The End Of The NRA?
August 6, 2020 9:30 AM Subscribe
After several years of bloody internal fights that had shown self-dealing and corruption throughout the structure of the National Rifle Association, NYS AG Letitia James has filed suit to dissolve the organization under state laws regarding fraud in charitable organizations. (SLTPM)
The lawsuit asserts that NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre used the organization's funds as a personal piggy bank, billing personal travel to the NRA while refusing to disclose details for "security reasons". In addition, while ostensibly reducing consulting fees to longtime consultants, LaPierre used "oral contracts" to funnel even more money to them in violation of organizational rules.
The lawsuit asserts that NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre used the organization's funds as a personal piggy bank, billing personal travel to the NRA while refusing to disclose details for "security reasons". In addition, while ostensibly reducing consulting fees to longtime consultants, LaPierre used "oral contracts" to funnel even more money to them in violation of organizational rules.
My favorite response so far, from Chicago Alderman Ameya Pawar, "Thoughts and prayers answered"
posted by carrienation at 9:39 AM on August 6, 2020 [137 favorites]
posted by carrienation at 9:39 AM on August 6, 2020 [137 favorites]
In a just world, the rank-and-file NRA membership would be appalled at where their dollars are going. But after having been trained on the Trump graft machine (and fed authoritarian garbage for long before that), I would be shocked if that were a typical response.
posted by rikschell at 9:43 AM on August 6, 2020 [13 favorites]
posted by rikschell at 9:43 AM on August 6, 2020 [13 favorites]
DC AG Karl Racine has also filed a similar but separate suit.
posted by oneironaut at 9:47 AM on August 6, 2020 [12 favorites]
posted by oneironaut at 9:47 AM on August 6, 2020 [12 favorites]
About fucken time
posted by growabrain at 9:47 AM on August 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by growabrain at 9:47 AM on August 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
yes, she has the authority to do this - the NRA was originally chartered in New York, so it is under NYS law.
Oh, wow. I did not know this.
Tish James has been on my radar for a while - she was the NYC city council rep for my district starting in the mid-aughts, when I moved here, and has always been of a progressive bent. She put out a press release last night that she would have "a major national announcement" today, and everyone was speculating it had to do with....er, other matters. But the reaction amongst my friends has been, "....huh. y'know, I'll take it."
And if you think about it, it doesn't really address guns themselves or gun rights as a thing. She's only saying that this group has been so fubared by those people that it actually isn't even serving the purpose it was created for any more and maybe it's best to blow it up and start over. If gun owners want to create a new organization to support Second Amendment interests, then great - that's not what this is about, this is about how the NRA isn't really even doing that any more, and that's the problem.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:48 AM on August 6, 2020 [41 favorites]
Oh, wow. I did not know this.
Tish James has been on my radar for a while - she was the NYC city council rep for my district starting in the mid-aughts, when I moved here, and has always been of a progressive bent. She put out a press release last night that she would have "a major national announcement" today, and everyone was speculating it had to do with....er, other matters. But the reaction amongst my friends has been, "....huh. y'know, I'll take it."
And if you think about it, it doesn't really address guns themselves or gun rights as a thing. She's only saying that this group has been so fubared by those people that it actually isn't even serving the purpose it was created for any more and maybe it's best to blow it up and start over. If gun owners want to create a new organization to support Second Amendment interests, then great - that's not what this is about, this is about how the NRA isn't really even doing that any more, and that's the problem.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:48 AM on August 6, 2020 [41 favorites]
This is long overdue. Laundering money and conducting operations for the Russians should have been enough (cite 1, cite 2). But whatever it takes to cripple and dismantle this mob outfit.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 9:49 AM on August 6, 2020 [63 favorites]
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 9:49 AM on August 6, 2020 [63 favorites]
Good! Fuck 'em!
posted by notsnot at 9:51 AM on August 6, 2020 [13 favorites]
posted by notsnot at 9:51 AM on August 6, 2020 [13 favorites]
Hang on while I get my scanning tunnelling electron microscope so I can locate a violin of the appropriate size to play the saddest melody ever on.
posted by acb at 9:55 AM on August 6, 2020 [76 favorites]
posted by acb at 9:55 AM on August 6, 2020 [76 favorites]
I’m torn between hell yeah the NRA needs to be burnt to the ground, and a nagging fear of this being the 2nd amendment cultural issue the GOP successfully pivots off for November. *breathes deeply into a paper bag*
Also from the article the NRA paid for LaPierre’s membership fees for the “International Order of St. Hubertus and the Camp Fire Club.“. Surely the international order of St. Hubris....
posted by inflatablekiwi at 9:56 AM on August 6, 2020 [19 favorites]
Also from the article the NRA paid for LaPierre’s membership fees for the “International Order of St. Hubertus and the Camp Fire Club.“. Surely the international order of St. Hubris....
posted by inflatablekiwi at 9:56 AM on August 6, 2020 [19 favorites]
Well this is good, but I'm pretty sure the gun lobby will just found another organization, which may or may not have the same name, and keep on keeping on. The NRA is dead, but long live the NRA sort of thing.
posted by jmauro at 10:00 AM on August 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by jmauro at 10:00 AM on August 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
I’m torn between hell yeah the NRA needs to be burnt to the ground, and a nagging fear of this being the 2nd amendment cultural issue the GOP successfully pivots off for November.
On the other hand, without the NRA around to fund GOP candidates, how well would those candidates actually do?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:01 AM on August 6, 2020 [29 favorites]
On the other hand, without the NRA around to fund GOP candidates, how well would those candidates actually do?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:01 AM on August 6, 2020 [29 favorites]
New York attorney general seeks to dissolve NRA in suit accusing gun rights group of wide-ranging fraud and self-dealing (WaPo)
Her office cited as a precedent its previous action against the Trump Foundation, which led President Trump to shut down the charity in 2018 amid allegations that he used it for his personal benefit.New York attorney general seeks to dissolve NRA (AP)
[...] The lawsuit also claims LaPierre failed to report large sums of personal income to the IRS. James’s office said it found that the NRA chief funneled personal expenses through an outside public relations firm, allowing him to avoid reporting hundreds of thousands of dollars of personal income. James said Thursday that she was referring those findings to the IRS. She also said that if her office uncovers criminal activity, it will be referred to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
NRA President Carolyn Meadows said the group was counter-suing the New York attorney general’s office, setting the stage for a drawn-out legal battle that could last for years. “It’s a transparent attempt to score political points and attack the leading voice in opposition to the leftist agenda,′ Meadows said in a statement.posted by katra at 10:02 AM on August 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
> without the NRA around to fund GOP candidates
Money will find an organization to attach to even if it's not the NRA. An organization is still made up of people, and those people aren't going anywhere.
posted by I-Write-Essays at 10:03 AM on August 6, 2020 [8 favorites]
Money will find an organization to attach to even if it's not the NRA. An organization is still made up of people, and those people aren't going anywhere.
posted by I-Write-Essays at 10:03 AM on August 6, 2020 [8 favorites]
That hypothetical organization won't have the pretense of legitimacy that the NRA has, though. That takes time to build.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 10:04 AM on August 6, 2020 [29 favorites]
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 10:04 AM on August 6, 2020 [29 favorites]
International Order of St. Hubertus
"The IOSH is headed by a Grand Master, currently, his Imperial Highness Archduke Istvan von Habsburg-Lothringen, Archduke of Austria, and its ‘Protector’ is His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain"
There has not been an Archduke of Austria since the monarchy and nobility were abolished in 1918; Istvan barely even merits being called a pretender. Juan Carlos recently fled Spain in the wake of corruption allegations.
So that all tracks.
posted by jedicus at 10:09 AM on August 6, 2020 [31 favorites]
"The IOSH is headed by a Grand Master, currently, his Imperial Highness Archduke Istvan von Habsburg-Lothringen, Archduke of Austria, and its ‘Protector’ is His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain"
There has not been an Archduke of Austria since the monarchy and nobility were abolished in 1918; Istvan barely even merits being called a pretender. Juan Carlos recently fled Spain in the wake of corruption allegations.
So that all tracks.
posted by jedicus at 10:09 AM on August 6, 2020 [31 favorites]
My, admittedly remove Trump at all costs, concern is how much more money are they going to raise in the next month to “defend the NRA” they can spend in the final weeks of this election even if they know they are screwed. I just hope the compliant keeps getting amended with new and even more damning evidence, or otherwise keep them on the back foot until after November. Hoping they can make the NRA eat themselves and not successfully rally a cause....
posted by inflatablekiwi at 10:11 AM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by inflatablekiwi at 10:11 AM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
So, all the "good guys with guns" in the NRA were not successful in disincentivisng crime? Huh.
posted by Western Infidels at 10:13 AM on August 6, 2020 [25 favorites]
posted by Western Infidels at 10:13 AM on August 6, 2020 [25 favorites]
Interestingly, some of the hardcore folks out there may not lose any sleep over this. They've been saying that the NRA has been undermining gun rights while keeping up the appearance of strong second amendment rights. The example at the link is the bump stock ban after the Vegas massacre. The NRA was okay with it, but was able to come out and "oppose" it on the pretense that it didn't grandfather in existing bump stocks.
posted by Fukiyama at 10:13 AM on August 6, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by Fukiyama at 10:13 AM on August 6, 2020 [8 favorites]
The NRA was considered one of the top three lobbying forces on Capitol Hill, up there with AARP. This will be interesting to see shake out.
It’s been a gun producers trade group masquerading as a gun rights organization for some decades now. I agree that money will find a way into politicians pockets, but TSHBO is right; being able to bill the organization as representing millions of citizens was a huge “beard” for them.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 10:13 AM on August 6, 2020 [20 favorites]
It’s been a gun producers trade group masquerading as a gun rights organization for some decades now. I agree that money will find a way into politicians pockets, but TSHBO is right; being able to bill the organization as representing millions of citizens was a huge “beard” for them.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 10:13 AM on August 6, 2020 [20 favorites]
On the other hand, without the NRA around to fund GOP candidates, how well would those candidates actually do?
The NRA does not do very much political funding. As the lawsuit points out, most of their funds are going into insiders' pockets.
A typical NRA contribution to a congress member is one or two thousand dollars, nothing significant. The real impact of the NRA is in endorsements, not money. Just a single word from the NRA, for or against a candidate, and millions of gun owners change their vote. It is fear of the NRA and the gun owners they sway, not money that motivates congress members.
The lawsuit won't change gun owners. They will just dig in more regarding this as part of the conspiracy against them. Where it might hurt the NRA is their leadership simply losing interest and moving on to some other grift if they can no longer milk the NRA.
posted by JackFlash at 10:18 AM on August 6, 2020 [9 favorites]
The NRA does not do very much political funding. As the lawsuit points out, most of their funds are going into insiders' pockets.
A typical NRA contribution to a congress member is one or two thousand dollars, nothing significant. The real impact of the NRA is in endorsements, not money. Just a single word from the NRA, for or against a candidate, and millions of gun owners change their vote. It is fear of the NRA and the gun owners they sway, not money that motivates congress members.
The lawsuit won't change gun owners. They will just dig in more regarding this as part of the conspiracy against them. Where it might hurt the NRA is their leadership simply losing interest and moving on to some other grift if they can no longer milk the NRA.
posted by JackFlash at 10:18 AM on August 6, 2020 [9 favorites]
I'm not even going to pretend to be knowledgeable here, but presuming this all plays out successfully and the NRA is dissolved; what would keep them from, say, folding up shop in New York, then reconstituting themselves in Florida or Oklahoma or the like? I assume they'd have to have a state that would be amenable to allowing an organization that had been dissolved due to illegal activity in another state, and that the IRS would not allow it to continue to exist as far as its tax status?
posted by phong3d at 10:18 AM on August 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by phong3d at 10:18 AM on August 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
That hypothetical organization won't have the pretense of legitimacy that the NRA has, though. That takes time to build.
There's a reason why the Cincinnati Revolt happened instead of creating a new organization - not only does it take time to build an organization, any modern successor would be openly viewed as a creation on the gun industry.
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:19 AM on August 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
There's a reason why the Cincinnati Revolt happened instead of creating a new organization - not only does it take time to build an organization, any modern successor would be openly viewed as a creation on the gun industry.
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:19 AM on August 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
An organization is still made up of people, and those people aren't going anywhere.
But those people are only capable of a certain amount of individual contributions. They don't have the same lobbying power that an organization has behind it. Sid Winchester, the hypothetical card-carrying NRA member I just invented in my head, may only have $50 on hand to contribute - but in the past, Sid's $50 was a drop in a huge bucket the NRA would pour into the laps of GOP candidates Sid supported. But now Sid has to make those contributions directly - but can we be sure he's going to? Especially if one of Sid's tires develops a flat and he needs the money for that instead?
