Denying Problems at NRA Will Not Fix Them

by Jeff Knox

(Manassas, VA, July 22, 2010) Long-time readers of The Knox Report in Shotgun News might remember that this column began as a forum to allow my father, Neal Knox, to raise awareness of issues and problems within National Rifle Association. Originally the column was actually paid ad space purchased by Joe DeSaye, founder of of J&G Sales, who cared about the NRA's health and well-being as much as Dad did. After a few years the folks at Shotgun News finally figured out that Dad's column was popular with their audience and they quit charging for the space. In all of the years that Dad wrote the column and in the nigh unto six years since Chris and I took over those duties, raising issues about the internal goings-on at NRA has remained an important topic. Though there are some who label our questions and criticisms as "NRA bashing," our object is and has always been to make NRA better, not harm it. We strongly believe that every gun owner and every supporter of the Constitution should be a member and we would never advocate resigning from the association. NRA is the most powerful force in the gun rights war and we want to see that power grow and be used effectively, not diminished.

That said, NRA has been catching a lot of flack recently from members and traditional allies. Many members are frustrated and angry, some with good reason, others, not so much. The standard NRA response to criticism though, whether justified or not, is for staff, the Board, and the faithful to close ranks and to accuse the critic of "attacking" the association. This is typically accompanied by harsh "counterattacks" that question the intelligence, loyalty, commitment, patriotism, and/or sanity of the critic. The habit of lashing out at even the best-intentioned and most reasoned criticisms is a serious problem all by itself which the NRA Board of Directors needs to address. Stifling the loyal opposition results in an insular, closed system that will eventually fail. My brother Chris likens it to drinking one's own bath water.

While many of the problems at NRA are misunderstandings, misinformation, or simple disagreement among reasonable people on the best strategies and tactics, there are many issues that are serious and chronic problems. Now is an excellent time for the Board of Directors to shed the "circle the wagons" mentality and demonstrate true leadership by meeting the issues head-on with candor and commitment to resolution.

Most of these problems can be categorized as failures in communication. The Board - both individually and as a body - fail to communicate with, and receive communication from, the membership. The staff fail to communicate plans with the Board and to receive direction from the Board. And the staff fail to communicate with state and local activists and grassroots organizations.

Technology could go a long way toward correctin many of these problems. There is technology available that could facilitate communication between members and the Board as well as communications among Board members and with committees. Forum sites in particular hold out huge potential to revolutionize the way the Board manages internal business and communicates with members.

Directors tend to be so wrapped up in their committee work that they have little time to worry about the basics of their fiduciary responsibilities. At the Board meeting this September Directors could abbreviate their committee meetings in order to make time to begin the process of shifting the way they do business by changing the way they communicate. They could also begin addressing long-standing problems that have been allowed to become the norm.

Some examples of things Directors should address include:

* The top-down system which presumes to tell local activists what to think, what to care about, and how to vote, and which has devolved into perceived arrogance on the part of some NRA employees toward local activists - the folks who have to live with the deals, compromises, and politicians NRA endorses.

* The policy under which NRA-ILA waits until a nominee completes their testimony in confirmation hearings before taking a position on the nominee. (Witness the confirmation of Eric Holder, Sonia Sotomayor, and the recent hearings on Elena Kagan's confirmation to the Supreme Court - along with dozens of other zealously anti-rights Obama appointees.)

* Clear direction from the Board regarding when staff should involve Directors in decision making on controversial issues like the recent DISCLOSE_Act debacle.

* Better control of contractors. The practice of outsourcing routine tasks which could be better managed in-house, particularly regarding fundraising, communications, and public relations has long been a source of internal strife, not to mention discontent among the membership who grow suspicious of the steady stream of fundraising mail. We'd like to see some true leadership emerge from the Board to address these and other critical issues facing the association.

Permission to reprint or post this article in its entirety is hereby granted provided this credit is included. Text is available at www.FirearmsCoalition.org. To receive The Firearms Coalition's bi-monthly newsletter, The Knox Hard Corps Report, write to PO Box 3313, Manassas, VA 20108. Copyright (c) 2010 Neal Knox Associates - The most trusted name in the rights movement.