USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- My name is Marita Dell’Aquila. I am a Patriot life member of the NRA, a Founding Member of the Hunter’s Leadership Forum, a member of the Women’s Leadership Forum, and a member of the Ring of Freedom Heston Society. I write this as a concerned member who is seeking your help to enact leadership change at the NRA.
No doubt you have read the recent reports of the organization’s unnecessary spending and misuse of donor funds. My husband and I, as well as a multitude of other donors, members and “trusted Board Members“, feel betrayed by the very people who were given the fiduciary responsibility to spend our contributions wisely to defend our Second Amendment rights.
Private jets to the Bahama’s and over $240,000 of Italian suits purchased at a Beverly Hills boutique is not what any of us imagined was transpiring behind the scenes at the NRA!
Additionally, it is alleged that one or more top executives at the NRA are “double dipping.” That is, they are receiving payment in the form of kickbacks or some other compensation in return for sending business to Ackerman-McQueen, the Mercury Group, etc. [and now the Brewer Lawfirm at a $1,000,000+ a month]. This behavior is outrageous, unethical, and could very well be illegal!
My husband and I are spearheading a grassroots effort to force a much-needed change of leadership. Wayne LaPierre must realize that the good of the organization and the ultimate survival of the NRA transcend the personal ambitions of any one person, including his own. We have contacted numerous donors – such as you[both big and small] – who have named the NRA in their estate planning; made significant cash contributions; are corporate sponsors; and/or advertise in NRA publications. Money is the motivating factor and we strongly believe that waiving the “carrot” that we all hold will be instrumental in our efforts to demand the change that we seek. Some have already changed their estate planning documents, some have withheld cash donations, and some have bailed out altogether until the NRA cleans up their act!
The plan is to write a pointed letter to every board member, outlining these changes, and listing the donors who demand the changes, and indicating the donor contribution amount that will be withdrawn if the following demands are ignored:
- Wayne LaPierre, Executive Directors, Managing Directors, Officers resign & Josh Powell is fired;
- Chris Cox is immediately re-instated and elevated to CEO and Executive Vice President;
- The board of directors is reduced in size from 76 to 30 members;
- Carolyn Meadows (President), Charles Cotton (First Vice President) and Willes Lee (2nd Vice President) resign from these positions;
- Lt. Col. Allen West is appointed President;
- All Presidents (past and future) of the NRA are restricted from remaining on the board of directors;
- The September board meeting currently planned in Anchorage, Alaska, which includes a cruise, is immediately canceled and the location moved to NRA headquarters or a city in the central United States.
We believe the only way to stop this madness is to threaten to withdraw our planned giving and cash donations unless and until there is leadership change at the top. I am writing to ask if you agree. And, if you do, may I ask for your support in this effort? May I add your name to the list of donors who are willing to continue to donate to the NRA but ONLY if the changes outlined above are implemented?
Please visit the website that we created:
It summarizes the above and includes a petition that we will send to the Board of Directors.
This is all so sad for all of us. But, thankfully there are other organizations who will fight for our 2nd amendment rights and use our money judiciously should our plea for a change and re-righting of the ship falls of deaf ears.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you. My hope is that we can turn this around and save the NRA from its own demise.
Sincerely,
Marita Dell’Aquila
Microsoft just become the world’s most value company. How many members on the Board of Directors? I count 14 (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Investor/corporate-governance/board-of-directors.aspx). How can the NRA justify the number of BOD members they have now? Are the positions honorary? They have certainly failed to oversee the executives. They are also not performing their fiduciary duties to ensure the money is spent wisely.
The current number of board members is ridiculous. The proposed change to 30 is a vast improvement. If can a trillion dollar multi-national company has only 14 members, how can the NRA justify more members?
About the idea of bringing Chris Cox back: “Former NRA lobbyist Chris Cox launches new consulting firm” at https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/11/chris-cox-consulting-firm-1581639
POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY, I am a NRA Life Endowment member and have not a will not donate any money to the NRA until they have changed their Washington political ways!! All of them need to leave with no compensation at all!! They have allowed themselves to be corrupted by the same SWAMP CREATURES THEY SAID THEY WERE GOING TO FIGHT!! I now support GOA and I am now a Life Member with them and MAY THEY NOT BE CORRUPTED AS WELL!!