And even if he does, maybe he has to break it up between two candidates. Is Sid's $25 each to two candidates going to have as much impact as the gabillion that the NRA used to give them?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:20 AM on August 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
But those people are only capable of a certain amount of individual contributions. They don't have the same lobbying power that an organization has behind it. Sid Winchester, the hypothetical card-carrying NRA member I just invented in my head, may only have $50 on hand to contribute - but in the past, Sid's $50 was a drop in a huge bucket the NRA would pour into the laps of GOP candidates Sid supported. But now Sid has to make those contributions directly - but can we be sure he's going to? Especially if one of Sid's tires develops a flat and he needs the money for that instead?
And even if he does, maybe he has to break it up between two candidates. Is Sid's $25 each to two candidates going to have as much impact as the gabillion that the NRA used to give them?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:20 AM on August 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
Definitely many thoughts and prayers out there for the NRA, at this difficult time.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 10:21 AM on August 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 10:21 AM on August 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
The hardcore bump-stock folk are, and have always been, a tiny minority among gun owners.
If the NRA gets dissolved, my hope is that the fault lines come down between the hunters/sportsmen and the white dudes stockpiling fucking armories in their basements, because I do think there is significant difference in what those two communities want.
But the NRA used it’s money and political juice to push for the concerns of the 3% of the population who own 50% of the privately held firearms and still want bump-stocks.
I hope team hunter says 🖕 to team bump-stock.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 10:23 AM on August 6, 2020 [21 favorites]
If the NRA gets dissolved, my hope is that the fault lines come down between the hunters/sportsmen and the white dudes stockpiling fucking armories in their basements, because I do think there is significant difference in what those two communities want.
But the NRA used it’s money and political juice to push for the concerns of the 3% of the population who own 50% of the privately held firearms and still want bump-stocks.
I hope team hunter says 🖕 to team bump-stock.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 10:23 AM on August 6, 2020 [21 favorites]
Is Sid's $25 each to two candidates going to have as much impact as the gabillion that the NRA used to give them?
The NRA never gave a gabillion. They gave endorsements. There are millions of single issue gun owners who simply vote for whoever the NRA endorses. Candidates don't even care about Sid's $25. They care about Sid's vote.
posted by JackFlash at 10:24 AM on August 6, 2020 [4 favorites]
The NRA never gave a gabillion. They gave endorsements. There are millions of single issue gun owners who simply vote for whoever the NRA endorses. Candidates don't even care about Sid's $25. They care about Sid's vote.
posted by JackFlash at 10:24 AM on August 6, 2020 [4 favorites]
So when the NRA declared bankruptcy/ financial difficulty it's because LaPierre was stuffing his pockets? Nice.
posted by From Bklyn at 10:25 AM on August 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by From Bklyn at 10:25 AM on August 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
Hey, they got Capone for tax evasion - and, in a nice echo of history, the strategy was pioneered by a female ADA, Mabel Willebrandt!
posted by scolbath at 10:31 AM on August 6, 2020 [16 favorites]
posted by scolbath at 10:31 AM on August 6, 2020 [16 favorites]
The other point is that there won't be one successor, but a handful fighting to be the inheritor of the NRA mantle, because whoever gets that position will have the power. I fully expect there to be infighting over that prize.
Also, we should also think about how this will energize gun control advocates as well.
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:33 AM on August 6, 2020 [7 favorites]
Also, we should also think about how this will energize gun control advocates as well.
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:33 AM on August 6, 2020 [7 favorites]
The NRA never gave a gabillion. They gave endorsements.
No, they gave money.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:36 AM on August 6, 2020 [15 favorites]
No, they gave money.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:36 AM on August 6, 2020 [15 favorites]
There are millions of single issue gun owners who simply vote for whoever the NRA endorses.
And now there's a vacuum there - instead of having one organization producing one endorsement (and trying to kill off any others who would challenge them), there will be a bunch of smaller organizations who will disagree on who to endorse.
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:37 AM on August 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
And now there's a vacuum there - instead of having one organization producing one endorsement (and trying to kill off any others who would challenge them), there will be a bunch of smaller organizations who will disagree on who to endorse.
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:37 AM on August 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
They gave tiny amounts of one or two thousand dollars in almost every case. That's trivial in election financing. That's nothing to buy a candidate. There real power was in endorsements.
posted by JackFlash at 10:38 AM on August 6, 2020
posted by JackFlash at 10:38 AM on August 6, 2020
JackFlash I don't know where you are getting your info regarding NRA not giving "gabillions" and their endorsements being more valuable than financial contributions, but I think you're way wrong.
reported August 2019 at MarketWatch
Top recipients of contributions from gun-rights donors
Candidate Office Amount
Cruz, Ted (R-TX) Senate $309,021
McSally, Martha (R-AZ) House $227,928
Scalise, Steve (R-LA) House $132,831
Nunes, Devin (R-CA) House $95,093
Blackburn, Marsha (R-TN) House $85,168
Heller, Dean (R-NV) Senate $76,713
James, John (R-MI) Senate $75,099
Ryan, Paul (R-WI) House $65,347
Scott, Rick (R-FL) Senate $61,752
Hawley, Josh (R-MO) Senate $59,760
And according to ABSENTDATA Trump has gotten $11.44 MILLION in contributions from the NRA between 1990 and 2018. "Where does the NRA concentrate their donations? You can view the data according to the New York Times, OpenSecrets.org and Fortune Magazine. The top politicians that receive money from the NRA are overwhelmingly Republican with Donald Trump who is the the top politician of the Republican party with over 11 million dollars from the National Rifle Association. An additional 19 million was spent in 2016 against the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016. Far less dollars went to Democratic politicians over the years with 97% of the total dollars going to the Republican party in 2018 so far."
That's gabillions in my book and probably more influential than just an endorsement.
posted by pjsky at 10:40 AM on August 6, 2020 [30 favorites]
reported August 2019 at MarketWatch
Top recipients of contributions from gun-rights donors
Candidate Office Amount
Cruz, Ted (R-TX) Senate $309,021
McSally, Martha (R-AZ) House $227,928
Scalise, Steve (R-LA) House $132,831
Nunes, Devin (R-CA) House $95,093
Blackburn, Marsha (R-TN) House $85,168
Heller, Dean (R-NV) Senate $76,713
James, John (R-MI) Senate $75,099
Ryan, Paul (R-WI) House $65,347
Scott, Rick (R-FL) Senate $61,752
Hawley, Josh (R-MO) Senate $59,760
And according to ABSENTDATA Trump has gotten $11.44 MILLION in contributions from the NRA between 1990 and 2018. "Where does the NRA concentrate their donations? You can view the data according to the New York Times, OpenSecrets.org and Fortune Magazine. The top politicians that receive money from the NRA are overwhelmingly Republican with Donald Trump who is the the top politician of the Republican party with over 11 million dollars from the National Rifle Association. An additional 19 million was spent in 2016 against the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016. Far less dollars went to Democratic politicians over the years with 97% of the total dollars going to the Republican party in 2018 so far."
That's gabillions in my book and probably more influential than just an endorsement.
posted by pjsky at 10:40 AM on August 6, 2020 [30 favorites]
….OKay, fine, then. I shall amend my statement thusly:
But those people are only capable of a certain amount of individual public attention. They don't have the same lobbying power that an organization has behind it. Sid Winchester, the hypothetical card-carrying NRA member I just invented in my head, may only have 50 Facebook followers - but in the past, Sid's 50 friends who saw his repost of the NRA endorsement was a drop in a huge platform the NRA would give to the GOP candidates Sid supported. But now Sid has to make those endorsements - but can we be sure he'll get noticed?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:41 AM on August 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
But those people are only capable of a certain amount of individual public attention. They don't have the same lobbying power that an organization has behind it. Sid Winchester, the hypothetical card-carrying NRA member I just invented in my head, may only have 50 Facebook followers - but in the past, Sid's 50 friends who saw his repost of the NRA endorsement was a drop in a huge platform the NRA would give to the GOP candidates Sid supported. But now Sid has to make those endorsements - but can we be sure he'll get noticed?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:41 AM on August 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
Remember, an organization running ads for a candidate is just as much a contribution as money.
Also, if you didn't think they were mustache twirling villains before:
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:43 AM on August 6, 2020 [34 favorites]
Also, if you didn't think they were mustache twirling villains before:
260. As the Project Ben-Hur discussions described above in Part Five, Section I(C)(iii) progressed, on or about December 15, 2017, McKenna hired Powell’s wife as an independent contractor, through a newly formed company called SPECTRE, to assist with the project. Although Powell’s wife worked on McKenna client accounts apart from the NRA, her monthly consulting fee of $30,000 was passed through in its entirety to the NRA with a $5,000 markup for McKenna beginning in or about January 2018 through approximately December 2018.That's an actual quote from the filing.
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:43 AM on August 6, 2020 [34 favorites]
Some good news for once. Let their greed be their downfall. Here's hoping they get dismantled. They're a huge roadblock to common sense gun legislation. Gut them, make these useless, greedy, heartless suits work real jobs. (Unlikely I know but it's nice to dream)
posted by signsofrain at 10:44 AM on August 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by signsofrain at 10:44 AM on August 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
I would like to see a schism between the hunters/sportsmen and the gun fetishists, but watching organizations like Ducks Unlimited makes me nervous. My family finally stopped going to DU fundraising banquets because they just became mini gun shows. You don't need an AR-15 to hunt ducks, but they were raffling off a ton of them.
The framing of "this organization was corrupt as fuck" is a good one. The true believers who think you need to open carry just to go get groceries are beyond help, but I hope the more casual folks will be shocked at what their funds were used for. On the other hand, I've also seen the NRA as a vehicle for radicalization, so they may also double down and see this as The Man Coming For Their Guns.
And we thought gun sales during the pandemic were off the charts before...
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 10:48 AM on August 6, 2020 [10 favorites]
The framing of "this organization was corrupt as fuck" is a good one. The true believers who think you need to open carry just to go get groceries are beyond help, but I hope the more casual folks will be shocked at what their funds were used for. On the other hand, I've also seen the NRA as a vehicle for radicalization, so they may also double down and see this as The Man Coming For Their Guns.
And we thought gun sales during the pandemic were off the charts before...
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 10:48 AM on August 6, 2020 [10 favorites]
I will be watching this case to see if there turns out to be any substance to the idea that the NRA is or was mainly a conduit to funnel money into political campaigns, money given to the NRA by entities who are not otherwise legally entitled to make those kinds of political contributions. In other words, money laundering.
posted by Flexagon at 10:49 AM on August 6, 2020 [9 favorites]
posted by Flexagon at 10:49 AM on August 6, 2020 [9 favorites]
So everyone thinks this will happen? I am not so sanguine.
posted by Splunge at 10:50 AM on August 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by Splunge at 10:50 AM on August 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
Look, from your own link, the NRA gave a total of $950,000 spread over 341 candidates. $950,000 is somewhat less than a gabillion. It's not even one million. That's small potatoes in lobbying terms.
The NRA wasn't buying votes with these contributions. The small amounts the NRA gave were signifiers to gun owners. Their power isn't money. It is endorsements.
posted by JackFlash at 10:50 AM on August 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
The NRA wasn't buying votes with these contributions. The small amounts the NRA gave were signifiers to gun owners. Their power isn't money. It is endorsements.
posted by JackFlash at 10:50 AM on August 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
And without the NRA around to give those ENDORSEMENTS, then what?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:53 AM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:53 AM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Cruz, Ted (R-TX) Senate $309,021 -- raised $34,960,000 = 0.88%
McSally, Martha (R-AZ) House $227,928 -- raised $21,618,000 = 1.04%
Scalise, Steve (R-LA) House $132,831 -- raised $13,180,000 = 1.00%
Nunes, Devin (R-CA) House $95,093 -- raised $12,600,000 = 0.75%
And that's not including SuperPAC money and so on.
One of the intrinsic truths and problems about big-money US politics is that it's possible for a donation amount to simultaneously be both more money than a person can take home in a decade of hard physical work and also less than 1% of a campaign's funding.
posted by Superilla at 10:54 AM on August 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
McSally, Martha (R-AZ) House $227,928 -- raised $21,618,000 = 1.04%
Scalise, Steve (R-LA) House $132,831 -- raised $13,180,000 = 1.00%
Nunes, Devin (R-CA) House $95,093 -- raised $12,600,000 = 0.75%
And that's not including SuperPAC money and so on.
