Wayne LaPierre resigns as NRA head

[ThatRobGuy]

Wayne LaPierre resigns as NRA head

National Rifle Association (NRA) head Wayne LaPierre will resign from the organization at the end of the month, the group announced Friday. LaPierre’s resignation, first reported by Fox News, comes…

thehill.com

National Rifle Association (NRA) head Wayne LaPierre will resign from the organization at the end of the month, the group announced Friday.

LaPierre’s resignation, first reported by Fox News, comes as the organization defends itself in a New York civil suit alleging he and other executives spent millions of the group’s funds on luxury vacations and other perks.


He's citing health concerns as his reason for stepping down, but part of me suspects that he's looking for an escape hatch as the organization is in some legal trouble, and more and more people have realized that they're getting fleeced by the organization.

NRA revenue in freefall as member dues plummet - CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

The National Rifle Association is bleeding money and members, according to a financial audit obtained by CREW.

www.citizensforethics.org

They're an organization that's basically outlived any usefulness they may have had decades ago, and when you look at their revenue vs. other much smaller gun rights organizations, and consider the fact that those aforementioned smaller organizations have been the ones to win all of the high profile court cases (which NRA has then tried to piggy back off of and claim the victory as their own), I think it started to become obvious to people that they were paying $500 for a duffel bag and a ballcap.

 

[Astrid]

Wayne LaPierre resigns as NRA head

National Rifle Association (NRA) head Wayne LaPierre will resign from the organization at the end of the month, the group announced Friday. LaPierre’s resignation, first reported by Fox News, comes…

thehill.com

National Rifle Association (NRA) head Wayne LaPierre will resign from the organization at the end of the month, the group announced Friday.

LaPierre’s resignation, first reported by Fox News, comes as the organization defends itself in a New York civil suit alleging he and other executives spent millions of the group’s funds on luxury vacations and other perks.


He's citing health concerns as his reason for stepping down, but part of me suspects that he's looking for an escape hatch as the organization is in some legal trouble, and more and more people have realized that they're getting fleeced by the organization.

NRA revenue in freefall as member dues plummet - CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

The National Rifle Association is bleeding money and members, according to a financial audit obtained by CREW.

www.citizensforethics.org

They're an organization that's basically outlived any usefulness they may have had decades ago, and when you look at their revenue vs. other much smaller gun rights organizations, and consider the fact that those aforementioned smaller organizations have been the ones to win all of the high profile court cases (which NRA has then tried to piggy back off of and claim the victory as their own), I think it started to become obvious to people that they were paying $500 for a duffel bag and a ballcap.

Outlived, or hijacked and lost its way?

 

[wing2000]

He's citing health concerns as his reason for stepping down, but part of me suspects that he's looking for an escape hatch as the organization is in some legal trouble, and more and more people have realized that they're getting fleeced by the organization.

NRA revenue in freefall as member dues plummet - CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

The National Rifle Association is bleeding money and members, according to a financial audit obtained by CREW.

www.citizensforethics.org

I understand that he is named in the corruption lawsuit so I expect he won't find much of an escape hatch.

 

[MForbes]

I’m a gun owner and competition shooter. I can’t stand the NRA. They’ve been ripping members off for a while now.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

I’m a gun owner and competition shooter. I can’t stand the NRA. They’ve been ripping members off for a while now.

The same type of grift as the fraudulent AARP.

 

[Tuur]

The same type of grift as the fraudulent AARP.

Fraud? I don't know about that. Fraud is legally purporting to spend money on X while illegally spending the money on Y instead. I haven't checked into the proportion of funds spent by AARP that goes to things other than overhead, but a surprisingly small amount by some charities and organizations goes to the stated purpose and it's all above-board because there's no fraud.

That's the situation I think the NRA is in. The NRA response hasn't been that the perks never happened, only that it has done nothing wrong. That may well be true. The question asked of current and prospective members is whether they wanted their money to go to buying LaPierre another suit. While LaPierre may have resigned, what indication is there that anything has really changed in the NRA?

Disclosure: I'm a former NRA member. Before the reports of the perks for NRA officials came out, I became disgusted with the constant hand stuck out asking for money. You'd think they were public broadcasting or something.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Outlived, or hijacked and lost its way?

Outlived...

