typed in NRA ----The Gun Collective and was presented with a form to message the NRA Board of Directors individually or collectively. I believe you can also use the sight to address Mr. LaPierre individually or other officers. That might be a better avenue rather than griping on this forum. Your NRA member number is required."

The above was posted by member Hastings in another thread on this subject.

I encourage every NRA member to send their personal message to the entire Board and perhaps it will force them into action.

I too, am a long time member. The answer is NOT to abandon the NRA over the acts of certain NRA officers, the answer is to fix the problem. We can, and must clean house, and that means letting them hear from us, the supporting membership.
Those aligned against our second amendment rights would LOVE to see the NRA abandoned by it's membership. The cause remains, and the fight remains to be fought...

10-4.

See my post directly above yours. I will not abandon the NRA unless they fail to take corrective action. If corrective action is not taken by the NRA then I will assume they have abandoned me and the cause.

Death from within,

I agree completely, we need the NRA. We need to rid it of the thieves in management and start over with bylaws that will prevent this kind of stealing and entrenchment in power by a cabal of unaccountable grifters. Maybe then we can fight in the courts for 2nd Amendment rights instead of spending $24 million defending NRA against racketeering charges. Let Wayne and company use their own money to hire personal lawyers. Wayne's email address is [email protected]. Always include your NRA number when you communicate.

How often does the NRA Board meet? Do board members really not know what is going on or are they abandoning a sinking ship and want to be the first to say "it wasn't me"?

As long as they stand behind the 2A, how they run the place and where/how/when they spend money doesn’t matter. If there’s 100 board members it doesn’t matter. If they all bought $5,000 suits it doesn’t matter. Let them stay at the best hotels in the world, travel all they want. It doesn’t matter. Double their salaries, it doesn’t matter.

All that matters is that they have a huge membership of folks who are expecting them to protect the 2A on their behalf. Membership costs should actually be doubled! Maybe tripled!


Wait.....were we talking about Planned Parenthood or the Insurance lobby?

I lost track.

Dang, maybe how a group of lobbyist conducts business does matter.

How any of this can be a surprise to anyone that has been involved with the NRA over the past two decades is beyond me.

I believe so.

This.

Agreed..



Exactly...

Considering they are 100% funded by members, I’d say there’s pretty good odds things can change.

Do any of you NRA members remember the Harlon Carter fiasco in the 80's? Bastards were partying like drug dealers on our funds.
I'm with Col. West time to clean house and that WLP should be the first to go.

I have intentionally withdrawn any further donations until the ship rights itself. I have expressed my aggravation with the endless stream of junk mail from the NRA. I am a Life Member + whatever they call the second stage above that. When the cause is just & the leadership honorable I will then resume monetary support.

I haven't sent the NRA a penny since becoming a life member 51yrs. ago.

I presume all you guys are writing or calling ( writing is better) the NRA and telling them that you want change in leadership, etc.
Bitching about it on this forum does little good if any.

Gun ownership comes with certain implied responsibilities. Defense of gun ownership should come with the same.

Quite honestly, we shouldn’t even need the NRA...but this is the world we live in.

yeah, i remember that.
i was a long time friend of neal knox, who was mixing it up with harlon at the time. It was a big thing at the time at the phoenix annual meeting.
the problems have been there for a long time. cronyism and self dealing.

I have been a life member for a lot of years but was leery of the “Safari Club” feel of WLP. My donations have been few and far between.

I have never been a WLP fan. He and his cronies need to go. How can board members be contacted without going through the NRA? It is a pretty good bet that anything sent to the NRA will never be seen by the board members.

Is there a contact list out there? If the board members hear from us directly, chances are better that something will be done.

Needs to be email or phone. I don't do Facebook or Twitter. Some of those board members have been there longer than WLP. That needs to change also.

No money from me until WLP is gone at the least.

Many times the "Boards" of an organization are symbolic.
If there are 70 board members, twenty (or less) are superior.
They are thge ones who are in the loop, and actually have power.