One of the intrinsic truths and problems about big-money US politics is that it's possible for a donation amount to simultaneously be both more money than a person can take home in a decade of hard physical work and also less than 1% of a campaign's funding.
posted by Superilla at 10:54 AM on August 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
The conservatives are fulminating: "An outrageous show of government legal force with the aim of suppressing advocacy on issues of public concern. This is as much an assault on the First as on the Second Amendment. #CatoSCOTUS" (SLTwitter)
posted by PhineasGage at 10:55 AM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by PhineasGage at 10:55 AM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
So everyone thinks this will happen? I am not so sanguine.
James got the Trump Foundation dissolved for similar behavior. And even if it doesn't kill the NRA, it will weaken it, and get LaPierre tossed on his ass.
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:57 AM on August 6, 2020 [7 favorites]
James got the Trump Foundation dissolved for similar behavior. And even if it doesn't kill the NRA, it will weaken it, and get LaPierre tossed on his ass.
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:57 AM on August 6, 2020 [7 favorites]
There is a lot of money laundered through the NRA and other so-called "gun rights" groups. What we know about publicly is pretty jaw-dropping. What happens under the table, through super PACs and intermediaries is on another scale, entirely.
Domestic terrorism is a massive business enterprise, and having non-profit status allows donations that allow that work to proceed at scale:
Giving to the Federal PACs of gun rights groups would be limited to $5,000 and require disclosure. If a group has a nonprofit arm -- called a 501(c)(4), or just "C4" -- the donor could give unlimited amounts to it, and the group would not have to disclose his name. The C4 could spend the money as it wishes, as long as political activities did not constitute the group's major purpose.
Revoking the NRA's 501(c)(4) non-profit status at any level would be devastating to conservative politicians, but especially if AG James uncovers criminal activity of interest to the IRS.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 10:59 AM on August 6, 2020 [15 favorites]
Domestic terrorism is a massive business enterprise, and having non-profit status allows donations that allow that work to proceed at scale:
Giving to the Federal PACs of gun rights groups would be limited to $5,000 and require disclosure. If a group has a nonprofit arm -- called a 501(c)(4), or just "C4" -- the donor could give unlimited amounts to it, and the group would not have to disclose his name. The C4 could spend the money as it wishes, as long as political activities did not constitute the group's major purpose.
Revoking the NRA's 501(c)(4) non-profit status at any level would be devastating to conservative politicians, but especially if AG James uncovers criminal activity of interest to the IRS.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 10:59 AM on August 6, 2020 [15 favorites]
I think the most amazing part of the backlash is that rank and file NRA members have basically been fleeced to line the pockets of organization heads and it doesn't matter. The tribalism is just so strong it's insane. They're just rubes and marks at this point. Of course the elites are going transfer as much wealth to themselves by deriding other elites. It's the perfect crime.
This is what happens when we let tribalism take over all sense of accountability.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 11:02 AM on August 6, 2020 [11 favorites]
This is what happens when we let tribalism take over all sense of accountability.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 11:02 AM on August 6, 2020 [11 favorites]
I am cheered by the mix of responses to this particular Tweet - it's someone who just tweeted "I stand with the NRA! Who's with me!" And sure enough, there are a number of "yeah me too, I support them" responses. However - there is a not-insignificant number of "nope's", and a not-insignificant number of "Well, I support the second amendment, but if what she says about the NRA corruption is true, I'm not so sure." There's even a couple people mentioning names of other groups like the National Association of Hunters or the like and saying "Maybe I should check them out instead."
I actually feel like....maybe this has gotten enough attention to make something actually kind of happen.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:02 AM on August 6, 2020 [21 favorites]
I actually feel like....maybe this has gotten enough attention to make something actually kind of happen.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:02 AM on August 6, 2020 [21 favorites]
And without the NRA around to give those ENDORSEMENTS, then what?
That remains to be seen. I'm sure some organization will arise to fill the gap. Gun manufacturers have too much at stake. But I don't think this lawsuit will have much affect on gun owners. They will just see it as a liberal conspiracy to take away their guns so will happily hop on the band wagon with whoever pops up to take the NRA's place and tell them who to vote for.
As pointed out, it doesn't take a big pile of money. Most of the money was going to insiders.
posted by JackFlash at 11:04 AM on August 6, 2020
That remains to be seen. I'm sure some organization will arise to fill the gap. Gun manufacturers have too much at stake. But I don't think this lawsuit will have much affect on gun owners. They will just see it as a liberal conspiracy to take away their guns so will happily hop on the band wagon with whoever pops up to take the NRA's place and tell them who to vote for.
As pointed out, it doesn't take a big pile of money. Most of the money was going to insiders.
posted by JackFlash at 11:04 AM on August 6, 2020
Revoking the NRA's 501(c)(4) non-profit status at any level would be devastating to conservative politicians, but especially if AG James uncovers criminal activity of interest to the IRS.
And guess which organization James has forwarded her findings to?
posted by NoxAeternum at 11:05 AM on August 6, 2020 [7 favorites]
And guess which organization James has forwarded her findings to?
posted by NoxAeternum at 11:05 AM on August 6, 2020 [7 favorites]
JackFlash, if I didn't know better I'd say it sounds like you want things to stay as they are.
I'm sure some organization will arise to fill the gap. Gun manufacturers have too much at stake.
Such a process takes years. The next election is in three months.
But I don't think this lawsuit will have much affect on gun owners. They will just see it as a liberal conspiracy to take away their guns so will happily hop on the band wagon with whoever pops up to take the NRA's place and tell them who to vote for.
I'll admit that my research has been brief, but I'm actually seeing more withdrawl of support from the NRA than I thought. ("Well, I support the 2nd Amendment, but if these guys just took all the money for themselves, I don't know if I support them any more.")
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:09 AM on August 6, 2020 [4 favorites]
I'm sure some organization will arise to fill the gap. Gun manufacturers have too much at stake.
Such a process takes years. The next election is in three months.
But I don't think this lawsuit will have much affect on gun owners. They will just see it as a liberal conspiracy to take away their guns so will happily hop on the band wagon with whoever pops up to take the NRA's place and tell them who to vote for.
I'll admit that my research has been brief, but I'm actually seeing more withdrawl of support from the NRA than I thought. ("Well, I support the 2nd Amendment, but if these guys just took all the money for themselves, I don't know if I support them any more.")
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:09 AM on August 6, 2020 [4 favorites]
In a just world, the rank-and-file NRA membership would be appalled at where their dollars are going. But after having been trained on the Trump graft machine (and fed authoritarian garbage for long before that), I would be shocked if that were a typical response.
My dad was a member. He is also a lifelong leftist, and came to gun ownership through that perspective. (A 60s radical will have a different perspective on the whole 2nd amendment "ability to overthrow a corrupt state" thing.) I was taught the "rules" as a child - a gun is always loaded, never point a gun at something you aren't OK with destroying, etc - and as a child I perceived it as a politically neutral organization that had safety as a primary consideration.
My dad cancelled his membership when I was an older kid or young teen, because the nature of the election time flyers he was getting had changed. He said they were supporting candidates that no one in their right mind would support, and he had to face the fact that they were not an organization he could support anymore, and hadn't been for a long time.
posted by showbiz_liz at 11:10 AM on August 6, 2020 [39 favorites]
My dad was a member. He is also a lifelong leftist, and came to gun ownership through that perspective. (A 60s radical will have a different perspective on the whole 2nd amendment "ability to overthrow a corrupt state" thing.) I was taught the "rules" as a child - a gun is always loaded, never point a gun at something you aren't OK with destroying, etc - and as a child I perceived it as a politically neutral organization that had safety as a primary consideration.
My dad cancelled his membership when I was an older kid or young teen, because the nature of the election time flyers he was getting had changed. He said they were supporting candidates that no one in their right mind would support, and he had to face the fact that they were not an organization he could support anymore, and hadn't been for a long time.
posted by showbiz_liz at 11:10 AM on August 6, 2020 [39 favorites]
More to the point, the NRA did a lot to funnel gun owners into their extremist viewpoint - NRA gun safety courses were designed as an entry point for new gun owners into their ideology, and the NRA provided support for gun ranges and stores that pushed the NRA line.
What do you think happens if that infrastructure goes away?
posted by NoxAeternum at 11:13 AM on August 6, 2020 [14 favorites]
What do you think happens if that infrastructure goes away?
posted by NoxAeternum at 11:13 AM on August 6, 2020 [14 favorites]
I'm always on team "Make It a Pain in the Ass for Bad Guys," so the prospect of the NRA decamping to Florida or whatever is all good. Let them spend their time, energy, and money on relocation after eviction. Exhaust them.
My first reaction to this:
Her office cited as a precedent its previous action against the Trump Foundation, which led President Trump to shut down the charity in 2018 amid allegations that he used it for his personal benefit.
was to see it as elite-level trolling. And maybe there's an element of that. But honestly it's just amazing that, in searching for precedent, that's what they found, and they had the guts to cite. That's not trolling. That's naming names. I love it.
posted by Caxton1476 at 11:23 AM on August 6, 2020 [17 favorites]
My first reaction to this:
Her office cited as a precedent its previous action against the Trump Foundation, which led President Trump to shut down the charity in 2018 amid allegations that he used it for his personal benefit.
was to see it as elite-level trolling. And maybe there's an element of that. But honestly it's just amazing that, in searching for precedent, that's what they found, and they had the guts to cite. That's not trolling. That's naming names. I love it.
posted by Caxton1476 at 11:23 AM on August 6, 2020 [17 favorites]
They gave tiny amounts of one or two thousand dollars in almost every case. That's trivial in election financing. That's nothing to buy a candidate. There real power was in endorsements.
I've no idea how active they were in this and am certainly not going to go look it up, but the important part of contemporary campaign finance isn't really the direct donations to the campaigns. It's the independent spending that supports or attacks a candidate -- ads directly sponsored by the NRA or a cutout for them.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 11:24 AM on August 6, 2020 [7 favorites]
I've no idea how active they were in this and am certainly not going to go look it up, but the important part of contemporary campaign finance isn't really the direct donations to the campaigns. It's the independent spending that supports or attacks a candidate -- ads directly sponsored by the NRA or a cutout for them.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 11:24 AM on August 6, 2020 [7 favorites]
Since this has dropped, I've been reading the complaint, and on p. 70, I lol'd.
E. Improper Expenditures by LaPierre’s Senior Assistant and Direct Reportposted by mikelieman at 11:26 AM on August 6, 2020 [26 favorites]
282. LaPierre hired one of his longest serving and key employees in 1995 to work in the EVP Office as his assistant. For the last 25 years, this employee has been one of LaPierre’s closest and most trusted advisors. This employee is hereinafter referred to as “LaPierre’s Senior Assistant.”
283. LaPierre’s Senior Assistant joined the NRA with a criminal record of embezzling from a non-profit where she had worked in the 1980s. (emphasis mine)
I know I worked for state-level agricultural organizations too long when I see “NYS AG” and think, “What has that got to do with legal matters?”
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:28 AM on August 6, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:28 AM on August 6, 2020 [8 favorites]
What do you think happens if that infrastructure goes away?
Well, if it's California, you get your Firearm Safety Certificate from someone else besides the NRA, since that cert is required before purchasing a firearm and nothing in state law says the NRA has to be the one to provide it.
posted by sideshow at 11:46 AM on August 6, 2020 [4 favorites]
Well, if it's California, you get your Firearm Safety Certificate from someone else besides the NRA, since that cert is required before purchasing a firearm and nothing in state law says the NRA has to be the one to provide it.
posted by sideshow at 11:46 AM on August 6, 2020 [4 favorites]
For those pondering the "where would they go?" angle, I only want to point out that the NRA headquarters is in Fairfax, VA, and has been since 1998.
posted by glonous keming at 11:50 AM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by glonous keming at 11:50 AM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
I'm reading the complaint now after mikelieman linked to it above. And there are three instances when the complaint refers to someone - they only refer to them by description, as
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:52 AM on August 6, 2020 [18 favorites]
the principal stakeholder in several businesses that have business relationships with the NRA (“MMP Principal”). These businesses include Associated Television International, Inc. (“ATI”), Membership Marketing Partners (“MMP”), Allegiance Creative Group (“Allegiance”), andThey never mention this person by name, they only call them "MMP Principal". But I've come across three instances now where LaPierre went to go hang out with "MMP Principal" on three completely different yachts all owned by "MMP Principal", and the complaint's insistence on withholding the name is making me increasingly intrigued and curious whether there is a separate thing cooking against that person, whomever they are.
