jkh@jade.UUCP (04/03/87)
----------------------- It is very hard to explain the NRA situation without looking at the Big Picture and reaching some VERY DEPRESSING conclusions. If you want to pass along the following to him or anyone else, it's ok with me. [ Sigh.. Well, enough people seem to be interested, so.. If these articles start outnumbering ones dealing directly with firearms, I'll think about cutting back. -jh] -------------------------------------------------------- The NRA is currently controlled by an inner circle of directors who have decided to roll over and play dead in the face of anti-gun opposition. WHY they are doing it is beyond the scope of this brief overview. They know that the NRA membership would be strongly opposed to their sell out. They also know that they cannot openly proclaim their surrender to the anti-gun forces. The recent "reform" to the Gun Control Act of 1968 demonstrated the inner circle's strategy of telling one thing to the membership while accommodating a machinegun and "armor piercing" ammunition ban. The NRA, as it stands now, has no political clout against the anti-gun forces. There are pro-gun people who are trying to force the NRA to represent the will of the membership. The best known is Neal Knox, but he is not alone. Unfortunately, the inner circle has been disregarding the NRA by-laws, threatening NRA staff employees with dismissal, using membership dues for the "Gun Rights Committee," and many other improper, arbitrary tactics to prevent any information from reaching the membership. All the reforms that were enacted BY THE MEMBERSHIP at the 1977 Cincinnati convention are in danger of being destroyed by the proposals put forth by the inner circle on the current NRA ballot. Knox and others are opposing these changes. Knox is also running for Executive Vice-President of the NRA. Unless the rules are changed, this position will be filled by the MEMBERS PRESENT WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE AT THE RENO, NEVADA convention next week. Obviously, the inner circle is doing everything possible to prevent the election of Knox to a position that would drastically change the NRA's no-win war policy.