NRA Board Elections coming up

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chrisknox

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This old thread came up while I was researching my latest Knox Update column (seen in Shotgun News and elsewhere, so I thought TFL readers would be interested.

The NRA Board elections will soon be upon us. The makeup of the Board has a demonstrable effect on the effectiveness of NRA's lobbying efforts. Given their -uh- less than stellar performance on the nomination of Eric Holder to be AG, it looks like the Board could use some starch in its shorts. I'm hoping to see the TFL community take an active interest in the Board elections. We're in perilous times and can ill afford an NRA that wants to play nice.
 
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Welcome to The Firing Line, Chris.

I've been a fan of the Hard Corp Report for many years and voted for your father in several NRA elections.

I am moving this to our Law & Civil Rights forum. Try to visit us often, Chris.
 
I too am a fan of the Firearms Coalition work usually; but I thought your criticism of the NRA over the Holder nomination was both unfair and not accurate. You didn't mention that Stephen Halbrook went to Capitol Hill to testify against Holder's nomination (making it appear as if all NRA done was to write a letter opposing it) and I didn't see any suggestions on what NRA could have done to more effectively oppose it given makeup of the Senate currently.

I would like to hear more about good candidates for the NRA Board though. I know AR15.com has endorsed Joseph P. DeBergalis, Jr. and George P. Kollitides. I would assume based on the ARF endorsement that neither of these men are shrinking violets and are unlikely to be giving Joaquin Jackson like interviews any time soon.

In any case, both men have posted at the thread linked above and talked a bit about their bid.
 
Bud, and others, thank you for the welcome. I've occasionally dropped in and lurked, but hadn't had occasion to mix it up until now.

Bartholomew, to your point, I'd refer you to my brother Jeff's Knox Update from a couple of weeks ago. The Holder nomination was eerily reminiscent of the Mikva nomination of 1979.

It's true that Mr. Halbrook testified, but he did not appear under the NRA flag, although his appearance may have been brokered with NRA at the table.

The opposition letter that went to Judiciary Committee members did not include any warning that a vote in favor of Holder would be counted in political grading. According to word on the Hill, NRA quietly put out that a vote to confirm Holder would not be counted in political preference grading and opposition melted.

Our position on NRA's handling of Holder stands. NRA missed an opportunity to zealously oppose a rabidly anti-gun AG nominee and so shirked its duty as an advocacy organization. That soft position bodes badly as we enter a dangerous time for the Second Amendment.

Chris Knox
 
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Chris, thanks for taking the time to point that out to me. I had seen repeated criticism of the NRA over the Holder nomination; but nobody had ever explained where they felt the NRA failed. This is the first I had heard that NRA discounted the Holder vote in its grading and I agree that this is a problem.

Please keep us updated on the board member situation.
 
I made a post regarding George Kollitides over at THR. I don't know if the guy would be any good or not. I do know that most of his support comes from the fact that his employer (Cerberus/Freedom Group-owner of Bushmaster/DPMS/Marlin Remington) have been waging a massive spending effort to "buy" him a seat on the Board.

On one hand I'm sure he'd try to support owners of "black rifles" more. On the other hand, if the governemnt threatened to cancel contracts with any manufacturer that sells weapons to civilians, he might sell us out in a heartbeat.

I'm a Life Member of the NRA and firmly believe what they stand for. However, I feel there needs to be more of an effort to get some "young folks" on the board so that the NRA can be a real activist organization, not just an "old farts and businessmen" club (sorry if that offends anyone).
 
George Kollitides

To fburgtx --

I share your concerns about Mr. Kollitides. I suspect he's a shoo-in, and I also suspect he'll do a good job. But you're correct that he could be subject to conflicts that someone outside the industry would not face.

The antis are fond of saying that the NRA is a front for the "gun industry" and of course, NRA denies it. But when the board is salted with industry insiders, it's kind of hard to swallow. The bottom line is that industry insiders' interests don't always dovetail with the right to keep and bear arms. I'm not saying that an industry guy can't be a good board member, quite the contrary. Bob Hodgdon and Steve Hornady are two examples of great board members. Gun manufacturers do face a special set of challenges and that situation needs to be taken into account.
 
Chris, I noticed that of the 31 names on the ballot, only one was not selected by the nominating committee - Steven C. Schreiner out of Colorado. Do you know the story behind that decision?
 
read my sig.
Click to expand...

There are only two types of people who don't compromise - those who have so much power that they do not need to compromise and those who have no power whatsoever. Everybody else compromises.

Very few organizations reach the first level of power (and no individuals do).
 
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