Concord Social & Public Relations (“Concord”)."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:52 AM on August 6, 2020 [18 favorites]
I not only want to see the NRA destroyed. I want to see it’s assets stripped & given to all the ACORN employees that James O’Keefe got fired. The Right needs to start feeling the sting of payback.
posted by jonp72 at 12:04 PM on August 6, 2020 [24 favorites]
posted by jonp72 at 12:04 PM on August 6, 2020 [24 favorites]
I'm guessing David McKenzie as "Associated Television exec"
posted by mbo at 12:07 PM on August 6, 2020
posted by mbo at 12:07 PM on August 6, 2020
Coincidentally, I just finished up listening to the excellent Gangster Capitalism podcast all about this. Highly recommended!
posted by kpmcguire at 12:12 PM on August 6, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by kpmcguire at 12:12 PM on August 6, 2020 [4 favorites]
the NRA and Trumo, two all-american malignancies originating from Queens.
(a big 'you're welcome' to all the Mets fans out there for excluding them from the list).
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 12:16 PM on August 6, 2020
(a big 'you're welcome' to all the Mets fans out there for excluding them from the list).
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 12:16 PM on August 6, 2020
As a gun-owning New Yorker, I am thrilled.
AG James has been nothing but impressive AF. I see Chuck Schumer’s replacement.
And yes, thoughts and prayers, Wayne.
posted by spitbull at 12:17 PM on August 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
AG James has been nothing but impressive AF. I see Chuck Schumer’s replacement.
And yes, thoughts and prayers, Wayne.
posted by spitbull at 12:17 PM on August 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
a nagging fear of this being the 2nd amendment cultural issue the GOP successfully pivots off for November
I'm really not worried about any tenuous connections between, on the one hand, reality, and on the other, shit the GOP says.
Trump has already declared that "Biden is now running as the most extreme left-wing candidate in history."
posted by Foosnark at 12:19 PM on August 6, 2020 [8 favorites]
I'm really not worried about any tenuous connections between, on the one hand, reality, and on the other, shit the GOP says.
Trump has already declared that "Biden is now running as the most extreme left-wing candidate in history."
posted by Foosnark at 12:19 PM on August 6, 2020 [8 favorites]
I assume that the planned convention next week has been indefinitely postponed by quarantine. But I'd love to hear NAAGA's (the National African American Gun Association, aka The NRA for Black People) take on this.
posted by bartleby at 12:22 PM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by bartleby at 12:22 PM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
They never mention this person by name, they only call them "MMP Principal".
See also: "Individual-1"
I'm don't recall the exact phrasing of why, but IIRC, it's common in complaints like this to not drag in anyone who isn't directly accused of wrongdoing.
posted by mikelieman at 12:22 PM on August 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
See also: "Individual-1"
I'm don't recall the exact phrasing of why, but IIRC, it's common in complaints like this to not drag in anyone who isn't directly accused of wrongdoing.
posted by mikelieman at 12:22 PM on August 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
Oh, and just wait until you get to the story of "Dissident No. 1"!
posted by mikelieman at 12:28 PM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by mikelieman at 12:28 PM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
What do you think happens if that infrastructure goes away?
I like that thought but I also have a sense that the NRA may just be the old guard version at this point.
posted by atoxyl at 12:29 PM on August 6, 2020
I like that thought but I also have a sense that the NRA may just be the old guard version at this point.
posted by atoxyl at 12:29 PM on August 6, 2020
Look, if the crooked fucker's Crooked-Fucker-In-Chief Oliver North got booted from the NRA's presidency for asking too many questions, then you know there's something deeply messed-up going on there.
posted by scruss at 12:37 PM on August 6, 2020 [23 favorites]
posted by scruss at 12:37 PM on August 6, 2020 [23 favorites]
I'm don't recall the exact phrasing of why, but IIRC, it's common in complaints like this to not drag in anyone who isn't directly accused of wrongdoing.
Oh, I know. I still wanna know who the fucker is.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:41 PM on August 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
Oh, I know. I still wanna know who the fucker is.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:41 PM on August 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
Slightly related - the largest gun maker in the US, Remington Arms, filed for bankruptcy again on July 28th, in the middle of record gun sales caused by the anti-police brutality protests. It previously filed in March 2018. Although it's probably attributed to private equity firms squeezing money out of already-failing firms.
posted by meowzilla at 12:50 PM on August 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by meowzilla at 12:50 PM on August 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
Well, if it's California, you get your Firearm Safety Certificate from someone else besides the NRA, since that cert is required before purchasing a firearm and nothing in state law says the NRA has to be the one to provide it.
Gun stores often have a person who can administer the test. It seems like a huge conflict of interest to have the person who decides if you can buy a gun or not also be paid by your purchase of the gun.
posted by meowzilla at 12:55 PM on August 6, 2020 [7 favorites]
Gun stores often have a person who can administer the test. It seems like a huge conflict of interest to have the person who decides if you can buy a gun or not also be paid by your purchase of the gun.
posted by meowzilla at 12:55 PM on August 6, 2020 [7 favorites]
Y'all, this is a recent tweet from Joe Walsh, former Illinois Congressman and outspoken conservative, about this situation -
"Every single law abiding, 2nd Amendment believing gun owner in America ought to be really fucking pissed off at the @NRA right now. I know I am."
Let me say again, Joe Walsh said that.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:00 PM on August 6, 2020 [29 favorites]
"Every single law abiding, 2nd Amendment believing gun owner in America ought to be really fucking pissed off at the @NRA right now. I know I am."
Let me say again, Joe Walsh said that.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:00 PM on August 6, 2020 [29 favorites]
Still wading through the complaint. Para. 531 really begins to tie it all together.
posted by mikelieman at 1:11 PM on August 6, 2020 [8 favorites]
531. The Audit Committee failed to perform its statutory, bylaw, and charter responsibilities as set forth in the preceding paragraphs. As a result, the Board was unable to exercise its responsibilities to maintain a system that was reasonably effective in identifying violations of law. In turn, the Board displayed a sustained and systematic failure to exercise their oversight function and stood by as various laws were violated by the NRA, including violations of the NRA’s tax exempt status, false reporting on annual filings with the IRS and the Attorney General’s Charities Bureau, improper expense documentation, improper wage reporting, improper income tax withholding, failure to make required excise tax reporting and payment, payments in excess of reasonable compensation to disqualified persons, and waste of NRA assets.WHEW. No wonder "Burn it to the ground and salt the earth" is an option.
posted by mikelieman at 1:11 PM on August 6, 2020 [8 favorites]
New York, I love you.
the International Order of St. Hubertus
You may remember the IOSH from 2016's Death of Antonin Scalia.
[Scalia himself was not part of the all-male hunting club, as far as anyone knows. But his ties to a member of the group led to Scalia's invitation to the remote hunting resort near the Mexican border, where he would eventually die. (Antonin Scalia and the secretive Order of St. Hubertus hunting society, explained, Vox.com, Feb. 25, 2016)]
[It came as no surprise to me that Justice Scalia, found cold and pulseless in bed with a pillow "over his head," was declared dead of natural causes without an autopsy being performed. I was not shocked to hear that a county justice of the peace agreed to issue the death certificate without visiting the death scene or seeing the body for herself. (Justice Scalia's unexamined death points to a problem, CNN Opinion, February 20, 2016)]
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:16 PM on August 6, 2020 [16 favorites]
the International Order of St. Hubertus
You may remember the IOSH from 2016's Death of Antonin Scalia.
[Scalia himself was not part of the all-male hunting club, as far as anyone knows. But his ties to a member of the group led to Scalia's invitation to the remote hunting resort near the Mexican border, where he would eventually die. (Antonin Scalia and the secretive Order of St. Hubertus hunting society, explained, Vox.com, Feb. 25, 2016)]
[It came as no surprise to me that Justice Scalia, found cold and pulseless in bed with a pillow "over his head," was declared dead of natural causes without an autopsy being performed. I was not shocked to hear that a county justice of the peace agreed to issue the death certificate without visiting the death scene or seeing the body for herself. (Justice Scalia's unexamined death points to a problem, CNN Opinion, February 20, 2016)]
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:16 PM on August 6, 2020 [16 favorites]
I am both a progressive and a gun owner (proud member of The Liberal Gun Club) who believes in every day carry but also lives in California so... Anyway, my father also left the NRA because he saw where things were heading.
I am excited by the prospect of the NRA dying but I am also very worried about what my 'liberal'
brothers and sisters will do if given half a chance. It's worth saying that the NRA became reactionary precisely because of the authoritarian tendencies of many liberals on the subject of guns. If you think I'm just being a hyperbolic, 2FA nutjob, recall that Ronald Reagan, Republicans, and Democrats joined forces to take guns from Black folks.
posted by jchack at 1:27 PM on August 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
I am excited by the prospect of the NRA dying but I am also very worried about what my 'liberal'
brothers and sisters will do if given half a chance. It's worth saying that the NRA became reactionary precisely because of the authoritarian tendencies of many liberals on the subject of guns. If you think I'm just being a hyperbolic, 2FA nutjob, recall that Ronald Reagan, Republicans, and Democrats joined forces to take guns from Black folks.
posted by jchack at 1:27 PM on August 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
"Every single law abiding, 2nd Amendment believing gun owner in America ought to be really fucking pissed off at the @NRA right now. I know I am."
Let me say again, Joe Walsh said that.
Rationally (hah), everyone who supports the NRA for their "2nd Amendment rights" (hah) should be looking for a more honest org to support instead. Yet plenty of them are going to double down on the NRA, shoveling money at legal fees and everything else... and it's never been about the 2nd Amendment, of course.
There's a big strain of behavior here identical to all the wealthy televangelists who keep raking in "donations" while they fly around in their private jets. A lot of people are perfectly happy to be lied to and ripped off as long as someone pretends to share their interests.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 1:31 PM on August 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
Let me say again, Joe Walsh said that.
Rationally (hah), everyone who supports the NRA for their "2nd Amendment rights" (hah) should be looking for a more honest org to support instead. Yet plenty of them are going to double down on the NRA, shoveling money at legal fees and everything else... and it's never been about the 2nd Amendment, of course.
There's a big strain of behavior here identical to all the wealthy televangelists who keep raking in "donations" while they fly around in their private jets. A lot of people are perfectly happy to be lied to and ripped off as long as someone pretends to share their interests.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 1:31 PM on August 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
I am excited by the prospect of the NRA dying but I am also very worried about what my 'liberal'
brothers and sisters will do if given half a chance. It's worth saying that the NRA became reactionary precisely because of the authoritarian tendencies of many liberals on the subject of guns.
That's the beauty of this complaint - it doesn't get into the morality of guns at all. It is purely about "the dudes in charge of this organization were actually defrauding it for decades, and it is so messed up by now thanks to their mishandling that it's actually better to put it out of its misery and maybe someone can start over."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:31 PM on August 6, 2020 [17 favorites]
brothers and sisters will do if given half a chance. It's worth saying that the NRA became reactionary precisely because of the authoritarian tendencies of many liberals on the subject of guns.
That's the beauty of this complaint - it doesn't get into the morality of guns at all. It is purely about "the dudes in charge of this organization were actually defrauding it for decades, and it is so messed up by now thanks to their mishandling that it's actually better to put it out of its misery and maybe someone can start over."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:31 PM on August 6, 2020 [17 favorites]
...because of the authoritarian tendencies of many liberals on the subject of guns. ...recall that Ronald Reagan, Republicans, and Democrats joined forces to take guns from Black folks.
Uh, I think that particular instance was not about "authoritarian tendencies on the subject of guns," but racism.
posted by demonic winged headgear at 1:43 PM on August 6, 2020 [30 favorites]
Uh, I think that particular instance was not about "authoritarian tendencies on the subject of guns," but racism.
posted by demonic winged headgear at 1:43 PM on August 6, 2020 [30 favorites]
The Guardian article linked above at "cite 2" is headed with a gun show photo of a child who appears to be breaking gun safety etiquette by pointing a presumably unloaded rifle towards another child through simple inattentiveness.
I guess once upon a time, one of the justifying purposes for the NRA was to provide gun safety education that would discourage this kind of thing?
showbiz_liz, I feel for your father.
posted by cattypist at 1:50 PM on August 6, 2020 [4 favorites]
I guess once upon a time, one of the justifying purposes for the NRA was to provide gun safety education that would discourage this kind of thing?
showbiz_liz, I feel for your father.
posted by cattypist at 1:50 PM on August 6, 2020 [4 favorites]
Uh, I think that particular instance was not about "authoritarian tendencies on the subject of guns," but racism.
Well there's definitely an intersection between "tough on guns" policy and "arbitrarily searching minorities for contraband" policy but I think it's a bit of a red herring as far as the modern NRA's vision of gun rights goes.
posted by atoxyl at 1:55 PM on August 6, 2020
Well there's definitely an intersection between "tough on guns" policy and "arbitrarily searching minorities for contraband" policy but I think it's a bit of a red herring as far as the modern NRA's vision of gun rights goes.
posted by atoxyl at 1:55 PM on August 6, 2020
It's worth saying that the NRA became reactionary precisely because of the authoritarian tendencies of many liberals on the subject of guns.
