wayne lapierre joel friedman nra
Courtesy joel4nra.com

The Gun Writer blog received a long unsolicited letter from NRA board member Joel Friedman in support of Wayne LaPierre’s continued leadership of the gun rights organization. The letter is titled ‘Setting the Record Straight.’

Let us discuss what some of the anti-NRA, anti-Wayne people are saying, “I don’t know what’s going on but …”

Now to be fair, that’s because they don’t know, and they can’t know the details because of the lawsuits as well as the New York investigation. Therefore, isn’t it ludicrous for anyone to make decisions and proclamations after admitting they’re ignorant of the facts.

I ask you to consider this for a moment – do you think that there’s anyone better equipped to guide the NRA during these challenging times?  The neophytes who are agitating would get their clocks cleaned in about 2 hours!  Even our former chief lobbyist – as talented as he may be – wouldn’t be able to navigate this.  Let’s face it – the reason the opposition wants Wayne gone is because they know without him, it’s easier to take down the NRA.  And, now, we have some so-called pro-gun types naively joining the chorus!

The last part of my message has to do with the concept that the NRA is wasting its money and there is no oversight.  Not only do we have a Treasurer’s department, we have a finance committee overseeing the organization, and we have an audit committee.  We are all under such a microscope that I personally have been refused payments for expenses I have incurred because I only had credit card statements and not the actual receipts. This idea that the board and top management are ripping off the organization is just another attempt to separate us and to neuter our ability to do the job we need to do in 2020, which is to protect the rights of firearm owners in America. No one else can do it, and if we all don’t stick together and stop letting the haters and the media drive us apart, the anti-gunners will win.

– Letter from NRA board member Joel Friedman to The Gun Writer blog

Be sure to click over and read the entire letter.

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82 COMMENTS

  2. “This idea that the board and top management are ripping off the organization is just another attempt to separate us and to neuter our ability to do the job we need to do in 2020, which is to protect the rights of firearm owners in America.”

    So this is what ‘Bizzaro-World’ looks like.

    Almost enough to get me to start inhaling bourbon again by the 1.75.

    Almost…

  3. Who is this straw man he is arguing against? Talk about missing the point. This is EXACTLY the sort of elitist, “calm down, little people, your betters know what’s best for you,” that has gotten WLP and the NRA as a whole into this trouble.

    LaPierre needs to go, and Friedman can go with him.

    • Yep, this is the kind of attitude from the NRA that I remember when people tell me to join and change it from the inside, or that “there’s no law that says you can’t support the NRA *and* GOA” or I get NRA junk mail. Or that I should be the one to put aside the rest of my ideology, instead of an org that’s supposed to be focused on gun rights but act like groupies for the RNC.

    • Anybody who buys a twenty thousand dollar suit has already eliminated himself as being one of us. We’d spend it on guns.

  5. Controlled Opposition…I don’t KNOW that this was Wayne LaPierre’s intent from day one, but it’s a safe bet that he’s grown comfortable with the status quo…a status quo, that nearly cost us the Heller and MacDonald cases,has definitely had fingerprints on the bumpstock ban,the Hearing Protection Act,NFA reform on SBRs and Reciprocity stall and become possible Nationwide Bans on suppressors… they had,at the very least; input on the NFA1934 and other egregiously infringing national legislative schemes and have soft soaped the rest continuing damage with ” It Could Have Been Worse”… The latter is true to a certain extent,but not only are these still in effect, they’re used as both legislative and prosecutorial precedent to pass the next infringements and turn citizens into disenfranchised prohibited persons convicted of ” federal Firearms felonies”.
    I don’t necessarily have a problem with an organization becoming a cash machine-theres times when that cash on hand (attorney fees for defendants ensnared by the Feds, filing against legislative/administrative enactments,ad wars etc)are needed.
    But when is the last time the NRA actively helped a member in a court case,one as a defendant or a litigant? I know how they answered my past queries

    • Yup, controlled opposition to gun control. Designed to maintain a status quo where gun rights are a political carrot and stick, keeping both pro- and anti-gun people voting for their assigned flavor of the single ruling party, and distracted from issues where the ruling elite really want carte blanch, like economic and foreign policy.