If she were to replace Chris Cox’s name with Jeff Knox’s name I would give her proposal more attention. As it stands one must ask, for how many years did Chris Cox watch Wayne LaPierre drive NRA into the ditch and say nothing? President Jimmy Carter once asked something like “If being a Christian was a crime, would a prosecutor be able to collect enough evidence to convict you? In the case of both LaPierre and Cox, the evidence to convict them of being RKBA supporters just isn’t there. Further, when are we going to hear a credible explanation of… Read more »
Considering how crucial these times are for defending law-abiding citizen’s gun rights, you would believe we are being sabotaged. Our opponents are gloating.
Marita,
Thank you for taking the initiative. The organization needs to be saved. Who ever heard of some of these benefits? Lapierre sounds like hitler or ede amin. No more funds period. I am a 50 year lifer so I can’t cancel but it is time to empty the trash and move forward.
Had me interested right up to the point of “Chris Cox is immediately re-instated and elevated to CEO and Executive Vice President”
Chris Cox not only supports but advocates for Emergency Risk Protection Orders (ERPO) better known as RED FLAG LAWS. He has no place in the fight for the 2nd amendment (or any other gun rights) if he pushes for these highly unconstitutional assaults on the Bill Of Rights. WLP may be a crooked and shady as a congressman, but Cox is an enemy of the POTG and The Constitution of The United States.
She lost me there too! Cox must not be”recycled”!
Yeah i cought aar trash day:)
@ GMB I agree with you, not one penny more until they get this act together and do away with the current band of misusers. I have donated enough during the years to be able to say this. I won’t contribute if they leave the voting to only life members, either. I never became a life member because I don’t know how long life is, it could end tomorrow. I received my second notice for renewal but it went the same place the first notice went.
5 million (or 4, or 3 or 2?) NRA members and then there is the “I’m pissed OFF committee ” of a hundred or so that regularly spouts their choice words, or not so choice words, on forums like this one for the rest of us. I could quote the constitution or the Bible on this page and these same “concerned “individuals would find something about it to complain about. THE NRA has become so relevant because it became a political player. If it had not, no one would give them the time of day. With politics, you have sides… Read more »
@BM, I want to say up front that I am not complaining or anything, but I am wondering which enemy nation was backing Cain, and which enemy nation was backing Able? Did the one backing Able get their money back?
There are differences of opinion in every large organization, that is to be expected, especially so in one with as large and diverse a board as the NRA. However, seeking to remove and neuter board members with valid governance concerns, particularly regarding potential impropriety does not pass the smell test. If everything was being done above board and on the up and up, all of this idiotic secrecy, palace intrigue, and nefarious tactics wouldn’t be necessary. The usual line issued by the board to shut up dissent is that they are trying to keep Bloomberg and his goons at bay.… Read more »
I like most of the plan, especially getting rid of LaPierre. Good luck and when LaPierre is gone, I, along with hundreds of thousands of others who stopped supporting his NRA B.S., will be back.
We need a pitbull to be the spokesperson for the NRA. No names come to mind now, but there are many qualified for the job. Wayne needs to be forced out at this point…the pleasantries are done…kick his ass to the curb and bring in the reinforcements…and the new mantra at the NRA should be “TAKE NO PRISONERS”
@wjd, so how can LaPierre be forced out?
The only way Wayne leaves is with some form of payout(extorted), plus a large group of benefactors(donors) holding the NRA for ransom, including the board members(pussies) putting their foot down.
It will get messy before we see any improvement. Wayne is still in the power tripping mode, but reality will set in soon.
@Renov8, Yeah, why didn’t I think of that. Instead of forcing him out, just bribe him to leave. No fuss, no muss!
Somewhere neil knox is laughing.or crying.maybe both!
Cox is as bad as LaPierre and he needs to be kept out of and away from the NRA! Make Col. West the CEO/EVP, he has the leadership and organizational experience!! Then DRAFT Josh Brownell as NRA President!!
We must support NRA or the National Socialist Workers Party is coming.
Boycott Dicks Sporting Goods along with Nike and Levi’s
The way the NRA is behaving these days, it is transforming to become the National Socialist Workers Party. Everyone has to obey the Dear Leader or be purged.
I am a GOA member. I am also a member of the SAF and the FPC. I am also an NRA Endowment Life member.
