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NRA files for bankrupcy

Mr.BR

Private
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Minuteman
  • Oct 5, 2017
    5,142
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    First rate management ................. ,bunch of crooks running the show.

    The NRA filed the Chapter 11 petitions in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Dallas, it said in a news release.

    The NRA said it would restructure as a Texas nonprofit to exit what it said was a “a corrupt political and regulatory environment in New York” state, where it is currently registered.

    The influential group said in a statement there would be no immediate changes to its operations or workforce, and that it “will continue with the forward advancement of the enterprise – confronting anti-Second Amendment activities, promoting firearm safety and training, and advancing public programs across the United States.”

    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...nkruptcy-petitions-in-u-s-court-idUSKBN29K2LV
     
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    From the article:

    "The NRA’s actions will likely put the attorney general’s lawsuit on hold, and a reincorporation could strip her of the ability to seek the group’s dissolution. In her lawsuit, James had said the NRA’s incorporation as a nonprofit in New York gave her authority to dissolve it."

    They are not bankrupt in the sense that they have run out of money. This is a move to restructure under court protection and head off the lawsuit in New York.
     
    Unfortunately my club is an NRA club and membership is required .
    In spite of LaPierre they have alot of good programs .
    RSO Certification .
    Youth shooting teams and programs .
    Rifle , pistol etc training .
    NRA High Power Competitions .
     
    Fuck Wayne and the NRA. Will never send them a penny until wayne and all other fucktards are gone.

    Doc
    I was a Benefactor member and regularly donated to both ILA and PVA. When all the BS came out I stopped donations and started supporting VCDL and GOA instead. VCDL is doing a fantastic job with VA gun issues.
    This is all vindication for Ollie North in my opinion. LaPierre accused him of blackmail attempt but in truth what North had was the truth.
     
    Perhaps wiser people than me can assist: Wayne is a problem. WE are the NRA (to borrow the slogan). How do we remove him (and any other bad eggs in there) and get this beast back on track.

    The problem (as I see it) is any sign of weakness (talk about bad timing) gives our opponents courage to come after us. Fear of the NRA's Political wrath is a real thing. We need to make sure we don't lose that. Love em or hate em, the NRA is the public face of shooters. I'm am NOT excusing their shenanigans of the last few years--I am saying, we need to grab that bull by the horns and make sure its in the fight for us and not some suit enriching his pockets. And join forces with the better (but smaller) groups doing it the right way.

    How do we make that happen.
     
    I already posted this in another thread, but I'll repost it here because it's very germane:

    While I agree with everyone's sentiments about Whiney Lapierre, without the NRA you are going to kill ranges all over the country.

    The NRA provides training and insurance for member and ranges. Without the NRA my local fish and game club would close. There is no way we could afford commercial insurance rates without the NRA acting as a pro 2A broker. Do you want those ranges to shut down?

    The NRA also provides training courses for trainers that allow people in more restricted states to get the required pieces of paper so they can exercise their 2A. Do you imagine for a moment they the legislatures will be in a hurry to fill that void if you get your wish and the NRA dies?

    I swear we are our own worst enemy. There is a big difference between the political efforts from the NRA-ILA and from the NRA main body. Most of the froth and graft comes form the political side of the body, like that would be a surprise.

    So to anyone who wants to kill the NRA, because the NRA-ILA are backstabbers, please tell me where my range is going to get insurance and who is going to take up the training slack, and of course get the credentials recognized by all the legislatures required? Do you really think a gun culture will survive with nowhere to shoot and no credentialed trainers? We don't all have access to BLM land. It is divide and conquer, and you fall for it. Who is backstabbing whom now?

    The number of idiots here who would throw their allies under the bus because they don't get the big picture is stunning. No wonder we lose all the time.

    Bottom line, throw me under the bus and I'll return the favor. Or, as my father would say, you crap in my hat, and I'll make you wear it.
     
    I was talking to Field & Stream today,

    we need a "charm offensive" since the NRA has dropped the ball and nobody is doing anything to work the refs.

    Part of the issue with everyone fighting to cash on their little corner of the gun industry is nobody is working to put a better face on it. Now before I go to far, we need a Charm Offensive, I mentioned to them in the context of the Ads the States put out that promote Hunting and Fishing. They show families enjoying a hike, doing things in the park and they say, Hunting and Fishing Licenses pay for this stuff.

    We need to create an Every Family campaign... to highlight the positive side of shooting. And not just the blatant promotion of companies we do with our videos. When the videos show people enjoying themselves but end with, Now buy my product, we turn off. We need a bunch of non sales, influencer, marketing videos that instead market the benefits not the products.

    We focus too much on products.

    The, My Bad part of the conversation was, again me saying the perfect partnership to craft a charm campaign is the Comp guys in a lot of ways. But that ain't happening now so unless they did themselves that idea is Dead

    I may still revisit this, try to craft a Human side and play with it...

    We have Dudley Brown here CO, he is like the militant wing of the Gun Lobby, he pisses people off, but we need another approach, We are on the chopping block from day one next week. We need to change or at least alter the narrative

    Selling a product with a cool guy video can get eyes, but we need to turn that same talent to recruit people.
     
