By Jeff Knox
Jeff Knox urges members to cast ballot for just 1 man in race for 25 seats
Buckeye, AZ –-(Ammoland.com)- Every year the NRA elects one third of its 76-member Board of Directors to a three-year term, plus one to a one-year term, and every year I share my thoughts on the candidates.
Only Life Members and Annual Members with at least five consecutive years of membership are eligible to vote. Those members will have received a mail-in ballot in their latest NRA magazine. If you did, VOTE, and be sure to read the directions carefully.
For those voting members of NRA who don’t want to bother reading the whole column, I’ll tell you up front that I am only endorsing one candidate this year: Sean Maloney.
I encourage voting members to “Bullet Vote,” marking only Sean Maloney’s name and no one else.
This year there are two issues above and beyond regular NRA internal politics: a recall effort against Grover Norquist and the controversy over Ted Nugent’s “sharing” of a rather blatantly anti-Semitic Facebook meme.
I think the Facebook controversy surrounding Nugent is pretty overblown. Ted is an old-school rocker, not particularly known for PC sensibilities. He should have looked at the picture a little more closely before forwarding it on with his comments, but he didn’t, and people who don’t like him made a huge deal about it. I’ve known Ted for a long time. My sister used to babysit his kids. While he certainly has his faults, anti-Semitism isn’t one of them. In spite of monumental efforts from the anti-rights media, the charges against Ted seem to have fizzled after he made a public apology to, and through, the Zelman Partisans, a group of hardline rights activists who split from Jews for the Preservation of Firearm Ownership after its founder, Aaron Zelman, passed away and the group was absorbed by Alan Gottlieb and the Second Amendment Foundation. The controversy is not going to hurt Ted’s re-election bid.
As to the effort to recall Grover Norquist, I do not support it. I’ve known Grover for a number of years, and while I don’t always agree with him on other political issues, and I would prefer that politicians, celebrities and political insiders like Norquist be part of an advisory board rather than members of the policymaking body of the NRA, I think the charges proffered against him are bogus and that removing him from office would be harmful to the Association.
I fully expect the membership to reject the recall, and I encourage members to vote NO.
NRA elects board members to a three-year term, with 25 seats, one-third of the board, up for election each year – and incumbents have a significant advantage. The class that is up for election this year has more “celebrity” members than either of the other two groups, making it the most difficult to break into. Along with Ted Nugent, Oliver North and Susan Howard of “Dallas” fame, the class also includes basketball’s Carl Malone, football star Dave Butz and NASCAR great Richard Childress. Then there are the politicians, former Sen. Larry Craig, former Reps. Don Young and Bob Barr, former Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt and Indiana State Sen. Johnny Nugent. Finally, there are the NRA and industry celebrities, former NRA Presidents Marion Hammer and Sandy Froman, and current NRA First Vice President Pete Brownell. Of these 14, only one is at any risk of failing to make the cut. I’ll leave it to you to guess which one. That leaves only 12 seats, and some of those are filled by well-respected stalwarts who are solidly ensconced.
At best, four, maybe five seats could be in play this year. Allen West, a former congressman and popular columnist, will almost certainly take a seat. Bart Skelton, gun writer and son of gun writing legend Skeeter Skelton, and Craig Morgan, country singer and outdoor show host, both have some celebrity status, but I’m not sure how deep that runs among voting members, or how much effort they have been putting into winning a seat. Either could possibly make the cut. There are also competitive shooters, likely to draw heavy support from those ranks, and local activists who are campaigning hard, but I doubt that will be enough. All appear to be solid candidates. Some are personal friends, but I don’t think it is likely that any of them can garner enough votes to unseat any of the incumbents.
The one incumbent I strongly support, and who I see as most vulnerable, is Sean Maloney. I endorsed Maloney and his fellow Colorado Recall architect Timothy Knight last year. Knight made the cut, but Maloney did not. Thankfully, he was able to win election to the one-year, “76th Director” seat that is voted on each year at the NRA’s Annual Meeting of members. During his year on the board, he obviously impressed folks because he has gotten the nod from the Nominating Committee this year, as well as being nominated by petition. That’s pretty unusual but doesn’t surprise me. Maloney is an impressive guy and a workhorse for the cause. He’s an Ohio attorney, where he is very active in local battles, but he virtually moved to Colorado to assist with the recall effort. And that’s not the first, or last, time he’s simply shown up on the front lines with his work gloves on asking how he can help. He’s a firebrand and he’s smart. We need people like Maloney on the NRA Board.
