With the country at a critical juncture in the gun debate, a normally routine meeting of the National Rifle Association has taken on greater significance as its board of directors gathers near the nation’s capital this week.
President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are weighing stricter gun measures in the aftermath of mass killings in Texas and Ohio. Democratic presidential candidates in their debate Thursday were relentless in their pursuit of harsh gun restrictions, punctuated by former El Paso Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s vow that, “hell yes, we’re gonna take your AR-15, your AK-47.”
Corporate America also has been increasingly pushing back against the NRA. The gun organization’s legal battles and internal strife have deepened since the last time the NRA board met at a tumultuous April gathering. It’s even been labeled a domestic terrorist organization by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, a move that prompted a lawsuit from the NRA.
Even the location of the fall meeting, an annual affair that is usually under-the-radar, ended up being controversial. The NRA originally planned to hold the gathering, which is not open to the public or to most rank-and-file NRA members, in Alaska. That far-flung location drew criticism among some NRA members for being an unnecessary expense and a way to avoid scrutiny.
Then just weeks ago, at a cost of about $100,000, it was switched to metro Washington as the NRA said it was critical to be close to Congress where gun restrictions are gaining some momentum.
Marion Hammer, a former NRA president and one of its most prominent board members, acknowledged that the metro Washington location will make it easier to gain access to leaders during this pivotal time in the gun debate.
“If they are in Alaska, it would make it impossible for NRA’s officers and senior staff to be engaged in the fight for your rights in the nation’s capital,” she wrote in a post on an NRA website.
The meeting began on Wednesday but the board won’t formally gather until Saturday. It’s not clear what action, if any, the board could take.
At its annual meeting this past spring, former board president Oliver North - and several vocal NRA members - had sought a review of the NRA’s finances and operations. But North stepped down from his role as president and, in recent weeks, a handful of the board’s 76 members have resigned after publicly calling for greater scrutiny of its operations.
NRA members have been especially critical of CEO Wayne LaPierre’s spending habits as he racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses for clothing and travel.
Top NRA donor David Dell’Aquila filed a lawsuit this summer against the NRA claiming it has misused donations. Dell’Aquila has donated about $100,000 to the NRA and pledged the bulk of his estate worth several million dollars. He also has created a website...