No, the NRA became "reactionary" because a murderous bigot named Harlan Carter orchestrated a takeover of the NRA - the Cincinnati Revolt - to realign the NRA to defend white supremacy.
posted by NoxAeternum at 2:12 PM on August 6, 2020 [52 favorites]
No, the NRA became "reactionary" because a murderous bigot named Harlan Carter orchestrated a takeover of the NRA - the Cincinnati Revolt - to realign the NRA to defend white supremacy.
posted by NoxAeternum at 2:12 PM on August 6, 2020 [52 favorites]
the International Order of St. Hubertus
You may remember the IOSH from 2016's Death of Antonin Scalia.
OK, till now I have strongly felt that all the speculation about this was at the crazy conspiracy level of analysis. Now, I feel there needs to be a taskforce digging through every single tiny aspect of the Trump presidency. For instance, if there was foul play involved in Scalia's death, how should we then understand Kennedy's retirement (apart from his son's involvement in DB).
There is plenty of evidence that the Trumps like to imagine themselves as gangsters, as well as plenty of evidence they suck at it. But when Trump became president a lot of other criminal actors, including the NRA leadership, rightly or wrongly thought the gates had opened.
posted by mumimor at 2:15 PM on August 6, 2020 [10 favorites]
You may remember the IOSH from 2016's Death of Antonin Scalia.
OK, till now I have strongly felt that all the speculation about this was at the crazy conspiracy level of analysis. Now, I feel there needs to be a taskforce digging through every single tiny aspect of the Trump presidency. For instance, if there was foul play involved in Scalia's death, how should we then understand Kennedy's retirement (apart from his son's involvement in DB).
There is plenty of evidence that the Trumps like to imagine themselves as gangsters, as well as plenty of evidence they suck at it. But when Trump became president a lot of other criminal actors, including the NRA leadership, rightly or wrongly thought the gates had opened.
posted by mumimor at 2:15 PM on August 6, 2020 [10 favorites]
- Liberals destroys NRA
GOP captures Post Office with $20M chits
posted by Heywood Mogroot III at 2:24 PM on August 6, 2020 [15 favorites]
> More to the point, the NRA did a lot to funnel gun owners into their extremist viewpoint
One of my good friends, who is a gun owner, likes to participate in regular target shooting and marksmanship events, and also regularly concealed-carries, has been totally swept into a furthest-right-wing-conspiracy-theory mindset purely by the NRA materials she receives and avidly reads & watches.
(Source: I looked through a bunch of that material when I was visiting said friend recently. One of the tricks here is that a lot of it comes through the mail. Thus it reaches the (probably majority?) of older conservative-minded folks who don't necessarily spend all day long reading through the furthest reaches of the political internet.)
So we're not just looking at an extremist gun-rights organization here, but a very, very important extremist right-wing propaganda outlet as well.
I don't know if they have an equal impact to Fox News, for example, but it is somewhere in that general ballpark. Probably not as high in terms of viewership, but because it flies a lot more under the radar the viewpoints can become far more extremist without as much general notice that it's even happening.
posted by flug at 2:55 PM on August 6, 2020 [15 favorites]
One of my good friends, who is a gun owner, likes to participate in regular target shooting and marksmanship events, and also regularly concealed-carries, has been totally swept into a furthest-right-wing-conspiracy-theory mindset purely by the NRA materials she receives and avidly reads & watches.
(Source: I looked through a bunch of that material when I was visiting said friend recently. One of the tricks here is that a lot of it comes through the mail. Thus it reaches the (probably majority?) of older conservative-minded folks who don't necessarily spend all day long reading through the furthest reaches of the political internet.)
So we're not just looking at an extremist gun-rights organization here, but a very, very important extremist right-wing propaganda outlet as well.
I don't know if they have an equal impact to Fox News, for example, but it is somewhere in that general ballpark. Probably not as high in terms of viewership, but because it flies a lot more under the radar the viewpoints can become far more extremist without as much general notice that it's even happening.
posted by flug at 2:55 PM on August 6, 2020 [15 favorites]
"It came as no surprise to me that Justice Scalia, found cold and pulseless ... was declared dead."
Wait. How did they tell the difference?
posted by JackFlash at 2:59 PM on August 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
Wait. How did they tell the difference?
posted by JackFlash at 2:59 PM on August 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
EmpressCallipygos: They never mention this person by name, they only call them "MMP Principal"
It might be worth noting that at least two of those companies, Allegiance and Concord, share a mailing address, and the corporate phone number of one of those companies belongs to the CFO of ATI.
posted by hanov3r at 3:06 PM on August 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
It might be worth noting that at least two of those companies, Allegiance and Concord, share a mailing address, and the corporate phone number of one of those companies belongs to the CFO of ATI.
posted by hanov3r at 3:06 PM on August 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
Now they are tag teaming. The DC district attorney is suing the NRA Foundation for misuse of funds.
The NRA Foundation is a separate entity that is an actual 501(c)(3) tax-deductible charity. Supposedly they fund groups like Boy Scouts and 4-H clubs.
But it turns out that the NRA was using the Foundation as a piggy bank, taking millions in dollars of illegal "loans" from the charity to finance the cash strapped NRA.
Several of the members of the board of the charity are also executives of the NRA which means they were illegally self-dealing from the charity. This case more closely fits the pattern of the Trump Foundation, which was also a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible charity.
posted by JackFlash at 3:15 PM on August 6, 2020 [18 favorites]
The NRA Foundation is a separate entity that is an actual 501(c)(3) tax-deductible charity. Supposedly they fund groups like Boy Scouts and 4-H clubs.
But it turns out that the NRA was using the Foundation as a piggy bank, taking millions in dollars of illegal "loans" from the charity to finance the cash strapped NRA.
Several of the members of the board of the charity are also executives of the NRA which means they were illegally self-dealing from the charity. This case more closely fits the pattern of the Trump Foundation, which was also a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible charity.
posted by JackFlash at 3:15 PM on August 6, 2020 [18 favorites]
Now they are tag teaming. The DC district attorney is suing the NRA Foundation for misuse of funds.
Whew! This complaint is only 25 pages! That's good, because after AG James' 166 pages, I'm just about full of legalese for the day...
posted by mikelieman at 3:19 PM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Whew! This complaint is only 25 pages! That's good, because after AG James' 166 pages, I'm just about full of legalese for the day...
posted by mikelieman at 3:19 PM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
This is so cool and gutsy.
posted by latkes at 4:12 PM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by latkes at 4:12 PM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Letitia James for U.S. AG!!!
Do police unions next!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:38 PM on August 6, 2020 [17 favorites]
Do police unions next!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:38 PM on August 6, 2020 [17 favorites]
Liberals destroys NRA
GOP captures Post Office with $20M chits
who knew that SJG's Illuminati was a simulation
We’ll know it’s Illuminati: New World Order if the Convenience Stores use a Rogue Boomer to destroy Switzerland.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:45 PM on August 6, 2020 [4 favorites]
GOP captures Post Office with $20M chits
who knew that SJG's Illuminati was a simulation
We’ll know it’s Illuminati: New World Order if the Convenience Stores use a Rogue Boomer to destroy Switzerland.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:45 PM on August 6, 2020 [4 favorites]
I am both a progressive and a gun owner (proud member of The Liberal Gun Club) who believes in every day carry
As a Canadian wading into this Very American Topic, I gotta say you really need to move the Overton Window a hell of a lot further than that. I can’t even imagine living in a country where people rationally believe that carrying a weapon is a thing that should even be considered. Everyday carry? Concealed weapons? And considered as normal and acceptable? That is just fucking crazy. Nuts. Insane.
I hope for your country’s sake you guys are finally rid of the NRA.
posted by fimbulvetr at 5:18 PM on August 6, 2020 [100 favorites]
As a Canadian wading into this Very American Topic, I gotta say you really need to move the Overton Window a hell of a lot further than that. I can’t even imagine living in a country where people rationally believe that carrying a weapon is a thing that should even be considered. Everyday carry? Concealed weapons? And considered as normal and acceptable? That is just fucking crazy. Nuts. Insane.
I hope for your country’s sake you guys are finally rid of the NRA.
posted by fimbulvetr at 5:18 PM on August 6, 2020 [100 favorites]
I own guns and support liberal gun rights, and I'd be delighted to see the NRA disappear into the footnotes of history. The original version of the organization sounds like a relatively benign civic organization that I might be willing to join, but the modern version is terrible and deserves to disappear.
(Source: I looked through a bunch of that material when I was visiting said friend recently. One of the tricks here is that a lot of it comes through the mail. Thus it reaches the (probably majority?) of older conservative-minded folks who don't necessarily spend all day long reading through the furthest reaches of the political internet.)
I inadvertently had an NRA membership for a year because it came with (no option for it not to) membership at a shooting range. The stuff they send is really vile and it took quite a few years to drop off of their mailing lists.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:20 PM on August 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
(Source: I looked through a bunch of that material when I was visiting said friend recently. One of the tricks here is that a lot of it comes through the mail. Thus it reaches the (probably majority?) of older conservative-minded folks who don't necessarily spend all day long reading through the furthest reaches of the political internet.)
I inadvertently had an NRA membership for a year because it came with (no option for it not to) membership at a shooting range. The stuff they send is really vile and it took quite a few years to drop off of their mailing lists.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:20 PM on August 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
When I was a kid, one of my friends had a dad who was a private gun dealer. Their house had a lot of issues of The American Rifleman, which was the house organ of the NRA. The only thing I really remember about it when browsing them is the breathless stories of people who defended themselves against baddies with their guns.
Somehow it was never about the thousands and thousands of folks who were killed or maimed by negligent discharges, some toddler finding a gun lying around and shooting themselves with it, etc. Just the heroes who happened to be armed and saved a can of beans or whatnot.
And this was in the 80s BEFORE they were "hijacked" to be even worse, so I cannot imagine how bad the current propaganda is.
If you want to be really depressed, browse David Waldman's compilation of the butcher's bill of everyday life in the NRA's world by looking at the #GunFAIL hashtag. Every day, almost.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 6:00 PM on August 6, 2020 [8 favorites]
Somehow it was never about the thousands and thousands of folks who were killed or maimed by negligent discharges, some toddler finding a gun lying around and shooting themselves with it, etc. Just the heroes who happened to be armed and saved a can of beans or whatnot.
And this was in the 80s BEFORE they were "hijacked" to be even worse, so I cannot imagine how bad the current propaganda is.
If you want to be really depressed, browse David Waldman's compilation of the butcher's bill of everyday life in the NRA's world by looking at the #GunFAIL hashtag. Every day, almost.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 6:00 PM on August 6, 2020 [8 favorites]
Those looking for alternatives can join the Socialist Rifle Association, a group that supports and defends marginalized folks. As long as police are armed, it's reactionary to insist that working class, poor, LGBTQIA, BIPOC, and immigrant communities disarm.
I've had a great experience with my comrades, both at the range and in places having little to do with firearms.
posted by Lord Chancellor at 6:01 PM on August 6, 2020 [8 favorites]
I've had a great experience with my comrades, both at the range and in places having little to do with firearms.
posted by Lord Chancellor at 6:01 PM on August 6, 2020 [8 favorites]
For folks interested in Membership Marketing Partners, the Trace and the New Yorker had a great deep dive into all this last year:
Cummins explained to the board that Ackerman and other vendors were generating enormous expenses and getting paid through multiple entities, in a way that obscured payments. One such arrangement involved a company called Membership Marketing Partners, which provides direct-mail fundraising. In 2017, the NRA paid MMP nearly $12 million. At the same time, it directed almost $800,000 to a firm called Allegiance Creative Group, for “fundraising counsel.” Allegiance doesn’t have a web site, but, according to state filings, at least 10 of its 15 employees also work at MMP. The president and CEO of both companies is Gurney Sloan, who previously worked as a senior vice-president at Ackerman McQueen.posted by Jeff_Larson at 6:51 PM on August 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
Remembering the NRA propaganda piece Freedom In Peril: Guarding the 2nd Amendment in the 21st Century (archived Wonkette, 12/22/2006).
posted by cenoxo at 7:36 PM on August 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by cenoxo at 7:36 PM on August 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
Speaking of old NRA propaganda, I have a specific memory of the NRA's "CrimeStrike" astroturf organization taking out full-page ads in major U.S. newspapers excoriating Body Count's "Cop Killer," which was an interesting pivot in the organization's tactics and strategy. I'm Canadian, but my father always bought USA Today, and I'm 100% sure that's where I saw the ad because I cut it out to use as an exhibit in an earnestly angry high school presentation I did about music censorship (Thanks, Tipper! Thanks, Satanic Panic!).