    No,

    The militant side of this only goes so far, too easy to dismiss them as Kooks,

    She is actually a bitch, when she is at SHOT, it's like they walk in front of her warning you not to make eye contact.

    The angry side has not worked, the attack dogs biting everyone is not working for you and Me, it works for them, they are millionaires and get invited to all the political functions you're not. They are entertainers nothing else...

    We need a grassroots campaign that is for the shooters, by the shooters, because the shooters,

    Fuck we should crowd share here and build a bunch of videos, we can group write a script, build an easy story board, then have people use phones or Go Pros to shoot it and I can put it together
     
    I was talking to Field & Stream today,

    we need a "charm offensive" since the NRA has dropped the ball and nobody is doing anything to work the refs.

    Part of the issue with everyone fighting to cash on their little corner of the gun industry is nobody is working to put a better face on it. Now before I go to far, we need a Charm Offensive, I mentioned to them in the context of the Ads the States put out that promote Hunting and Fishing. They show families enjoying a hike, doing things in the park and they say, Hunting and Fishing Licenses pay for this stuff.

    We need to create an Every Family campaign... to highlight the positive side of shooting. And not just the blatant promotion of companies we do with our videos. When the videos show people enjoying themselves but end with, Now buy my product, we turn off. We need a bunch of non sales, influencer, marketing videos that instead market the benefits not the products.

    We focus too much on products.

    The, My Bad part of the conversation was, again me saying the perfect partnership to craft a charm campaign is the Comp guys in a lot of ways. But that ain't happening now so unless they did themselves that idea is Dead

    I may still revisit this, try to craft a Human side and play with it...

    We have Dudley Brown here CO, he is like the militant wing of the Gun Lobby, he pisses people off, but we need another approach, We are on the chopping block from day one next week. We need to change or at least alter the narrative

    Selling a product with a cool guy video can get eyes, but we need to turn that same talent to recruit people.

    At the risk of DamnYankee accusing me of brown nosing, Ill say, "Youre the man." At least youre in the best position of any of us to promote something. Youve already got a thriving website, and over a hundred thousand members. Though Im struggling financially right now if you get something going Ill chip in $20.

    In the last couple months Ive taken 2 new shooters to the range and will take another Sunday. Doing what I can.
     
    No,

    The militant side of this only goes so far, too easy to dismiss them as Kooks,

    She is actually a bitch, when she is at SHOT, it's like they walk in front of her warning you not to make eye contact.

    The angry side has not worked, the attack dogs biting everyone is not working for you and Me, it works for them, they are millionaires and get invited to all the political functions you're not. They are entertainers nothing else...

    We need a grassroots campaign that is for the shooters, by the shooters, because the shooters,

    Fuck we should crowd share here and build a bunch of videos, we can group write a script, build an easy story board, then have people use phones or Go Pros to shoot it and I can put it together
    What is that all about "not to make eye contact" Friend worked for a company that did some work at Bon Jovi home and they were told not to make eye contact with him. Are peasants suppose to look away ?
     
    Many excellent points made lowlight.

    I have some liberal leaning friends that are anti-gun. Not rabidly so, but anti-gun nonetheless. I am diligently working on them to let me take their kids to the range. Prior to COVID, I was slowly normalizing the idea and making headway. If I succeed this year, then the "Guns Bad" narrative gets chipped away from the kids. The "Gun Owners" bad narrative is already destroyed because I'm just a normal guy.

    People fail to understand that politics is downstream of culture, and we have been trying to win by playing a political game. That's a loosing proposition. We need to upstream and start to change culture. Which is why the NRA at a grassroots level, and things like insurance, is so important.

    Without the NRA there is:
    No range for me to shoot at
    No range for me to take other people to to try to change the culture
    No venture scout shooting activities
    Reduced training facilities for first time gun owners
    No RSO training to support the venture scout shooting activities

    So tell me how I can break the stereotype about guns and gun owners when I have nowhere to shoot. That is the majority of the population of the US. The BLM land out west where you can shoot is sparsely populated and you are doing nothing to help win the culture war.

    We have to stop forming circular firing squads and embrace the power of "And". We need to keep every facility that we have today open and running and do nothing to put that in jeopardy. And we need to use those facilities to put the "Every Family" type idea into effect. That is something I could easily get behind and do what I can to help.
     
    You always make eye contact when they tell you not too

    Some celebs are pretty normal, others completely full of themselves as with anything

    The ones we have "fighting" for us are popular, but on the angry side and most of them have pre approved dismissals already so the talking points are settled for them.

    We need to change the narrative, it's all narrative based now, so maybe doing something change it, from a grassroots level would be better.

    We are fucked, they are coming, and not just for the guys, for so much more...

    We need to enact changes ourselves, what is the number rule of a gunfight (don't think it's one but whatever)

    Nobody is coming to save you !

    We have to start acting self sufficient when it comes to reaching out to the rest of America.
     