Look at the Sandusky scandal at Penn State.
It came out that only a few key people on the board really
had power and got fed all the info. The rest were figureheads.

It doesn't help that people keep voting in people who don't actually go.
They vote by name recognition. The same reason road side political candidate signs work, even though they shouldn't. People are dumb. "Oh I know that name... click."

The NRA is still the biggest dog in the yard.
We have crossed these bridges before and changed course.
This time we should have done it sooner.

Holy crap!!

Does anyone read ALL of the posts??

I say again;

" I will not abandon the NRA unless they fail to take corrective action. If corrective action is not taken by the NRA then I will assume they have abandoned me and the cause."

76 Board members? thats ridiculous. what the hell does that cost? a schit ton i'm sure.

76 board members is WLP's version of illegal alien voting. He can control it.

I've got to hand it to ol' Wayne. He has managed to put himself in a position where it is next to impossible to remove him all the while making it look like he was governing by the popular will of the membership. Some of the members are on to his subterfuge but not enough. He is plenty smart and for years and years he has milked this cash cow dry all the while painting any opposition as nefarious and unpatriotic. I am sad for the tremendous damage he has done to our cause and sad for the opening he gives to our opposition.

Not long after this thread started, I sent an email addressed to all the NRA board members. [email protected]

Only one has responded so far.

Sean Maloney emailed me with his office and cell number. I talked with him today. He shares the positions of Allen West and Timothy Knight. Said there are some internal audits going on and that the BOD doesn't meet again until September. He sounds like someone to support. Also said that Richard Childress stepped down as VP but is still on the board. As is Oliver North.

He said that donations to the ILA are best. Did not have any negative comments about Chris Cox. He said to email La Pierre along with the BOD with concerns. Mail sent to the board members is forwarded to their home addresses.

Mr. Maloney said he would probably not be recommended for re-election due to his boat rocking. I'll be writing his name down on the next ballot. He said that there are a lot of good people on the board along with some that need to go. He recommended doing a Google search on prospective board members instead of just reading the small blurb that the NRA provides. He also said that a lot of NRA members "don't give a chit". Don't be one of those.

Get off your duffs and send a message!

Some of you guys sound just like Cheeto man. he don't need the NRA either

I agree with this.
Don’t jump ship, fix it!

West is a good man and I believe every word he says.

The NRA has gotten my message whether or not they pay attention..........We'll see.

Thanks for that info Anson.

Geno

And here I am an endowment member........ I don't like this B.S. one bit, but as dale06 says; "Don't jump ship, fix it ! "..... There are countless liberal P.O.S. azzwipes who delight in seeing the NRA have internal problems. Don't make them happier by allowing the NRA to sink. It's time to fix things and get back to fighting the good fight..

Agreed!

That's a good slogan --
Don't abandon ship, right it!

A good way to right the ship is to throw the excess baggage overboard.

Have y'all read the letter at the NRA web site attempting to explain away the Ollie North coup and the issues he raised? Letter strikes me as mostly a whitewash. Doesn't really address the issues North raised.

Nailed it! How in hell is 70 directors even remotely necessary? And you know everyone has perks and an expense account to attend meeting and who knows what else by way of compensation. Folks are being enriched on our dimes.

1500 events a year might have something to do with it, And a measly 5 million members. I'll bet they'd need even more help with 15 million members.

I doubt it.

I know your capable of such feats, but other may not be,

Why does a director have to attend these functions? Don't need a director at our NRA Banquet. Do you? Pretty sure that's a large part of the 1500 events a year. "Directors" usually set policy for an organization. Its usually the lower level bureaucrats who staff and put on events---and the NRA has staff for exactly that purpose. 70 "directors" sounds more like a cluster [bleep] to me, not a lean, mean organization focusing its scarce resources on policy, legislation and changing public opinion. Every one of those directors has a fat per diem and expense account----to go along with WLP's $5 million dollar wardrobe and salary in excess of one million a year. Now we know why the NRA is dunning its membership to death with solicitations. It has a cash flow problem because its gotten fat and lost its focus.