Previously, the NRA had lined up hard against proposed limits on the sale of hardened metal-alloy ammunition (i.e., body armor-piercing rounds). These proposed limits were actually broadly supported by U.S law enforcement agencies and their representatives.
The NRA was able to fold in racism (not exactly new territory for them; see NoxAeternum's link to more info on Harlan Carter above) and fear of Black music as a Second Amendment argument and twist things around so that being pro-gun or -ammunition control was tantamount to being "anti-law enforcement." But that rap/metal thing Body Count was doing might be really dangerous!
This is a Newsweek piece that appeared in 1993 (and has some weird bullshit in it about sex workers being the last people who would want a campaign against STDs, but anyway):
In recent months the NRA has supported ballot initiatives to keep three-time felons in jail for life in Washington state and to build more prisons in Texas, It has also launched a $2 million campaign, called CrimeStrike, to spread the word that the criminal-justice system is seriously flawed. (Officials cite a litany of alarming statistics: 60,000 people convicted of violent crime this year will be given probation; 38 states are under court orders to release prisoners.) The new NRA is also positioning itself as a defender of women (a $1 million ad campaign says, "Refuse to Be a Victim") and as a gun-safety advocate for kids. (A seven-minute video features Eddie Eagle, a cartoon character, telling kids--in a catchy rap ditty--what to do if they see a gun: "Stop. Don't touch. Leave the area. Tell an adult.") "I give them credit," says one GOP Senate aide. "They're calculating the political winds in an awfully shrewd way."
This thing can't die soon enough.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:11 PM on August 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
Previously, the NRA had lined up hard against proposed limits on the sale of hardened metal-alloy ammunition (i.e., body armor-piercing rounds). These proposed limits were actually broadly supported by U.S law enforcement agencies and their representatives.
The NRA was able to fold in racism (not exactly new territory for them; see NoxAeternum's link to more info on Harlan Carter above) and fear of Black music as a Second Amendment argument and twist things around so that being pro-gun or -ammunition control was tantamount to being "anti-law enforcement." But that rap/metal thing Body Count was doing might be really dangerous!
This is a Newsweek piece that appeared in 1993 (and has some weird bullshit in it about sex workers being the last people who would want a campaign against STDs, but anyway):
In recent months the NRA has supported ballot initiatives to keep three-time felons in jail for life in Washington state and to build more prisons in Texas, It has also launched a $2 million campaign, called CrimeStrike, to spread the word that the criminal-justice system is seriously flawed. (Officials cite a litany of alarming statistics: 60,000 people convicted of violent crime this year will be given probation; 38 states are under court orders to release prisoners.) The new NRA is also positioning itself as a defender of women (a $1 million ad campaign says, "Refuse to Be a Victim") and as a gun-safety advocate for kids. (A seven-minute video features Eddie Eagle, a cartoon character, telling kids--in a catchy rap ditty--what to do if they see a gun: "Stop. Don't touch. Leave the area. Tell an adult.") "I give them credit," says one GOP Senate aide. "They're calculating the political winds in an awfully shrewd way."
This thing can't die soon enough.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:11 PM on August 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
I inadvertently had an NRA membership for a year because it came with (no option for it not to) membership at a shooting range.
The NRA had a program where they provided shooting ranges with funding provided that they funneled their clients to the NRA. As I stated above, this was part of their pipelining to bring gun owners into the fold.
(Also, this is why you should take NRA membership numbers with a shaker of salt - the industry basically threw membership at gun owners with free memberships for buying guns, joining ranges, etc.)
posted by NoxAeternum at 8:20 PM on August 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
The NRA had a program where they provided shooting ranges with funding provided that they funneled their clients to the NRA. As I stated above, this was part of their pipelining to bring gun owners into the fold.
(Also, this is why you should take NRA membership numbers with a shaker of salt - the industry basically threw membership at gun owners with free memberships for buying guns, joining ranges, etc.)
posted by NoxAeternum at 8:20 PM on August 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
(A seven-minute video features Eddie Eagle, a cartoon character, telling kids--in a catchy rap ditty--what to do if they see a gun: "Stop. Don't touch. Leave the area. Tell an adult.")
One of the first pieces on Full Frontal was Sam Bee trying to get her hands on an Eddie Eagle costume - access to which is tightly controlled by the NRA.
posted by NoxAeternum at 8:25 PM on August 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
One of the first pieces on Full Frontal was Sam Bee trying to get her hands on an Eddie Eagle costume - access to which is tightly controlled by the NRA.
posted by NoxAeternum at 8:25 PM on August 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
New York Sues To Put NRA Out Of Our Misery, Wonkette, Liz Dye, 8/6/2020:
posted by cenoxo at 8:42 PM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
The NRA is in deep shit, ya'll. And we are so here for it!More teasers in the article: Wonkette promises a deeper analysis tomorrow.
This morning, New York Attorney General Letitia James dropped a massive lawsuit [summons complaint PDF] seeking to dissolve the gunhumpers lobby for doing allllll the self-dealing and violating laws governing public charities.
From the jump the NYAG comes out with guns blazing:For nearly three decades, Wayne LaPierre has served as the chief executive officer of the NRA and has exploited the organization for his financial benefit, and the benefit of a close circle of NRA staff, board members, and vendors. Contrary to his statutory duties of care, loyalty and obedience to the mission of the charity, LaPierre has undertaken a series of actions to consolidate his position; to exploit that position for his personal benefit and that of his family; to continue, by use of a secret "poison pill contract," his employment even after removal and ensuring NRA income for life; and to intimidate, punish, and expel anyone at a senior level who raised concerns about his conduct. The effect has been to divert millions of dollars away from the charitable mission, imposing substantial reductions in its expenditures for core program services, including gun safety, education, training, member services and public affairs.Which is no surprise to readers of this here recipe and mommyblog, since we've been covering the fallout from the NRA's legal trench war with its longtime media partner Ackerman McQueen for over a year now. We already knew about the...
posted by cenoxo at 8:42 PM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
through a newly formed company called SPECTRE
The writers are really losing it, aren’t they.
posted by Melismata at 8:58 PM on August 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
The writers are really losing it, aren’t they.
posted by Melismata at 8:58 PM on August 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
I find it very hard to believe. That it could be so easy. I also think the timing is terrible, and could backfire badly.
But, the mere thought that we are witness to the beginning of the end of that cesspool gives me wonderfully chilly shivers of schadenfreude up and down my body like the caress of an angel.
posted by CynicalKnight at 9:55 PM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
But, the mere thought that we are witness to the beginning of the end of that cesspool gives me wonderfully chilly shivers of schadenfreude up and down my body like the caress of an angel.
posted by CynicalKnight at 9:55 PM on August 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
The writers are really losing it, aren’t they.
The grift project was named "Ben-Hur".
2020's writers continue to be the hackiest of hacks.
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:08 PM on August 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
The grift project was named "Ben-Hur".
2020's writers continue to be the hackiest of hacks.
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:08 PM on August 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
The NRA is getting sued into oblivion for fleecing their donors?
Talk about win-win!
I say this as a gun owner: lmao
posted by ryanrs at 1:10 AM on August 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
Talk about win-win!
I say this as a gun owner: lmao
posted by ryanrs at 1:10 AM on August 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
Is the new "I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac" gonna be a back window Calvin peeing on an NRA decal?
posted by bartleby at 2:20 AM on August 7, 2020
posted by bartleby at 2:20 AM on August 7, 2020
Guys guys I heard prosecuting a criminal organization won't stop all crime so I guess we should call it off
posted by benzenedream at 2:29 AM on August 7, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by benzenedream at 2:29 AM on August 7, 2020 [5 favorites]
The grift project was named "Ben-Hur".
With, as it may turn out, Wayne LaPierre as Messala?
posted by cenoxo at 5:26 AM on August 7, 2020
With, as it may turn out, Wayne LaPierre as Messala?
posted by cenoxo at 5:26 AM on August 7, 2020
Wayne LaPierre’s Extravagant Travels Are Central To New York’s NRA Lawsuit, Forbes, Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, 8/6/2020:
posted by cenoxo at 6:27 AM on August 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
In New York Attorney General Letitia James’s lawsuit against the National Rifle Association, the word “travel” appears no fewer than 118 times — almost always in reference to the extravagant jet-setting of the National Rifle Association’s Chief Executive and Executive Vice President, Wayne LaPierre....bullet points (cough) follow in the article.
...
Central to the 164-page chronicle of alleged financial malfeasance is LaPierre’s use of NRA funds for over-the-top vacations, private jets, and lavish meals. In a statement, James’s office said that the charitable organization's executives “instituted a culture of self-dealing, mismanagement, and negligent oversight at the NRA that was illegal, oppressive, and fraudulent.”
According to the lawsuit, in order to evade both the NRA’s own accounting process and IRS requirements, LaPierre instituted a practice whereby millions of dollars in entertainment and travel expenses were billed to the NRA as disbursements by the NRA’s largest vendor...
Here are some of the most egregious examples of alleged bilking:
posted by cenoxo at 6:27 AM on August 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
Holy shit. I thought the self dealing was bad but holy shit they went in like they thought they would never be caught.
I'm not sure NRA members realize just how badly the executives fucking pillaged the organization.
Powell. Holy shit.
All of these people should go to jail but none of them will spend a day in it. "Justice" in the United States.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 6:49 AM on August 7, 2020 [13 favorites]
I'm not sure NRA members realize just how badly the executives fucking pillaged the organization.
Just before his retirement in 2018, Phillips obtained a contract for himself worth $1.8 million, purportedly for monthly consulting services to the incoming treasurer, even though the current treasurer knew nothing about this contract and has confirmed that “Woody [Phillips] never consulted for me.”Wow. Just, fucking wow.
Powell. Holy shit.
LaPierre, Phillips, and Powell also signed off on the hiring of fundraising consultant McKenna & Associates outside of the NRA’s contract process and without going through any approval process. The NRA paid the company more than $5 million over the course of five years. For all of 2018, Powell’s wife was hired as a consultant by McKenna & Associates, and her entire $30,000 monthly consulting fee was passed through the NRA. The hiring of Powell’s wife was hidden from the NRA’s general counsel, in an effort to not draw attention to and affirmatively hide the conflict of interest, and her role was not pre-approved by the NRA board, as the organization’s policy requires. Additionally, Powell requested an NRA vendor to add his father to a rotation of paid photographers, resulting in more than $90,000 in compensation for his father, an expense which was completely passed through to the NRA.It's like a 20th century pigs' snouts in the fucking trough level of caricature come to life. Everyone was in on the bonanza.
All of these people should go to jail but none of them will spend a day in it. "Justice" in the United States.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 6:49 AM on August 7, 2020 [13 favorites]
All of these people should go to jail but none of them will spend a day in it. "Justice" in the United States.
Meanwhile yesterday, the Louisiana Supreme Court upheld the life sentence for a man caught trying to steal a pair of hedge clippers. You can guess what might be different about this man. "Justice" in the United States.
posted by JackFlash at 7:37 AM on August 7, 2020 [22 favorites]
Meanwhile yesterday, the Louisiana Supreme Court upheld the life sentence for a man caught trying to steal a pair of hedge clippers. You can guess what might be different about this man. "Justice" in the United States.
posted by JackFlash at 7:37 AM on August 7, 2020 [22 favorites]
I live in a southern state where a lot of people have guns and are Trump supporters. I'm 50 and I guess my perspective is:
I think hunting for food is great and much better than factory farming. We also have too many deer.
If you live out in the wilderness or way the heck away from any town, I can see having a gun (I wouldn't).
If you live in a terrifying neighborhood where people constantly get burgled and shot, and you are allergic to dogs, I can see having a gun.
That's about it. The idea of being into guns because they are cool (they ain't) or because you think the end times are at hand is just fucked up. Concealed and/or open carry are fucked up. "Gun culture" is a bullshit misnomer - guns are a tool that are very, very occasionally useful and should not occupy a central place of thought in anyone's life. Maybe we should use the term "gun addiction" instead. Even at the "we need to protect America"/militia level, I'm struggling to think of a time other than the Revolutionary War when everyone having a bunch of guns was of some use. Unless you count a bunch of white people using them to preserve dominance.
Like I said, I'm 50. I've lived in some seedy places as a young man and have had an apartment robbed and a few other dicey situations. But still, when it comes to guns, I think "What the FUCK would I do with a thing like that???"
posted by freecellwizard at 7:40 AM on August 7, 2020 [11 favorites]
I think hunting for food is great and much better than factory farming. We also have too many deer.
If you live out in the wilderness or way the heck away from any town, I can see having a gun (I wouldn't).