      • That is the Washington playbook on many divisive issues. Solve a problem, you can no longer use it to fundraise, a segment of the DC establishment is out of a, very lucrative, job, and might not find another gig. WLP certainly knew this well as a DC insider when he took the helm of NRA.

        This is also a reason why insiders are favored, while outsiders, who haven’t read the playbook and signed on, are discouraged. If a real problem solver should get appointed or win office the next move is to attempt to figuratively tar and feather the upstart and run them out of town.

  6. I 100% back the NRA, the strongest organization in America and the most well equipped, the NRA is winning the battle with New York and Governor Cuomo and anybody that doesn’t like it, I’ll bend over and you kiss my ass, not on the left side and not on the right side, right in the middle

    • What a freaking Boomer.

      I bet you’re the type that thinks current firearm laws are just and moral as well.

      We will have no rest until the NFA is repealed.

    • I don’t believe we are saying we don’t back the NRA. Many of us do not back the establishment NRA that is keeping their jobs and power by keeping the status quo as well as $20,000 suits. Drive out the scoundrels!

    • I live in NY and the NRA most definitely is not winning shit here.
      When I told the NRA rep who called me that they were backing Molinaro/Killian, and then showed them a video of Killian calling for MORE gun restrictions, they basically told me I can’t throw my vote away on Sharpe as a third party.

      Fuck the NRA.

  7. What would a real pro-gun type say about full-auto, background checks and red-flag laws Joe? I can tell you what an RKBA absolutist would say.

  9. If it had only been one or two BOD members calling for Wayne to resign, I might be able to at believe this guy is being sincere. But given the heavy hitters who have been cast out (North and Cox), I can’t accept this as anything more than shameful pandering to the boss. It seems they haven’t figured it out yet.

  10. “which is to protect the rights of firearm owners in America. No one else can do it, and if we all don’t stick together and stop letting the haters and the media drive us apart, the anti-gunners will win.”

    I’m glad I was wearing my boots when I read that. That’s some deep bovine excrement right there.

  11. Where would you go? Who do you think would take in a trashy dope like you? You wouldn’t last 10 minutes in the real world. Now put the bag down, I’m sorry I let you make me mad enough to hit you, now make me a sandwich.

    Bull, start to finish.

  12. So Mister director, are you saying we can’t get rid of Wayne because the Board has failed in their duty to create and manage a succession plan for the chief executive officer?

    • Whatever his faults may be Cody Wilson was realistic and knew the cause was bigger than him; had a replacement ready to go. One more way DD shows up the NRA.

  13. I’m not sure how Wayne LaPew could possibly do any worse as EVP. Buying custom suits for 20k is in itself a fireable offense.

    When the money dries up, they’ll pull their heads out and fire him. Even Hickok45 doesn’t promote the NRA anymore. I hope they get their act together, but in the meantime they get NOTHING from me.

  14. Dear Mr. Friedman___

    As you should have already learned, being against an individual doesn’t necessarily make you against the entire organization he, she, or it represents. Granted, Mr. Pepe LePew seems to think he IS the NRA, but that’s just his self-entitledment and monomania speaking. Pepe & his merry band of kleptocrats go. The NRA stays.

  15. If you oppose Wayne you oppose the NRA?
    ONLY Wayne can defeat the Enemy?
    The truth can never be known?
    Only the naive and enemy agents oppose Wayne’s leadership?

    This is all very Soviet. I’ve see stuff like this about the Kims In North Korea, about Mao, about Stalin. Not that the author is a Communist, but the same over the top language and messianic content.

    • all very Soviet

      And to think the current saga started with Neal Knox bitching about “Russian Elections” 25 years ago.

      Everything Neal claimed, no matter how bizarre it may have sounded at the time, has been proven true, and still the board leadership is claiming everything is hunky dory.