I am going to vote only for Maloney, because if I cast a vote for any one of the other 19 candidates actually competing for the last few seats, that person – who I like but don’t support as strongly as I support Maloney – could bump Maloney out of the running, meaning I would be negating my own vote.
Therefore, I am asking NRA voting members to join me in casting a single “Bullet Vote” for Sean Maloney.
About:
The Firearms Coalition is a loose-knit coalition of individual Second Amendment activists, clubs and civil rights organizations. Founded by Neal Knox in 1984, the organization provides support to grassroots activists in the form of education, analysis of current issues, and with a historical perspective of the gun rights movement. The Firearms Coalition is a project of Neal Knox Associates, Manassas, VA. Visit: www.FirearmsCoalition.org
NRA: WHO is the NRA TODAY??? I have read a lot of articles on the NRA VOTING and the RECALL. I read lots of personal opinions and then the counter to them. I read there is no proof that Norquist has done anything wrong. Yes, I hear the same said about Hilary Clinton. If you do not want to see the proof, you will neither look for or see it. If you have read David Codrea’s articles on this Ammoland blog or the ones he has written on his own blog http://www.waronguns.blogspot.com and you cannot see the proof, a tank… Read more »
If we continue to have open borders in this country it is only a matter of time before we lose our 2nd amendment rights. Having a pro amnesty advocate on the Board of Directors of the NRA is if nothing else counterproductive to maintaining our gun rights. Please vote for the recall of Grover Norquist.
Joe Wilson
Patron Level Member NRA
Major problem (also) is that SOME of the celebrity types are paid some fairly serious money $10,000-$45,000 out of membership money to come to the NRA annual convention to meet and greet. Otherwise they NEVER EVER go to the directors meetings or do any other management types of things they are elected on the NRA Board to do. All of these celebrities are endorsed by the NRA for the Board due only to their celebrity — looks good! While they do support the Second Amendment what I have first written here is also true.
As to Nugent? I am very tolerant even of people who make racist, or anti-Semitic remarks. As little as I think of such people, I remember that as F**ked up as I feel their values, and views are, I believe that they are entirely entitled to hold them. Now when they start acting out, and harming, or threatening to harm those they are prejudiced against, that crosses the line of what I will put up with. As far as I’ve heard, Nugent hasn’t crossed that line in any noteworthy way yet. As for Norquist, I read the allegations made against… Read more »
I do not support Grover Norquist and I do Support Ted Nugent and I am Semitic. There is a difference between Khazarian Zionist non-Jews who are white folk from the Caucasus Mountains and real actual honest Semite Jews. You know the wealthy parasitic world elite, they are Zionists non Jews.
I believe Ted is talking about them.
What ignorant nonsense. You are a conspiracy theorist and a troll. The author is trying to discuss the wisest course for the Association to move forward, given the weaknesses of some of those who have been put in positions of authority, and you can’t help spewing racist trash all over it. Nugent was a fool to tweet things from a anti-Semitic website. You are worse than a fool, and it is trash like you who endanger the Second Amendment. If any of you are not aware, this person is saying that the people known as Jews are fake Jews from… Read more »
I think the real problem for most anti-gunners is that they have never had a gun in their hands, nor realized how much fun it is to shoot. We all need to invite the antis out to the range and show them what they are missing. Sure it is a power trip, but along with that goes a responsible attitude toward gun safety. To the anti-gunners, it is an emotional issue but they need more education and some practical experience. As for anti-gun politicians, their agenda is clear, control of the masses so as to dictate our lives. Proper introduction… Read more »
when the NRA started allowing 5 year members to vote they made a bad mistake, life time members had the exclusive and they had good people on the board..now they compromise to much..now they have hollywood trying to get in….Larry Pratte and Gun Owners of America is the no comprise pro gun organization i can find..i’l support Larry over Wayne anyday!!!
I wholeheartedly back Steve Reichert for NRA BOD. Give him your bullet vote! Sherman Kearns.