If you live in a terrifying neighborhood where people constantly get burgled and shot, and you are allergic to dogs, I can see having a gun.
That's about it. The idea of being into guns because they are cool (they ain't) or because you think the end times are at hand is just fucked up. Concealed and/or open carry are fucked up. "Gun culture" is a bullshit misnomer - guns are a tool that are very, very occasionally useful and should not occupy a central place of thought in anyone's life. Maybe we should use the term "gun addiction" instead. Even at the "we need to protect America"/militia level, I'm struggling to think of a time other than the Revolutionary War when everyone having a bunch of guns was of some use. Unless you count a bunch of white people using them to preserve dominance.
Like I said, I'm 50. I've lived in some seedy places as a young man and have had an apartment robbed and a few other dicey situations. But still, when it comes to guns, I think "What the FUCK would I do with a thing like that???"
posted by freecellwizard at 7:40 AM on August 7, 2020 [11 favorites]
After reading the list of charges, my one burning question is who was LaPierre's "travel consultant" that was paid so extravagantly? Was it his mistress, his cousin, or an imaginary friend?
posted by benzenedream at 8:23 AM on August 7, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by benzenedream at 8:23 AM on August 7, 2020 [4 favorites]
After reading the list of charges, my one burning question is who was LaPierre's "travel consultant" that was paid so extravagantly? Was it his mistress, his cousin, or an imaginary friend?
Previous reporting on the NRA's shady dealings (e.g. this November 4, 2019 WSJ article) identified LaPierre's travel arranger as one Gayle Stanford. While Stanford was being paid by the NRA, a 2009 civil lawsuit by the Texas attorney general alleged that she was defrauding small business owners. That suit was settled.
posted by jedicus at 9:12 AM on August 7, 2020 [2 favorites]
Previous reporting on the NRA's shady dealings (e.g. this November 4, 2019 WSJ article) identified LaPierre's travel arranger as one Gayle Stanford. While Stanford was being paid by the NRA, a 2009 civil lawsuit by the Texas attorney general alleged that she was defrauding small business owners. That suit was settled.
posted by jedicus at 9:12 AM on August 7, 2020 [2 favorites]
August 6's Letters from an American has a condensed receipt round-up for the NRA's GOP/Russia/Paul Erickson/Maria Butina-related contretemps and segues to yesterday's filing, with sources linked at the end of the newsletter. Brief excerpt:
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:11 AM on August 7, 2020 [3 favorites]
There is at least some reason to wonder if the sudden jump in NRA donations in 2016 had something to do with the Russian oligarchs who were talking with its leaders. When Senator Wyden requested information about their donors, NRA leaders stated categorically they did not accept money from “foreign persons or entities in connection with United States elections,” which is illegal. But then they said it had, in fact, accepted less than $1000 from [Russian government official Alexander Torshin, for a membership. And then they told Wyden that it had actually taken money from 25 Russian individuals for memberships or magazine subscriptions, totaling about $2512.85.tldr; Those magazine subscriptions may only be "free" to American NRA enthusiasts (and buyers of select gun brands).
The lawsuit announced this morning concerned a different kind of NRA spending. For six and a half years, NRA leaders have misspent funds, lavishing the money of the nonprofit organization on their own lifestyles. In 2015, the NRA had a surplus of almost $28 million. By 2018, it was running a $36 million deficit. This spending came to light after Republican operative Oliver North, a key player in the Iran-Contra Scandal, became president of the organization in September 2018. In April 2019, North called for an investigation into the NRA’s finances and asked longtime chief executive of the organization Wayne LaPierre to resign. LaPierre responded that North was trying to get him out of the organization by threatening to release “damaging” information about him. North resigned.
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:11 AM on August 7, 2020 [3 favorites]
Man, you know you're corrupt when Oliver North looks like the principled one.
posted by biogeo at 11:46 AM on August 7, 2020 [11 favorites]
posted by biogeo at 11:46 AM on August 7, 2020 [11 favorites]
Man, you know you're corrupt when Oliver North looks like the principled one.
Wait, NORTH is "Dissident 1"??? The guy with the ... TV contract he needed to be bought out of?
posted by mikelieman at 12:28 PM on August 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
Wait, NORTH is "Dissident 1"??? The guy with the ... TV contract he needed to be bought out of?
posted by mikelieman at 12:28 PM on August 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
UpdateMore from Wonkette, Liz Dye, August 07, 2020 02:38 PM — How Dare NY AG Catch NRA Execs Looting $64 Million From 'Charity'!:
posted by cenoxo at 1:52 PM on August 7, 2020 [5 favorites]
If the National Rifle Association's founders had known that their gun group would devolve into a self-perpetuating orgy of corruption dedicated to shoveling cash into its board members' pockets, they probably wouldn't have chartered it in New York. The Empire State's laws governing public charities are the strictest in the nation, particularly after they were revamped in 2013. But by then Wayne LaPierre had already been the NRA's Executive Vice President for 22 years, and old habits die hard.Perp walk follows in the article.
When Letitia James was elected New York's attorney general in 2018 specifically vowing to take on the NRA using the state's public charity laws, the gun group had a "Come to Jesus" moment and tried to get its house in order, but by then it was too late. There were too many people invested in keeping the gravy train running, and anyway it was too late to un-commit all the financial shenanigans. Sixty-four million dollars' worth.
Which brings us to yesterday, when James announced a civil suit seeking to dissolve the NRA and laying out a stinging indictment of its management for unjustly enriching themselves with the connivance of the organization's board, many of whose members were also lining their pockets with donor cash....
posted by cenoxo at 1:52 PM on August 7, 2020 [5 favorites]
Alexandra Petri: If you’ve never supported the NRA, now is the time to start
posted by mumimor at 3:46 PM on August 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by mumimor at 3:46 PM on August 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
freecellwizard: "Maybe we should use the term "gun addiction" instead."
Whoa, whoa, that makes it sound like a disease and we literally weren't allowed to treat it that way (thanks to, you guessed it, lobbying from the NRA).
posted by Riki tiki at 4:07 PM on August 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
Whoa, whoa, that makes it sound like a disease and we literally weren't allowed to treat it that way (thanks to, you guessed it, lobbying from the NRA).
posted by Riki tiki at 4:07 PM on August 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
And considered as normal and acceptable
ha, but it absolutely isn't. the thing is that non-death-courting people like you and I live in a different world, even if we live in America side by side with the gun people (as I in fact do). because no matter how much I know about the law and read the news, the idea that a "liberal" or anyone else might have a secret murder pistol stuffed in their jeans when I pass them on the sidewalk or in the grocery store just never, ever occurs to me unless or until she whips it out and kills me with it. worth saying here that I live in cities. but never once. not ever have I thought that a passer-by might have a gun literally on them, anywhere I've lived in the U.S., except for the cops. and we all know to stay as far away from any cop as we can, because of exactly this. you can't really function if you become aware of the possibilities, so you don't allow them in.
but they know they have their special gun, and they know they can kill someone any time they want, which is very important to them, and so they are happy and restful in their knowledge as I am in my ignorance.
a perfect system right up until somebody shoots somebody else
posted by queenofbithynia at 5:05 PM on August 7, 2020 [9 favorites]
ha, but it absolutely isn't. the thing is that non-death-courting people like you and I live in a different world, even if we live in America side by side with the gun people (as I in fact do). because no matter how much I know about the law and read the news, the idea that a "liberal" or anyone else might have a secret murder pistol stuffed in their jeans when I pass them on the sidewalk or in the grocery store just never, ever occurs to me unless or until she whips it out and kills me with it. worth saying here that I live in cities. but never once. not ever have I thought that a passer-by might have a gun literally on them, anywhere I've lived in the U.S., except for the cops. and we all know to stay as far away from any cop as we can, because of exactly this. you can't really function if you become aware of the possibilities, so you don't allow them in.
but they know they have their special gun, and they know they can kill someone any time they want, which is very important to them, and so they are happy and restful in their knowledge as I am in my ignorance.
a perfect system right up until somebody shoots somebody else
posted by queenofbithynia at 5:05 PM on August 7, 2020 [9 favorites]
I think hunting for food is great and much better than factory farming. We also have too many deer.
If you live out in the wilderness or way the heck away from any town, I can see having a gun (I wouldn't).
If you live in a terrifying neighborhood where people constantly get burgled and shot, and you are allergic to dogs, I can see having a gun.
It's worth reminding everyone that you can have a very reasonable gun regime that allows all of these use and other legitimate ones, such as controlling feral hogs, target practice at the local gun range, etc etc etc but at the same time massively reduces the amount of guns just floating out there in the closets of people who don't even really know how to operate them.
So it's very, very possible to the sort of firearms "restrictions" that just about the most avid gun control advocate in the U.S. could even dream of, while still allowing every responsible gun owner to hunt, concealed carry, protect their property, target shoot, and all the rest of the things they really 'need' to do.
They're doing that in places like Australia, and say Germany, Austria, and a bunch of other countries.
I visited Germany and Austria few years ago. Both countries have gun control legislation that would make any NRA member just writhe in agony.
Yet . . . I've never seen so many hunting blinds. Every farmer across the countryside must hunt their land. And hunting clubs, what-have-you.
It made us here in Missouri look like pikers in the hunting department--and that's saying something.
Point is, to the average NRA members, the idea of "gun control" means that hunting, target shooting, concealed carry, and really necessary self-defense, and everything they "hold dear" is just going to be steamrollered.
"Hand over your guns, Comrade," and all that sort of bullshit.
It's just not reality.
What you're really going to do is empty the closets of nitwits who can't even be arsed to keep their guns in proper lockers, take away concealed carry permits from folks who can't even be bothered to take a refresher course every few years, and so on.
In short, keeping guns away from people who have no business having them in the first place.
That's a win for both reducing gun-related injuries and fatalities and for the rather small minority of actually responsible gun owners.
It's worth keeping this idea in front of both ourselves and gun owners.
It's very comparable to driving.
posted by flug at 5:43 PM on August 7, 2020 [11 favorites]
If you live out in the wilderness or way the heck away from any town, I can see having a gun (I wouldn't).
If you live in a terrifying neighborhood where people constantly get burgled and shot, and you are allergic to dogs, I can see having a gun.
It's worth reminding everyone that you can have a very reasonable gun regime that allows all of these use and other legitimate ones, such as controlling feral hogs, target practice at the local gun range, etc etc etc but at the same time massively reduces the amount of guns just floating out there in the closets of people who don't even really know how to operate them.
So it's very, very possible to the sort of firearms "restrictions" that just about the most avid gun control advocate in the U.S. could even dream of, while still allowing every responsible gun owner to hunt, concealed carry, protect their property, target shoot, and all the rest of the things they really 'need' to do.
They're doing that in places like Australia, and say Germany, Austria, and a bunch of other countries.
I visited Germany and Austria few years ago. Both countries have gun control legislation that would make any NRA member just writhe in agony.
Yet . . . I've never seen so many hunting blinds. Every farmer across the countryside must hunt their land. And hunting clubs, what-have-you.
It made us here in Missouri look like pikers in the hunting department--and that's saying something.
Point is, to the average NRA members, the idea of "gun control" means that hunting, target shooting, concealed carry, and really necessary self-defense, and everything they "hold dear" is just going to be steamrollered.
"Hand over your guns, Comrade," and all that sort of bullshit.
It's just not reality.
What you're really going to do is empty the closets of nitwits who can't even be arsed to keep their guns in proper lockers, take away concealed carry permits from folks who can't even be bothered to take a refresher course every few years, and so on.
In short, keeping guns away from people who have no business having them in the first place.
That's a win for both reducing gun-related injuries and fatalities and for the rather small minority of actually responsible gun owners.
It's worth keeping this idea in front of both ourselves and gun owners.
It's very comparable to driving.
- It's a relatively dangerous activity (potentially)
- Yet also has many uses and benefits
- So we regulate it and license it and require regular training, insurance, etc
- That means we can gain the benefits of the activity while also massively reducing many of the harms
posted by flug at 5:43 PM on August 7, 2020 [11 favorites]
So it's very, very possible to the sort of firearms "restrictions" that just about the most avid gun control advocate in the U.S. could even dream of, while still allowing every responsible gun owner to hunt, concealed carry, protect their property, target shoot, and all the rest of the things they really 'need' to do.
hunt ok, target shoot sure. the middle two...you lost me. those are a couple of major threats to human life that gun control advocates are, as we say, against.
"protect their property"
we do not want to accidentally murder our drunk teenagers sneaking in late at night; we do not even especially want to carry out extra-judicial executions of burglars. blood stains the nice wood floors of our castles, we don't like that. we would prefer that other people don't have the power to do those things either, either on purpose or in a panic. brandishing an empty gun with no bullets in would be ok, I guess.