  16. Every company that I’ve worked for required the original receipt to be reimbursed. No receipt, no reimbursement. It wasn’t hard to save them and staple to my invoice every week.
    It’s too easy for stuff to be bought without explanations on why and what it was spent on if all it said was on the statement, walmart or Lowe’s and $389 bucks. What was bought and why? Plus is stuff is has depression attached it need to be there for tax reasons.
    This is the reason they didn’t do it, it was so they would pad their wallets and buy personal stuff that we paid for.

    • Yup, quite normal. The fact that this guy thinks it will impress anyone, and was surprised that the CC statement alone was not enough is some indication of how out of touch he is.

    • In addition on one job as a state employee I had to sign the receipts, certifying they were valid.

  17. What a pathetic looser.

    This guys face should be on urinal screens.

    How do clueless a**holes like this even get on the board?

  18. Old Wayne has to go…peddle that crap somewhere else Friedman. Avoid ALL appearances of evil😡

  19. Friedman says

    Let us discuss what some of the anti-NRA, anti-Wayne people are saying, “I don’t know what’s going on but …”

    Well I think I do have a pretty good idea what’s going on, and so do a lot of people. Want to know too?

    http://www.savethe2a.org/why-reform/

    ftp://67.190.79.35/sda1/nra2019documents1-clean/

    Your head will probably hurt from all the reading (mine sure does) but you won’t fall for anymore of this BS from board members.

    I will not be surprised if some criminal charges are filed before all is said and done with the current BoD and LaPierre.

  20. ” do you think that there’s anyone better equipped to guide the NRA during these challenging times?”

    Anyone who didn’t intentionally screw over the membership to pass gun control like LaPierre did in 86 would be an improvement.

  21. “No One Is Better Equipped”

    Yes that is true if the organization member ship wants a Corrupt a Crat extraordinar at it’s helm .

    A bit of research into NRA board member Joel Friedman rates him a solid F grade in his dedication to the defense of the 2 nd. amendment along with the likes of Carolin”I the President for now” Meadows and Marion “i’m going to be in the slammer with Wayne” Hammer.

  22. If everything is so above board and cool, then why the opposition to an internal audit and investigation to put this to rest.

  23. Then a through accounting and explanation of everything so there will no longer be questions about finances. The organization is too important to have such bickering and simple people announcing they will not rejoin until something changes rather than being a member and participating in whatever changes are required. Some of what I’ve read sounds like grade school recess, “I’m not playing with you anymore, I don’t like you”. No reason given, just “I don’t like you anymore”.

  24. I stopped reading right at the end of, “Let us discuss what some of the anti-NRA, anti-Wayne people are saying,…”

    Equating a sole individual with an organization and the values of said organization, and criticism of said individual as criticism of the values of the organization is fascist/Soviet/cult of personality nonsense that has no place here. In fact, just by putting that in print a huge red flag has been put up for internal auditors that checks and balances against individual aggrandizement are sorely lacking. An all round bad show.

  25. Attention NRA! I am not anti NRA. I am however anti Wayne ? Until he is gone and you clear up your spending habits you will receive no more of my money. GOA will be getting it though. Think about it you fools!

  26. Friedman sounds like he wants the NRA to remain a useless mess. It would certainly go along with what the vast majority of his anti-gun tribe wants.

  27. He may be the right person or he may not. Until there is a viable response in the form of an accounting to the stories about his flamboyant spending of corporate funds (members dues and donations) his leadership and performance will be in doubt.

  28. At the risk of repeating myself, has Wayne ever explained his, in my view, infamous “Background Checks For Everyone”?

  29. He sat back while Trump stabbed us in the back with bumpstocks!!
    He sat back and let the hearing protection act die and did nothing!!
    Trumps says “we take the guns first and go to court after” and they treat him like a God at thier annual netting when he somehow stayed in power and North hit the road??
    What the hell and why should I trust this piece of shit now??!!?? All Wayne gives a shit about is being rich and powerful. I knew we could trust Trump and now I know we can’t trust Wayne either. Kiss my ass NRA you guys broke my heart!!

  30. Joel is a faithful Wayne “groupie”. During the 9 years that I was on the Board, he was a trusty acolyte on the sidelines (not on the Board yet).

