As the N.R.A. continues to implode...

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... uxbndlbing

NRA sued for allegedly violating campaign finance laws

Gun control advocacy group Giffords sued the National Rifle Association on Tuesday for allegedly violating campaign finance laws since 2014.

The powerful gun lobby made as much as $35 million in "unlawful" and "unreported in-kind campaign contributions" to seven federal candidates, including candidates for U.S. Senate in 2014, 2016, and 2018, and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, according to the allegations.

The lawsuit seeks several forms of relief, including an order preventing the NRA from violating the Federal Election Campaign Act in future, and a penalty equal to the amount of money allegedly spent unlawfully, which the NRA would pay to the U.S. treasury - potentially as much as $35 million.

[MN-Skeptic]

[MN-Skeptic]

[Kendra]

We spoke directly to Wayne LaPierre at the NRA Convention and thanked him for all his thoughts and prayers.

[Cyrus Breckenridge]

We spoke directly to Wayne LaPierre at the NRA Convention and thanked him for all his thoughts and prayers.

Good grief! I don’t suppose that is satirical, is it?

[pipistrelle]

► Show Spoiler

We spoke directly to Wayne LaPierre at the NRA Convention and thanked him for all his thoughts and prayers.

Good grief! I don’t suppose that is satirical, is it?

Yes, the NRA and LaPierre got punked. None of them were too sure what was going on.

[Patagoniagirl]

Beautiful!

[AndyinPA]

Very little, hesitant applause.

[pipistrelle]

Very little, hesitant applause.

Yes, but I also noticed the "crowd" was sparse.

[Phoenix520]

La Pierre looked like he smelled a skunk after a minute. I think he got it.

[Kendra]

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/good-lia ... d2d025b3a9

National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre was trolled right to his face at the gun group’s convention in Houston as some of his biggest supporters looked on.

Not everyone caught what was happening in the stunt by the Good Liars, known as progressive pranksters Jason Selvig and Davram Stiefler.

Selvig got a speaking slot at the NRA members meeting on Saturday, where members can speak for and against various issues facing the lobbying group. At first, Selvig appeared to launch into a defense of LaPierre, whose leadership has been plagued by spending scandals.

It soon got very uncomfortable for LaPierre, as Selvig rattled off a lengthy list of mass shootings, then mockingly praised him for offering “thoughts and prayers” for each.

Not everyone caught the sarcasm. When Selvig finished speaking, many in the room applauded:

[bill_g]

Grooming? Don't see no grooming here.

Love the his and hers baby skulls. Heart warming.

Safety first. Ships with a single round mag!

Gunmaker Under Fire for Launching Kids Firearm

[Slim Cognito]

I'm gonna

[Volkonski]

[neeneko]

Grooming? Don't see no grooming here.

Love the his and hers baby skulls. Heart warming.

Safety first. Ships with a single round mag!

Gunmaker Under Fire for Launching Kids Firearm

Huh. I am not sure how to feel about this.

I grew up around guns, and as a kid I wanted to do what the adults were doing. I had access to a BB gun, and a 22 rifle (the later of which was in a gun safe and taken out when we went to a range).. so I can totally get kids wanting something like what their parents are using and parents wanting to introduce their kids to the hobby using something smaller/lighter/low powered... though a modern air soft rifle would be SUCH a better option today!

But wow does that ad creep me out. Plus, as a kid, I would probably be put off by it since, well, I wanted 'real' things, not 'kiddie-fied' versions. Both guns I used were appropriate for kids, but not designed for them. I am not even sure they were marketed in any particular or special way.

[RTH10260]

Grooming? Don't see no grooming here.

Love the his and hers baby skulls. Heart warming.

Safety first. Ships with a single round mag!

Gunmaker Under Fire for Launching Kids Firearm

Patented Tamper Proof?

I'd really like to hear the opinion from the Lock Picking Lawyer on Youtube. He shreds all fire arm safety locks to pieces in seconds. Like using strips of a Red Bull can or any other readily available household scrap.

[neeneko]

Patented Tamper Proof?

I'd really like to hear the opinion from the Lock Picking Lawyer on Youtube. He shreds all fire arm safety locks to pieces in seconds. Like using strips of a Red Bull can or any other readily available household scrap.

I am picturing something like child proof caps, where befuddled adults have to hand it to a kid to unlock it.