"concealed carry"
no.
So it's very, very possible to the sort of firearms "restrictions" that just about the most avid gun control advocate in the U.S. could even dream of,
respectfully, I don't think you have a very clear idea of what the most avid gun control advocates are after (it's gun control). you did put 'need' in scare quotes, so it almost seems like you agree these desires are not needs. but if that is the case, you should realize that many people oppose treating these dangerous desires as rights.
I do not state the above positions because I think I can argue you around to them, or because I think this is a good venue to try having an argument in. I just want you to know that they are normal and popular positions for regular old gun control advocates to hold. I am not even particularly avid anymore, what with getting old; I am the kind of dull liberal that snotty leftists get superior about. really avid gun control goes a lot further than I do (with my blessing; I am just tired.) but even my tepid kind of gun control advocacy isn't a joke.
and "responsible gun owner," what is this. there's no viable proposal to distribute special kill cards to only the best people. it's nice to enforce rules and regulations, it's fine and good to ban cops and other known violent abusers from buying guns. a great first step. but you're only a known abuser after you do it a few times. "responsible" doesn't mean much more than "hasn't been convicted of anything." and it can't.
posted by queenofbithynia at 6:17 PM on August 7, 2020 [20 favorites]
hunt ok, target shoot sure. the middle two...you lost me. those are a couple of major threats to human life that gun control advocates are, as we say, against.
"protect their property"
we do not want to accidentally murder our drunk teenagers sneaking in late at night; we do not even especially want to carry out extra-judicial executions of burglars. blood stains the nice wood floors of our castles, we don't like that. we would prefer that other people don't have the power to do those things either, either on purpose or in a panic. brandishing an empty gun with no bullets in would be ok, I guess.
"concealed carry"
no.
So it's very, very possible to the sort of firearms "restrictions" that just about the most avid gun control advocate in the U.S. could even dream of,
respectfully, I don't think you have a very clear idea of what the most avid gun control advocates are after (it's gun control). you did put 'need' in scare quotes, so it almost seems like you agree these desires are not needs. but if that is the case, you should realize that many people oppose treating these dangerous desires as rights.
I do not state the above positions because I think I can argue you around to them, or because I think this is a good venue to try having an argument in. I just want you to know that they are normal and popular positions for regular old gun control advocates to hold. I am not even particularly avid anymore, what with getting old; I am the kind of dull liberal that snotty leftists get superior about. really avid gun control goes a lot further than I do (with my blessing; I am just tired.) but even my tepid kind of gun control advocacy isn't a joke.
and "responsible gun owner," what is this. there's no viable proposal to distribute special kill cards to only the best people. it's nice to enforce rules and regulations, it's fine and good to ban cops and other known violent abusers from buying guns. a great first step. but you're only a known abuser after you do it a few times. "responsible" doesn't mean much more than "hasn't been convicted of anything." and it can't.
posted by queenofbithynia at 6:17 PM on August 7, 2020 [20 favorites]
In short, keeping guns away from people who have no business having them in the first place.
Consider this: In Heller, Scalia had the opportunity to say that DC's licensing and registration regulations infringe on Constitutionally protected rights. Scalia did not. For very good reason. Article 1, Section 8, Clause 16 gives Congress the authority to:
So, the solution to 80-90% of gun problems is simply to require every firearm owner to get a FFL, and for every licensed firearm owner to register every firearm they own. By making it a felony to transfer any firearm to an unlicensed person, or for a licensed person to fail to register a firearm, you've shutdown the flow of firearms to those who can't legally obtain them. When a firearm registered to you shows up at a crime scene, you're going to have some explaining to do.
It'll take some time, but eventually we'll get to ensuring that the licensed owners have the requisite skills and personal responsibility to own the class of firearms they desire. I can see a system where basic safety training is good for a a lever action, bolt action, or shotgun. Next level gets you a handgun, revolver. We can argue about a .22 caliber semi-auto ruger 10/22 is basic enough to be included in the first tier of licenses. Then, as you pass tests for various endorsements, you can get a license for a semi-automatic handgun or rifle > .22, fully automatic machine guns, .50 cal, etc.
So now, before they get the firearm, they have to prove they are, in fact, a "responsible firearm owner"
posted by mikelieman at 7:36 PM on August 7, 2020 [9 favorites]
Consider this: In Heller, Scalia had the opportunity to say that DC's licensing and registration regulations infringe on Constitutionally protected rights. Scalia did not. For very good reason. Article 1, Section 8, Clause 16 gives Congress the authority to:
To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;Therefore, Congress REGULATES the "well regulated militia" referred to in the later, 2nd Amendment.
So, the solution to 80-90% of gun problems is simply to require every firearm owner to get a FFL, and for every licensed firearm owner to register every firearm they own. By making it a felony to transfer any firearm to an unlicensed person, or for a licensed person to fail to register a firearm, you've shutdown the flow of firearms to those who can't legally obtain them. When a firearm registered to you shows up at a crime scene, you're going to have some explaining to do.
It'll take some time, but eventually we'll get to ensuring that the licensed owners have the requisite skills and personal responsibility to own the class of firearms they desire. I can see a system where basic safety training is good for a a lever action, bolt action, or shotgun. Next level gets you a handgun, revolver. We can argue about a .22 caliber semi-auto ruger 10/22 is basic enough to be included in the first tier of licenses. Then, as you pass tests for various endorsements, you can get a license for a semi-automatic handgun or rifle > .22, fully automatic machine guns, .50 cal, etc.
So now, before they get the firearm, they have to prove they are, in fact, a "responsible firearm owner"
posted by mikelieman at 7:36 PM on August 7, 2020 [9 favorites]
I work on preventing gun injuries and promoting safe storage for a living, supported Letitia James' candidacy for NYC Council back in the day, and actually screamed and jumped up and down when I got this news. People in the industry have privately said to me that they can't do their work without affiliating with the NRA and otherwise wouldn't. There are some genuinely good people who care about their communities and/or care about preserving heritage sports in the industry, and they'll benefit from this. I feel like the whole landscape of shooting sports and gun retail would be healthier and safer with (hopefully) more ethical leadership in the field.
I've been saying for years that there should be a class action lawsuit by gun owners against the NRA for inflicting emotional trauma and fear as a marketing tool, which has certainly contributed to deaths, especially suicides, among their base. They've started trying to claim a place in the suicide prevention community, and I think it's baldly disingenuous and exploitation of grieving people for PR. I love that their unethical and illegal business practices are what will likely put these practices to an end.
posted by centrifugal at 10:49 PM on August 7, 2020 [10 favorites]
I've been saying for years that there should be a class action lawsuit by gun owners against the NRA for inflicting emotional trauma and fear as a marketing tool, which has certainly contributed to deaths, especially suicides, among their base. They've started trying to claim a place in the suicide prevention community, and I think it's baldly disingenuous and exploitation of grieving people for PR. I love that their unethical and illegal business practices are what will likely put these practices to an end.
posted by centrifugal at 10:49 PM on August 7, 2020 [10 favorites]
Last month, OnceUponATime posted The Most Important Scientist You Have Never Heard Of, about Clair Patterson's lead-pollution research. A couple of in-thread links: Lead exposure at firing ranges—a review (Environmental Health, volume 16, Article number: 34 (2017)) & the 2014 Seattle Times series, Loaded with Lead. Lead poisoning is a major threat at America’s shooting ranges, perpetuated by owners who’ve repeatedly violated laws even after workers have fallen painfully ill.
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:37 PM on August 7, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:37 PM on August 7, 2020 [5 favorites]
This Twitter thread [by an anti-gun activist] goes through and lists some of the things they did. It's insane. The corruption makes me want to vomit.
What about their auditor? They have to file a 990 and get an audit every year, just like every other NGO. How did these naked cash grabs not ring alarm bells? Be interesting to see if their auditors were corrupt or just inept...
posted by gemmy at 6:39 AM on August 8, 2020 [4 favorites]
What about their auditor? They have to file a 990 and get an audit every year, just like every other NGO. How did these naked cash grabs not ring alarm bells? Be interesting to see if their auditors were corrupt or just inept...
posted by gemmy at 6:39 AM on August 8, 2020 [4 favorites]
Iris Gambol, very excellent point - I believe the range the Seattle Times mentions that had to be shut down for extreme lead violations is the same one that put out a press release bragging about defying public health orders around the pandemic. Guess what organization built, or at least reinforced, this belief that anything government does - even if its sole purpose is to PROTECT YOUR CUSTOMERS AND EMPLOYEES - is secretly intended to do in the second amendment. There's been a bill about lead-free ammunition in our state legislature - guess who opposed it? (I think and talk and write about this stuff 40 hours a week, don't get me started...)
posted by centrifugal at 8:06 AM on August 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by centrifugal at 8:06 AM on August 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
I grew up with a gun in the house. I only ever saw my father use it once, when a seriously wounded animal wandered into the yard and my sister begged him to put it out of its misery. But knowing it was there made me more afraid. Those times when somebody broke into the house while Dad was working nights and Mom and us kids hid in the basement, all I could think was, what if they find the gun? And by the time Dad left he was seriously into his unhinged phase and those times he broke into the house, all I could think was, does he have the gun with him? So nuts to the idea of having a gun in the house to feel safe.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:20 AM on August 8, 2020 [10 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:20 AM on August 8, 2020 [10 favorites]
AG James explains why cut and run is no longer an option for the NRA:
To be clear, no charity registered in NYS, including the NRA, can dissolve and relocate to another state without the approval of my office or of the Supreme Court of NY.posted by NoxAeternum at 6:16 PM on August 8, 2020 [15 favorites]
As long as our lawsuit continues, the NRA must stay right where it is & answer for their deep-rooted fraud.
This is the kind of behavior people engage in when they think there is no accountability possible. With Trump, half of Congress, and probably a handshake from Putin in his pocket, it's no wonder LaPierre decided it was time to smash the piggybank.
posted by benzenedream at 7:13 PM on August 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by benzenedream at 7:13 PM on August 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
Right now, in my heart of hearts, I am the dog in the Far Side 'Cat Fud' cartoon, saying, "Oh, please, oh please, oh please..."
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 2:58 PM on August 10, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 2:58 PM on August 10, 2020 [1 favorite]
I had a conversation with my Irish friend several years back about the gun control situation in our respective countries. She said that "personal protection" was, to her knowledge, not a good enough reason to be allowed to own a gun in Ireland at the time; police would point out that there were other ways to protect one's self from attackers or intruders. (In fact, the same week I was visiting, there was a blurb in the news about a little old lady who'd beaten off some intruders with a frying pan.)
The only exception, she said, was if you told police that you'd been an informer on the IRA. In that case, the police reaction was more like "whoa. Okay, yes, absolutely you can have a gun - actually, do you think that's enough? Do you want, like, a tank?"
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:13 AM on August 11, 2020 [7 favorites]
The only exception, she said, was if you told police that you'd been an informer on the IRA. In that case, the police reaction was more like "whoa. Okay, yes, absolutely you can have a gun - actually, do you think that's enough? Do you want, like, a tank?"
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:13 AM on August 11, 2020 [7 favorites]
And in "so open minded their brain fell out", the legal director for the ACLU argues that AG James is wrong for seeking to dissolve the NRA. The sad/frustrating part is that his argument is purely based on "we can't hold our political foes to account for their illegal actions", an argument that I'm having very little patience with at this point.
posted by NoxAeternum at 3:09 PM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by NoxAeternum at 3:09 PM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
Slate has an interesting discussion on the fallout of the potential dissolution of the NRA. NYS law requires that the assets of a dissolved non-profit go to other non-profit groups that share the dissolved entity's mission and worldview, and are clear of corruption. Thus, James would be legally obligated to pass the NRA's corpse to another gun rights group (or groups) as part of this, basically making them the successor organization.
posted by NoxAeternum at 8:41 AM on September 4, 2020
posted by NoxAeternum at 8:41 AM on September 4, 2020
That would be the fucking best if the Pink Pistols ended up getting the assets of the NRA.
posted by benzenedream at 10:11 AM on September 4, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by benzenedream at 10:11 AM on September 4, 2020 [2 favorites]
The Socialist Rifle Association has two NY chapters.
(There's also the National Association for Gun Rights, which bills itself as the conservative alternative (!) to the NRA. Fortunately, their HQ is in Colorado.)
posted by box at 12:47 PM on September 4, 2020
(There's also the National Association for Gun Rights, which bills itself as the conservative alternative (!) to the NRA. Fortunately, their HQ is in Colorado.)
posted by box at 12:47 PM on September 4, 2020
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posted by NoxAeternum at 9:32 AM on August 6, 2020 [44 favorites]