NRA

Members Take Back Our NRA

By RVL / February 4, 2025
Members Take Back Our NRA
Hi! I’m new to this group. I recently joined because I want to find out what in the world is going on with this organization that I love. Too many changes and no explanation.
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Jeff Knox

After Wayne finally resigned and we got through the first half of the New York trial, 4 of us were elected to the Board on a Reform platform. Together with sitting Directors who had been trying to get the Board to shift gears, we started gaining traction. At our May Board meeting, right after the 4 of us were seated, we managed to thwart the establishment and elect new, reform-minded people to leadership positions. We won both Board VP seats as well as the Executive VP/CEO position, but we were a few votes short in the President race.
Since then, Doug Hamlin, our new EVP/CEO has made a number of changes at HQ, hiring a new Executive Director of General Operations, a new Director of Advancement (big donor solicitation), and recently a new Executive Director of NRA-ILA. He also has done some major reorganizing and consolidating within the corporate structure.
Part of the changes were about getting rid of LaPierre coconspirators, but most of it was to build an effective team and structure.
Randy did a great job in his short time as ED of ILA, but Doug was looking for more than he thought Randy could offer, so he promoted John Commerford to the position. I think it was a good move.
As to this year’s ballot, isn’t it great to have too many choices?
While there certainly is value in experience, there’s also entrenchment and culpability. Long-time Board members are frankly tainted. If they were there for Wayne’s bad behavior and the legal mess that followed, there is valid concern among many members regarding their complicity or culpability. There’s also a strong bond between many of these “Old Guard” Directors that leads them to support and cover for one another. All of that is a problem. That’s why I encourage members to vote for new candidates and pass on the Old Guard establishment.
In the ballot issue of the magazine, there are two pages of ads from “reformers” and another ad from the Old Guard. There are also 4 or 5 new nominees who were not named in either ad. My advice is look at all incumbents with skepticism, particularly those who have been on the Board for many years or decades. Look carefully at the new folks to see who they might be connected to, but more importantly, what skills and experience they would bring to the Board.
If you have specific questions, feel free to ask and I, or others, will do our best to answer them.

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