Wayne LaPierre is the fifth-highest paid non-profit head in the United States, according to Charity Watch. They give the SPLC an “F” grade, so they can’t be all bad.
The recent revelations about out-of-control spending at the NRA, coupled with internal struggles and a conspicuous absence of the NRA in the 2020 elections has me wondering whether I should continue to give them money. And LaPierre’s use of a contractor’s yacht for a hide-out from the media (and he claims death threats) is simply awful optics, especially when that contractor’s company was being paid $2,000,000/month! Whatever happened to self defense? Isn’t LaPierre armed? Doesn’t he believe in the natural right of self defense, or is he sufficiently isolated from reality that he prefers armed guards and gated harbors and yachts to keep him safe?
What disturbs me most about the NRA is not only the cult of personality that LaPierre has managed to create, but its bloated and out-of-touch bureaucracy and inability to focus on the dominant issue of the day. Do a web search and the stories are not about the organization filing law suits against encroachments on our 2nd Amendment rights, the stories are about the bankruptcy filing in NY (apparently done rather badly) and LaPierre’s lavish lifestyle that is funded by the organization…which means you and me.
A visit to the NRA website is an exercise in frustration if one has any curiosity about its finances. How about some recognition that people may want to see exactly how their money is spent? Or a recognition that all is not rosy and wonderful in its headquarters?
Cooler and calmer heads on these august pages have pointed out that while the NRA is nowhere near perfect, it is by far the largest 2nd Amendment advocacy group in the United States, and that it does some fine work in many areas, including training and firearms safety.
Yes, that is true, but an NRA without Wayne LaPierre would be a far better organization. Their best and really only course of action is to force him out, hire someone who is less enamored of the trappings of non-profit wealth and celebrity, and get back to doing what we pay for: the defense of our gun rights.
x
