"There is a clear crisis and it needs to be dealt with” if the NRA is to survive, North’s statement said.
INDIANAPOLIS — Retired Lt. Col. Oliver North said Saturday that he will not serve a second term as the president of the National Rifle Association amid inner turmoil in the gun-rights group.
In a statement read to members of the group Saturday, North said he believes a committee should be set up to review the NRA’s finances. North was not present at the meeting when the statement was read by Richard Childress, the NRA’s first vice president.
“There is a clear crisis and it needs to be dealt with” if the NRA is to survive, North’s statement said.
His announcement came after an effort by some members to force out top executive Wayne LaPierre, who has long been the public face of the group.
LaPierre sent a letter to board members Thursday saying that North was trying to push him out by threatening to release “damaging” information about him to the board.
North, best known for his role in the Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s, is nearing the end of his first one-year term. His announcement that he will not serve a second term is a clear sign that his efforts to force out LaPierre have failed.
LaPierre got two standing ovations from the crowd of more than 1,000 NRA members before giving a scheduled speech after North’s announcement. He began by using standard NRA talking points, going after the mainstream media and lawmakers who seek to restrict gun rights. He did not mention his feud with North.
“Our enemies have sunk to new lows,” LaPierre said, blasting Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, where regulators have scrutinized NRA operations.
The NRA has sued the state, claiming its rights under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment are being violated. In an unusual pairing, the American Civil Liberties Union has joined the NRA in its fight.
NRA officials are concerned that regulators in New York — where its charter was filed — are attempting to strip the group of its nonprofit status.
LaPierre told the crowd that efforts to strip away the Second Amendment right to bear arms will fail.
“We won’t accept it. We will resist it. We won’t give an inch,” he said.
Good. Oliver North always makes everything about Oliver North.
Ammoland wants LaPierre out, even though, in their own words:
–
‘Granted, the NRA would still be saddled with Ack-Mc pulling the strings in the background, be that through current President Oliver North (who currently benefits from a million dollar+ AM contract), or NRA employee and Ackerman McQueen’s pawn Josh Powell or whichever one of their selected board lackeys might appear to be stepping in to “fix things” in Ackerman McQueen’s favor.’
LaPierre should have been gone at least two decades ago. I applaud Ollie for standing up and calling for a complete review of the finances. LaPierre and a handful of other exec’s have gotten fabulously wealthy while driving the NRA into the ground in many ways.
I think Ollie refusing to serve another term though is a really bad idea though as it is the board that is in the best position to make the changes needed.
I think the NRA’s success over the years comes from quietly stoking extreme views yet successfully keeping a moderate, sensible face on it. Lately, I think they have gone whole hog into extremism. Will most of their dues paying members remain with them? Will more non-members question the NRA’s positions in this light and more readily embrace gun control measures?
That’s your leftist view. The NRA is going to have to get its act together, soon. With people like AOC, Elizabeth Warren, etc becoming more assertive, if the NRA falls apart we can expect more and more restrictions on guns (more than they have already let slide through). GOA is great but they lack the horsepower of the NRA. All of us who value the right to keep and bear arms need to become more assertive too.
Well there’s zero truth in any of those claims. You obviously know zero about the organization.
People like AOC are what will ensure the NRA never goes away. If the HQ gets run out of NY there are at least 45 other states that will line up to welcome them with open arms.
Any large organization is going to have internal problems from time to time, it’s unavoidable.
There are multitudes of gun owners that are not members of the NRA. Their desire to keep and bear arms is not in danger of being diminished.
I have been a member for decades. I have been (am) a Life Member for several years. I have been (am) an Endowment Member for over two years.
I contributed more funds directly to conservative candidates, at all levels, who support our 2nd Amendment rights than I do to the NRA.