Opinion
Did you notice the short blurb in your December NRA magazine regarding a vote by the NRA Board of Directors to eliminate the Special Litigation Committee (SLC)?
It was published in the “Official Journal” section toward the back of the various magazines without any fanfare. It simply stated the motion that was voted on and listed the “Yeas and Nays”—the names of those Directors who voted for the proposal and those who voted against it.
This was an important vote that you should take special note of because NRA Board of Director elections are coming and how Directors voted on this matter is very pertinent.
During his time at NRA-ILA and afterward, one of my father, Neal Knox’s, key strategies was to push for votes on pro-rights bills in Congress and state legislatures, even when our side didn’t appear to have the votes to win. I’ve maintained the same advice over the twenty-plus years that I’ve been lobbying and advising state grassroots groups. The objective is not necessarily to win the vote, but to smoke out our opponents. Get them to go on record either supporting or opposing a proposal, then put that record in front of voters come election season.
That’s exactly what this internal BOD vote published in NRA magazines was all about.
In February, the NRA will hold elections for 28 seats on our 76-member Board of Directors, and a number of the candidates for those 28 seats will be incumbents who voted on the motion to dissolve the SLC. While Directors who voted against dissolving the SLC might believe they had valid reasons for doing so, the bottom line is that the SLC has not responsibly served the Board or our members, and it no longer has any valid excuse for existing.
Most NRA members know that our Association has been in turmoil for the past several years.
We’ve lost well over a million members, and revenue has declined by well over $100 million per year while legal expenses have gone through the roof. The reason for all of this was that our former Executive Vice President and CEO, Wayne LaPierre, got carried away with his own importance and value to the Association. On top of his approximately $1.5 million per year compensation, with another $1 million-plus going toward his personal security staff, he was also spending millions on private jet travel, presidential suite accommodations, and other expensive perks. He was giving major contracts to friends and family without competitive bidding or Board approval, accepting expensive gifts from some of those same vendors, allowing secret expense accounts for his favored staff members, and generally treating the NRA like his personal golden goose.
All of that led to a lawsuit being filed by the Attorney General of New York, and eventually verdicts of failure of fiduciary duty and liability against LaPierre and others, and a verdict against the NRA (Board of Directors) for failing to oversee charitable assets properly.
Through it all, LaPierre denied any wrongdoing, though he did admit to making “some mistakes,” while the Board of Directors almost unanimously gave him their full trust and support, insisting that those of us who were loudly raising questions and calling for accountability, were just “NRA bashers” and troublemakers pursuing personal vendettas.
In 2024, after the jury verdicts came down, NRA members overwhelmingly elected four extremely vocal advocates of reform, including me.
That all led to a slim majority of Directors joining efforts to move away from the status quo and toward a more active and transparent mode of operation. Other Directors still weren’t convinced. They doubled down and dug in their heels, denying any culpability in LaPierre’s wrongdoing, insisting that they and LaPierre’s hand-picked attorney, Bill Brewer, have saved the NRA from the existential threat of the New York AG, and arguing that they should continue to lead the Board.
At the heart of this group of “Old Guard,” stalwarts are former President Charles Cotton, who was Chair of the Audit Committee through most of the misdeeds, former Vice President David Coy, who was Vice Chair of the Audit Committee and Chair of the Finance Committee during those years, and current President Bob Barr, who has loaded each critical committee with “Old Guard” compatriots. These three make up the three-person committee known as the Special Litigation Committee or SLC, which has held undue control over the New York litigation since shortly after it was initially filed back in 2020 and has doggedly defended the exorbitant billings in multi-millions of dollars and foot-dragging of attorney Brewer.
A majority of the Board and our new EVP/CEO, Doug Hamlin, wanted to put an end to the SLC and the NRA’s retention of the Brewer firm, so a motion to dissolve the SLC was offered at our September Board meeting.
President Barr, under advice from the Parliamentarian, held that the motion would require the support of 2/3rds of the Directors present to prevail. We didn’t think we had the votes to meet the 2/3rds majority threshold, but we pushed for a record vote anyway because years ago, my father and others wisely amended the NRA Bylaws to provide a mechanism for a minority of the Board to force a record vote on any motion and report that vote to the membership, even if the vote occurred during a closed, Executive Session of the Board.
That’s why I’m able to report on this vote, and you’ll be able to see how your Directors voted.
Of course, not all Directors are up for election in 2025, and several who are going to be on the ballot were not present for the vote. Tom King of New York was a notable absence for health reasons, but he has been a strong supporter of the “Old Guard” and the SLC. You might notice that President Bob Barr’s name is not included in the roll call vote. Mr. Barr apparently abstained from the vote, though he actively defended retaining the SLC and his position on that committee.
The above graphic includes a screenshot of the vote announcement and roll call from NRA publications, along with commentary from a group of Board reformers.
www.ElectaNewNRA.com
Please visit and bookmark the included web address and this article, and save the December issue of your NRA magazine to refer back to when you get ready to vote for Directors in February. Stay tuned to AmmoLand News for all the latest as the BOD election draws closer. I’ll also note that if you’ve been considering upgrading to a Life Membership, the annual Christmas sale on NRA memberships is going on now, and if you take advantage of it, you’ll be eligible to vote in the next Board election.
It’s your Association. I urge all members to take an active interest in managing it and making it what you want it to be. That begins with vetting candidates and voting for those who you think will best serve your and the NRA’s interests going forward.
Former NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre Has Cost the Gun Rights Movement North Of A Billion Dollars
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About Jeff Knox:
Jeff Knox is a dedicated political activist and the director of The Firearms Coalition, following in the footsteps of his father, Neal Knox. In 2024, Jeff was elected to the NRA Board of Directors, underscoring his lifelong commitment to protecting the Second Amendment. The Knox family has played a pivotal role in the ongoing struggle for gun rights, a legacy documented in the book Neal Knox – The Gun Rights War, authored by Jeff’s brother, Chris Knox.
Founded by Neal Knox in 1984, The Firearms Coalition is a network of individual Second Amendment activists, clubs, and civil rights organizations. The Coalition supports grassroots efforts by providing education, analysis of current issues, and a historical perspective on the gun rights movement. For more information, visit www.FirearmsCoalition.org.