Gun rights (in broad terms) are pretty much already solidified, it's legal to own a gun in all 50 states. (which was part of their mission statement -- focusing on the macro)

The minutia of the specifics (on a case by case basis -- the micro) is really where most of the legal fights take place, and that's where other much smaller orgs like 2AF have racked up all the court wins and where the NRA has failed in their objectives.

If you look at one of the most important cases of the recent past

District of Columbia v. Heller - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It was a guy named Alan Gura who tried and won the DC v Heller case, and then the NRA tried to piggy back off his win. (and almost derailed his win for that matter)

Attorney Alan Gura, in a 2003 filing, used the term "sham litigation" to describe the NRA's attempts to have Parker (aka Heller) consolidated with its own case challenging the D.C. law. Gura also stated that "the NRA was adamant about not wanting the Supreme Court to hear the case".[55] These concerns were based on NRA lawyers' assessment that the justices at the time the case was filed might reach an unfavorable decision.[56] Cato Institute senior fellow Robert Levy, co-counsel to the Parker plaintiffs, has stated that the Parker plaintiffs "faced repeated attempts by the NRA to derail the litigation."[57] He also stated that "The N.R.A.'s interference in this process set us back and almost killed the case. It was a very acrimonious relationship."[6]

 

[Ana the Ist]

Wayne LaPierre resigns as NRA head

National Rifle Association (NRA) head Wayne LaPierre will resign from the organization at the end of the month, the group announced Friday. LaPierre’s resignation, first reported by Fox News, comes…

thehill.com

National Rifle Association (NRA) head Wayne LaPierre will resign from the organization at the end of the month, the group announced Friday.

LaPierre’s resignation, first reported by Fox News, comes as the organization defends itself in a New York civil suit alleging he and other executives spent millions of the group’s funds on luxury vacations and other perks.


He's citing health concerns as his reason for stepping down, but part of me suspects that he's looking for an escape hatch as the organization is in some legal trouble, and more and more people have realized that they're getting fleeced by the organization.

NRA revenue in freefall as member dues plummet - CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

The National Rifle Association is bleeding money and members, according to a financial audit obtained by CREW.

www.citizensforethics.org

They're an organization that's basically outlived any usefulness they may have had decades ago, and when you look at their revenue vs. other much smaller gun rights organizations, and consider the fact that those aforementioned smaller organizations have been the ones to win all of the high profile court cases (which NRA has then tried to piggy back off of and claim the victory as their own), I think it started to become obvious to people that they were paying $500 for a duffel bag and a ballcap.

Aren't they broke? The NRA I mean.

 

[Hans Blaster]

Aren't they broke? The NRA I mean.

By the end of this trial they may be non-existent.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

By the end of this trial they may be non-existent.

I'm sure the Russian donors will bail them out (again).

 

[Hans Blaster]

I'm sure the Russian donors will bail them out (again).

Money won't help if your are legally disbanded.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Aren't they broke? The NRA I mean.

They're trending in that direction

 

[Astrid]

Leadership will make or break anything

 

[Arcangl86]

Honestly I'm amazed he wasn't fired a couple of years ago after he filed for bankruptcy without clearing it with the board first.

 

[essentialsaltes]

NRA found liable in corruption case as jury says longtime leader Wayne LaPierre should repay $4.3 million​

In its verdict, the jury found LaPierre should pay the powerful gun rights group $4.3 million in damages for mismanagement and misspending charitable funds on lavish personal trips, no-show contracts and other questionable expenditures. The panel also found the group’s former CFO Wilson Phillips should pay back $2 million for breaching his fiduciary duties as an executive.

The panel found the NRA improperly entered into some deals that benefited its insiders, including its top executives and board members, without proper board approval or ratification. The improper self-dealing included a post-employment consulting contract with the NRA’s former CFO Wilson Phillips, and hair and makeup expenses for LaPierre’s wife.

The jury also found the NRA filed false and misleading statements in its annual reports.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Judge declines to appoint monitor for NRA but hands former CEO Wayne LaPierre a 10-year ban​

The split decision from Judge Joel Cohen came on the final day of arguments in the second stage of the civil trial of the NRA brought by New York Atty. Gen. Letitia James.

[The first stage resulted in the repayments and finding of liability above. I gather the second stage was about future remedies.]