More About the LaPierre Resignation

David Codrea, who also runs the website The War on Guns has an article today at Firearm News on the resent retirement (?) of Wayne LaPierre from the National Rifle Association (NRA). Codrea, being a gun writer has more to say about both LaPierre and the NRA, whom he often refers to as the "Lairds of Fairfax," than I did. I was just a member, and observer. But what he writes about them fits with my own take that the NRA served as a sort of fifth column among gun rights supporters. They seemed always willing to compromise our rights without extracting anything from the gun-grabbers. You can find Codrea's article at LaPierre Made A Career of Second Amendment Compromises. David is too kind. I would have said he made a career of Second Amendment Appeasements.

Codrea's writing is compact, and filled with interesting tidbits, such that I can't take any money quotes to illustrate the point. You should just read the whole article. No doubt more could be said as well.

I initially joined the NRA in 1977 thinking that everyone who owned a gun should be a member. But I got disgusted with the single-minded focus on hunting and skeet and trap shooting. The NRA seemed to support the "sporting uses" idea of the gun-grabbers and the "Fudds." So, I quit.

I rejoined when I got my concealed handgun license after the 9/11/2001 attacks. But I soon discovered that the NRA was still as useless as ever in holding up the true purpose of the Second Amendment. Indeed, it was state organizations like the Virginia Citizen's Defense League and Grass Roots North Carolina that were the real powerhouses advancing our right to arms for self-defense. That is when I also discovered a bunch of scholars, lawyers, writers, smart folks all, and decided to join as your humble servant.

Now, the NRA has done some things well. Perhaps the most important of these is education. They do provide what I call "train the trainer" classes for those who wish to become marksmanship and gun safety trainers. Certified NRA trainers are generally recognized as the gold standard. But I don't pay much attention to NRA political ratings. I use Grass Roots North Carolina ratings for a truer assessment of those I might be able to trust. But remember, nobody can be fully trusted. Only God: All others must be verified.

What will become of the NRA? It depends on whether they have learned their lessons.