This discussion is about changing the NRA! Withholding funds until they do seems to be the best approach.
We need to have the discussion about what we do when Wayne and his clan leave the building and we need to have this discussion now.
Ok Everybody. As more come here I wanted to offer an idea about reforming the board. I have this warning sounding in the back of my head about a direct member vote for president. “Mob Rule.” If we go that route, then as more and more idiots join(Especially from states like California) who favor a little bit of gun control, the left could come in and take over the NRA in an instant just by joining. So what about this? How about a 25 member board. 1.Each board Member covers two states(Concurrent), and is elected from members resident in those… Read more »
I agree that a direct vote for NRA Officers is stupid, but for a different reason. It leads to pure populism. I still think that the members should be involved, though, through Board elections. The NRA Executive Vice President hasn’t been truly elected for quite a while. Wayne LaPierre just got his “unanimous” approval by his sycophants on the Board. Similarly, the NRA President hasn’t been truly elected for quite a while. He was selected by the same sycophants on the Board. Let’s not just replace the sycophants on the Board by big donors. As for the common argument of… Read more »
I agree with you and the Rev except Chris Cox is part of the problem and needs to stay gone
@Vanns40
Been saying it for a while now, Chris Cox and Wayne Lapierre go together like index and middle fingers. Cox was one of the main ones pushing for issues like Red Flag legislation and advising Trump on his unconstitutional implementation of his executive authority on bump stocks by use of bureaucracy.
Absolutely no Chris Cox!
Read my posts below and above about Chris Cox. He is a no-go and also not available anyway.
@CGGator Foxtrot That’s why I’m trying to get people to start thinking and brainstorming. I completely agree with you that there should be no pay incentive involved, but lest it work its way in why not have a suggested 20 year cap to limit any proposals for such by having people already thinking about them being non existant or limited from the start and not to mention the biggest suggestion I made. No Salary can be passed for the position of the group passing it, and the members are in control over levels and cuts right from the start, whether… Read more »
It’s a good start, but I disagree with bringing back Chris Cox, as he has tainted himself with the joint statement on bump stocks and his video on supporting red flag laws. I especially disagree with big donors deciding who leads the NRA. If voting members have no voice in this and only big money speaks, we are just back to the good old NRA and its corruption as usual. I actually agree with bringing in Allen West, because he actually spoke up, publicly. However, he may not be available for that job as he is exploring running for the… Read more »
@CF, I agree. What we need at NRA is someone that is guaranteed honest. No “players”, perfumed princes, or party hacks. And that describes about four million of the five million NRA members.
@wjd, Ok, perhaps I should have written, “What we need at NRA is someone that is guaranteed honest. No “players”, perfumed princes, or party hacks. And that describes about eighty percent of the NRA members, how many ever there might be.”
@wjd, I took no offense. Your comment caused me to pause and think of a better way to express myself. There are so many honest and selfless NRA members that we need not put up with the people that are in the power positions, now. I am sure that we could find new leadership among the members, what ever the numbers or percentages of the total might be.
Well, gentlemen, tomorrow is another work filled day.
@OV, Yes, we got hit hard. Minor structure damage, but some of the peach trees got snapped off. Strange because we got the peaches in last week and the trees were not as vulnerable as when they are heavy with fruit. No animal or staff injuries. Cat refused to leave the barn for three days. Mice most distressed.
Regards to Sammy.
@OV what? You mean that there is more on the way?
@CGGator Foxtrot
Stated the Same sentiment to another individual over a week ago. Even referenced Chris Cox as one of the individuals in the NRA pushing for Red Flag legislation.
The problem is many of the same players want to keep familiar and “Friendly” faces with whom they can cooperate with.
If they removed Chris Cox from the demand list, I’d visit their site. What I would actually like to see though is unlikely to happen.
After seeing Cox’s video promoting Red Flag laws, I am hard pressed to support anyone who wants him back. Make me wonder what are Marita’s thoughts on the matter.
Yeah, Cox is just LaPierre II.
As for who else, I say go all the way and give Knox the job (or at least someone who will consult him heavily). He and his dad have been at this the longest, and Knox knows who needs to go, what needs to be fixed and what needs to be axed.
I trust jeff knox more than cox by a factor of 10000!
I wonder where we’d be if neil had won and wlp rode into the sunset in the 90s.
Rip sir
Not one penny more !