CRPA President on NRA Financial Issues
I am being inundated with questions about the reports concerning the appropriateness of certain NRA financial practices. Although I do no work on the corporate side of NRA so have no inside information, as the President of the California Rifle & Pistol Association, I recognize that these reports are troubling to many, and understandably so. Many questions are being asked.
Of course, the anti-gun media and groups that hate and want to destroy and bury the NRA so they can destroy the Second Amendment are taking advantage of the situation, piling on, and twisting and spinning every report to harm the NRA and advance their stated agenda of turning NRA members against the association. It’s part of their published plan. They recognize that the NRA is the ONLY pro-2A group with any real influence. So they want to take it down and will do anything to make it so. Their reports about NRA’s overall financial condition are particularly inaccurate because they are not aware of the interrelated funding vehicles that the NRA can put to use to meet its financial obligations.
The NRA Board of Directors is well aware of the issues, and of its legal fiduciary responsibilities to the NRA as an incorporated non-profit association (not to any individual employee or vendor). The Board is being advised by its own legal counsel, and there are multiple other lawyers representing the interests of the Association itself (again, not any individual employee or vendor). It appears that the NRA Board is asking the right questions and taking appropriate actions to get to the bottom of things, though it is understandably working behind closed doors and away from the eyes of the biased media to minimize the ability of NRA’s enemies to use this situation to do more damage to the NRA.
Please do not stop supporting the NRA! That plays straight into the gun ban lobby’s plan. The NRA’s ongoing viability and strength have always depended on large and small donations to further its mission. And it is not an overstatement to say that the NRA is the only real hope we have for protecting and advancing our Second Amendment rights. Despite some recent losses, NRA works the hardest and is the most effective and successful group defending your 2A freedoms. All of the other self-promoting pro-gun-rights groups have absolutely no influence in D.C., despite what their email list building tactics and social media fundraising campaigns may suggest. Donations to these groups, many of which have no internal controls, disclosures, or limitations on spending, self-dealing, vendor fraud, conflicts of interest, etc., often go into the pockets of those behind the fundraising campaigns. So beware of imitators using slick social media or email marketing campaigns to fool you!
Please keep in mind that the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (ILA – NRA’s political and litigation arm) has a completely separate accounting system and has separate vendor payment / invoicing policies from NRA’s General Operations side. They are two separately managed NRA divisions. The issues being highlighted in the media and on the blogs are NOT about NRA-ILA.
If you want to earmark your donations so that the funds go ONLY to and can only be spent by NRA-ILA – you can do so. You can even earmark donations for use on behalf of a specific state (hint, hint, California). ILA’s accountants would prefer not to have donations limited like that, but it is your right nonetheless.
NRA-ILA and the California Rifle & Pistol Association are gearing up for the legal reckoning that we expect to launch in court assuming we get a good ruling from the Supreme Court in the NYSRPA v NYC case. You can thank NRA for getting that case to the Supreme Court, and for getting dozens of other pro 2A cases filed – including the recent WIN in the challenge to California’s magazine ban laws. CRPA’s and NRA-ILA’s legal team needs the financial ammunition to hold onto that win, and to launch the long overdue counter-offensive in California and elsewhere. Even if you aren’t happy about everything the NRA has done (it is impossible to satisfy every one of the almost 6 million NRA members, most of whom are independent-minded “rugged individuals”) your continued support is critical.
Please do NOT give up on NRA-ILA and CRPA now!
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