Hard to find an unbiased source on the web, but it looks like WLP's salary is upwards of a million a year. In 2015 he apparently got $5.05 mill in deferred comp. Is anyone at a non-profit worth that kind of money? Link below details a $39k shopping spree and other extravagant spending---paid for by you and me and lots of poor to middle class folk who love the Constitution. IMHO WLP is taking us and them for a ride. We've seen this before. When people become to powerful they become unaccountable.

https://crooksandliars.com/2019/05/wayne-lapierre-racks-hefty-39k-spending

Wayne LaPIerre is overpaid (about $1 million plus $150K bonus) and spends NARA money without abandon - this is why we receive phone calls and e-mails saying the organization needs more. It is time for him to go.

Communists like yourself call the NRA a terrorist organization.

Dood; that's not even 2 for each state. get a clue

It's much worse than is being reported. This is from a firearms patent attorney, it's mind-blowing:

Leaked documents show that Wayne received hundreds of thousands of dollars in private overseas jet travel, including the Bahamas and Italy (where I understand there was a brief appearance in an NRA video). A $4000/month apartment for a stunningly blonde “summer intern.” But what got me was the clothing. The Wall Street Journal reported:

“Wayne LaPierre billed the group’s ad agency $39,000 for one day of shopping at a Beverly Hills clothing boutique, $18,300 for a car and driver in Europe, and had the agency cover $13,800 in rent for a summer intern, according to newly revealed NRA internal documents.”

……..

But yesterday, I saw a social media post that got me to thinking. It was a local profile of a successful Dallas attorney, focusing on his office décor. His law firm is the one hired by the NRA to work out a complex dispute with the insurance company involved in the Carry Guard insurance the NRA was marketing to members. I had seen media reports that part of the NRA’s financial concerns was that the NRA had paid this firm $24,000,000 in legal fees in the last year or so.

I tell my clients looking at litigation not to weigh the hundreds of thousands or even millions it’ll cost to litigate, but instead to ask what will be the typical monthly legal bill, and how many months (or years) of those, say, $50,000 monthly legal bills they should expect. So, the NRA was cutting million-dollar-plus checks each month for more than a year, with money collected $35 a pop from each member.

http://gunpatent.com/save-the-nra-d..._yglfvzSoIVRjFasXz_yeN6VhAo-7sWzKJowx96A

And of course WLP says they just have to have this lawyer 'cause he's so good. I'm calling BS on that one too.

I think they call that a personal attack which basically means you hoisted the white flag.

Since when is that the criteria? They're not even apportioned by state and even it they were, anyone think having an NRA director in Kalifornia, for example, would make a damn bit of difference? Allen West says they only need 30 directors, not 70. No offense, but I'll take West's opinion over yours if you don't mind.

Dood, you don't appear to know the reasons and responsibilities of an organization's Board of Directors.
https://www.inphilanthropy.org/site...20Boards-Natl%20Center%20NP%20Boards.pdf

http://money.com/money/5178193/wayne-lapierre-net-worth-nra-money-salary

Looks like Wayne takes in $1M/ year and has a net worth of $10M.
The NRA takes in $95M, so he is getting 1%.

https://www.charitynavigator.org/docs/2014_CEO_Compensation_Study.pdf

It looks like for a non profit of that size, he should get more like $300k.

Maybe he is doing two jobs by running the place and being rockstar public figure.
When he walked through WAC [Washington Arms Collector gun show in Puyallup] ~ 15 years ago, he had a bodyguard behind him.

I just now saw a picture of Mega Allen in a swimsuit (Wayne LaPierre's expensive summer intern). I don't know what her duties were but I can sure see why it would be nice to have her flitting about the office. The girl is stunningly beautiful, no question about it. I am just glad it wasn't at my expense. I quit sending money a long time ago. I want Wayne LaPierre gone but I do admire his taste in young women.