NRA Board of Directors Vote 2009

[rev214]

The NRA Board: Where is Your Voice?

A portion of the post:

So what’s the Gun Lobby to do?

NRA members have only two ways of expressing their views in a manner that gets the attention of the NRA management. One is their checkbook. During perilous times, such as we’re surely now entering, the members do open their checkbooks. That’s fine. I rather like an NRA that is perceived as rich and powerful, although I question how well the members’ hard-earned money is spent in some cases.

The second, and most neglected way for members to express their views, appears every year about this time in the magazines of members eligible to vote (Life or 5 consecutive years.) It’s the ballot for NRA Board of Directors. By most counts, less than five percent of eligible membership take the time to vote. And a significant number of those few who do vote simply look at the Nominating Committee list and robotically mark their ballot.

Given the level of information available to the members about most NRA Board candidates, that’s understandable. It’s also unacceptable. Even more unacceptable is that once a Board Member is elected he or she enters the NRA cocoon. It’s hard to get hold of most of those people! Any political activist worth his salt knows how to contact every elected official from the local school board up to the President of the United States. But how do members communicate with their Directors, the people that supposedly represent their views to the NRA management and direct the policy of the Association? I’ve been watching this stuff for years and I know how to contact only a scant few Directors. There’s a disconnect here.

The Firearms Coalition is looking for a solution. On our GunVoter Forum (http://www.GunVoter.org) we have set up a forum for the NRA elections. Are you running for the NRA Board of Directors? Do you know someone who is running? Do you know how to contact a candidate? We need to talk. Please pay a visit to GunVoter.org.

The days of the “Russian election” system where the Nominating Committee provided a list of 25 names for 25 openings are gone. But in the past decade, the members have exerted steadily less influence on the make-up of the Board, and hence, on how the staff executes. As we enter the most dangerous time in fifty years for the Second Amendment, we don’t need an NRA that is moderate in its defense of liberty.

David Codrea posts his thoughts on the election here and here.

One person I will be voting for is Scott Bach. Sebastian recommended Mr. Bach as well (and 5 other candidates).