You want something to be child safe? Don't give them ammunition till they are at the range (or even the back yard) and ready to shoot. Even if they keep the gun in their room to show all their little friends, keep the ammo itself locked away.

[raison de arizona]

NRA Member Revenue Plummets to 15-Year Low
The gun group collected $97 million in dues in 2021, according to an annual financial report. That’s a 43 percent drop from 2018 and the lowest figure since 2006.

Member dues payments to the National Rifle Association continue to crater, with the group collecting just $97 million in dues in 2021, according to an annual financial report released at the organization’s recent convention in Houston. That’s the lowest figure since 2006, when member revenue was $72 million, and a 43 percent drop from a recent high of $170 million in 2018.

At an NRA board meeting held on Memorial Day, participants discussed declining net member totals and membership renewals, according to an account by Frank Tait, a longtime active NRA member and critic of the organization’s leadership who was present. According to that account, CEO Wayne LaPierre said that “gas prices and inflation” were the primary reasons for people not joining the association, even though the recent declines in membership revenue began in 2018.

https://www.thetrace.org/2022/05/nra-me ... e-houston/

[pipistrelle]

I wonder if it's the support for guns over kids, or the corruption of LaPierre et al? Both? Neither?

[Sam the Centipede]

I wonder if it's the support for guns over kids, or the corruption of LaPierre et al? Both? Neither?

I recall someone saying (probably on Ur-Fogbog) that many shooters have NRA membership because it provides insurance, cheap membership of ranges, or other useful benefits.

Perhaps some organizations are uncoupling themselves from the NRA and offering similar benefits via other routes? So members who were never enthusiastic about the NRA (whether because of its corruption or its promotion of child murder, and let's not be prejudiced, mass murder generally) have alternatives?

[neeneko]

I recall someone saying (probably on Ur-Fogbog) that many shooters have NRA membership because it provides insurance, cheap membership of ranges, or other useful benefits.

Perhaps some organizations are uncoupling themselves from the NRA and offering similar benefits via other routes? So members who were never enthusiastic about the NRA (whether because of its corruption or its promotion of child murder, and let's not be prejudiced, mass murder generally) have alternatives?

I hope so. I might have been one of the people mentioning this. The NRA insures shooting ranges at rates below general insurance companies. The few NRA members I know in real life are members mostly because of how difficult it is to participate in the community and access resources like ranges without it.

Unfortunately, it is difficult for non NRA ranges to compete,.. they are more costly to run, and it is difficult to bring in enough customers and events to keep the lights on since it is, well, a community. There are, I believe, state run places, but they are more 'hunter outreach' programs and not 'go down and shoot for an afternoon' setups. Though there is a black powder one nearby I keep meaning to check out....

[Sam the Centipede]

Thx neeneko, that's what I was thinking of. Obviously my conjecture is only spitballing and perhaps implausible - why would a decent insurance company want that business considering the possibility of yuuuge liability if a range is found to be at fault after some atrocity.

[neeneko]

Thx neeneko, that's what I was thinking of. Obviously my conjecture is only spitballing and perhaps implausible - why would a decent insurance company want that business considering the possibility of yuuuge liability if a range is found to be at fault after some atrocity.

Or at minimal, a normal insurance company will charge a premium based off the likelyhood of a payout, and thus their calculation is pure risk vs reward. For the NRA on the other hand, they can afford to prop up their insurance arm since its purpose is political rather than economic. It is hard to beat the prices and packages of someone who isn't trying to make money off the service.

[Kendra]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/wa ... -rcna32752

Days after a gunman murdered 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, National Rifle Association CEO Wayne La Pierre highlighted his organization’s efforts to bolster security at schools. He described schoolchildren as “our most treasured and precious resource” who deserve safety and protection.

“That’s why the NRA launched our School Shield program, to help promote and fund the necessary security that every school child needs and deserves,” LaPierre said at the NRA convention in Houston on May 27.

But in reality, the NRA has devoted only a fraction of its budget to protecting schools. The total amount of NRA funds given to schools to improve security since the program began in 2014 is less than $2 million, or .08 percent of the $2.2 billion in revenue the NRA and its associated foundation have raised in the same timeframe, from 2014 to 2019, according to an NBC News review of charitable tax filings and information from the Second Amendment organization.

[tek]

wow, that's a shocker...
Not.