  31. It has been suggested that the Board of Directors should be cut back to 30 members, meaning that over 40 must be eliminated. I suggest that Mr. Friedman be one of them, along with anyone else who doesn’t support the ouster of Wayne LaPierre and his closetful of $20K suits.

  33. All I see in the picture is two elitist dinosaurs that don’t understand the current politics, culture or the world “the 99%” of us live in today. You shouldn’t make more than $150,000 plus basic benefits like health insurance leading the NRA. It’s a money making business to them both! They aren’t with the NRA because they care about everyone’s rights and want to make a difference in America, they are there to make a fat paycheck and schmooze with the 1%.

  34. Friedman needs to suck-start an acid-soaked cactus. After spitting out Waynes cock, of course.

    Or… maybe not ‘after’…

  35. I have been an NRA Member for about since joining when I was 18. My dad was a member before I was born. I’m an old guy, so I remember a different time for the NRA. Had it not been for the NRA, handguns would have been banned when they passed the 68 gun control act. I remember having to sign my name in a ledger when buying any type of pistol ammo, and the law against transporting handguns across state lines. The NRA worked hard to change a lot of the onerous portions of the 68 GCA. That being said, I am dumbfounded and shocked at the mismanagement of money by the Executive Board of the NRA. Until they get rid of Wayne and the rest of the leeches, I won’t give them a dime. Sad, because we need to fight the good fight, but at what expense.

  36. When you start to believe you are the only one, you are irreplaceable, the only person able to lead, etc. whatever the case; then you know you have been in the position too long. And if, again if, this is really the case then you have failed as a leader. A part of leadership is mentoring and preparing those coming up to take your place.

  39. I didn’t see him list any accomplishments that they have successfully lead since the 90s? But just keep giving them more and more money, one day, maybe.

  40. Transparency… ever hear of this concept? If Friedman is right, then the NRA ruling body should have no problem with an independent investigation and audit, followed by a full and open report to the membership. Otherwise it’s all just subterfuge and hot air.

  41. People keep bringing up Wayne’s $20k suits, yeah he blew a quarter mil on clothes over a dozen or so years. This past year (March 2018 to February 2019) they have blown $19,260,452.28 on the Brewer legal firm. Now that LaPierre is getting sustained pressure from the rank and file that has jumped up to more than $97K a day 7 days a week, just shy of 3 million a month. FOR WHAT? It seems we have paid for LaPierre’s attorney fees to have them figure out how to keep us from finding out what he has been up to with our charitable contributions to OUR non-profit. $3 mil a month would have gone a very long way fighting legal cases against infringement on our rights.

    • Luckily other orgs are fighting for our rights while these guys jerk each other off with millions of dollars.

  44. I’m a life member and come from a family of life members.

    I think bro wayne is a complete fraud and should be kicked back out into the street

  46. “Let’s face it – the reason the opposition wants Wayne gone is because they know without him, it’s easier to take down the NRA. And, now, we have some so-called pro-gun types naively joining the chorus!”

    “The opposition” wants him gone?? No, we, the members do! “So-called pro-gun types naively joining the chorus”… try Life Member and LE officer here. They can both kick rocks. Let’s get some leadership in the NRA that actually wants to repeal the NFA, sue the remaining 8 “may issue” states into compliance with the 2nd Amendment, and fight the leftists in WA, OR, CA, NY, Chicago, and other battleground states in court with Wayne LaPierre’s suit money. Seriously, repossess his suits and sell them and use the money to actually fight for gun rights! Let’s stop compromising with any additional regulation or infringement, however small, to our right to keep and bear Arms. Enough is enough. It’s time to start fresh.

  47. Let’s just remember that the NRA is the organization that decided to call AR-15s “modern sporting rifles” and makes you shoot paper plates instead of silhouettes for *self-defense* classes. They’ve taken a defensive position on 2A at almost every recent turn, and they made a huge mistake in letting Chris Cox go.

  49. Only Keep your membership. Don’t donate any money. Vote them off the board. I hope the DA in New York has Wayne and the board arrested for fraud. I think they will use the NRA money to pay for the lawyers they will soon need.

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