    You always make eye contact when they tell you not too

    Some celebs are pretty normal, others completely full of themselves as with anything

    The ones we have "fighting" for us are popular, but on the angry side and most of them have pre approved dismissals already so the talking points are settled for them.

    We need to change the narrative, it's all narrative based now, so maybe doing something change it, from a grassroots level would be better.

    We are fucked, they are coming, and not just for the guys, for so much more...

    We need to enact changes ourselves, what is the number rule of a gunfight (don't think it's one but whatever)

    Nobody is coming to save you !

    We have to start acting self sufficient when it comes to reaching out to the rest of America.
    This is mostly true. The idea that the people you want fighting for the second amendment are the dumbasses with their tactical vests and rifles protesting has been one of the most disastrous moves by the gun community that is even imaginable. Do I support their right to do so, of course, but just because you can doesn't you should.

    What is obvious from the discourse in this subforum is that people in the gun community, and on the broader right base, have decided that strategy is for losers, and all that matters is owning the libs. Of course, that kind of thinking is what is causing us to lose every important battle, and fight only the unwinnable ones. It is a loser mindset, and it has to stop.

    I am not as pessimistic as you about what they can get done in the next few years. I think it is relatively limited, but it is going to be less limited the more the gun community falls back on showing up armed at rallies, as though that is some show of strength. It is retarded. So is screaming "shall not be infringed means shall not be infringed." Maybe so, but it gets you nowhere, and it doesn't seem to stop infringement, rather it brings it on.

    Act like normal people, enjoy guns, don't call people commies and stop making them feel uncomfortable to prove a point. It doesn't. No other organization or individual would adopt such a blatantly stupid sales strategy. We shouldn't either.
     
    Name calling goes both ways, and the left is unhinged.

    Most of the name call is a tit for tat response

    I am saying the same thing in some ways, I don't think they promoted tactical vests, sure some AR ads do, but those are ads selling stuff

    I am talking the message in general, there really isn't one, and the ones we have all revolve around them making money for promoting a particular product
     
    In fact, you want to name calling, stop by Twitter and try to be realistic with the opposition, you'll be vilified mercilessly

    That is why a campaign that does not include "personalities" is needed, to easy to shoot down a paid personality, they are not genuine. However if you have an every man, every woman, going about their normal day, being an Average American, it's harder to attack the family unit and not look stupid for doing it.

    I can attack Dana all day and be considered a Hero to many, attack a Wife and her kids for shooting, a little harder to justify, which they will, but the more you make the worse they look,
     
    Name calling goes both ways, and the left is unhinged.

    Most of the name call is a tit for tat response

    I am saying the same thing in some ways, I don't think they promoted tactical vests, sure some AR ads do, but those are ads selling stuff

    I am talking the message in general, there really isn't one, and the ones we have all revolve around them making money for promoting a particular product
    The left is totally unhinged, but the reality of the situation is 1) we can only control what we do, not what they do, and 2) they have the power right now, and that is just a fact.

    I don't mean the NRA when I am talking about tactical vests etc, what I mean is that the gun community as a whole needs to be more sensitive to the message it puts out when it protests, meets, whatever. There is absolutely zero to be gained from armed demonstrations with helmets and tactical vests. I am talking about the Virginia protests etc. It just does nobody any good.

    Nobody in their right mind would say, "hey, I know a good way to get our point across, let's act really scary to people who aren't on our side, because then they will think we shouldn't be fucked with even though they have all the votes." It's insane, and it has become the de facto message of the gun community, whether it is unified or not.

    I am basically saying what you are, but also putting it on all of us too. If we want to win victories, we are going to have to reform our belligerence as a community, and we are going to have to be able to say that to each other and keep each other in line. Exactly zero people are won over every time a guy carries an AR into Starbucks, but a lot of people are turned off. It is a losing game.

    So yeah, the NRA needs a strategy, but we also need to realize as a group that not scaring off the people in the middle is in our best interest. It is on every one of us to do things better. That's all.
     
    The Celebrities and Entertainers, the Firebrands aren't going away, let them be the assholes about it.

    They can be the pitbulls, if a grassroots campaign came out of the ranks of everyday people, video, viral, etc.

    Everyone has a solid camera on their phones, we need 30 second clips from people, it's silly how easy this can be...
     
    No,

    The militant side of this only goes so far, too easy to dismiss them as Kooks,

    She is actually a bitch, when she is at SHOT, it's like they walk in front of her warning you not to make eye contact.

    The angry side has not worked, the attack dogs biting everyone is not working for you and Me, it works for them, they are millionaires and get invited to all the political functions you're not. They are entertainers nothing else...

    We need a grassroots campaign that is for the shooters, by the shooters, because the shooters,

    Fuck we should crowd share here and build a bunch of videos, we can group write a script, build an easy story board, then have people use phones or Go Pros to shoot it and I can put it together

    Agreed on all points. Unfortunately, we need the suits. They have the connections, the invitations. They can rub elbows and grease palms that none of us will ever have access to. We will always need suits inside the beltway to do our bidding because that's the way the game is currently played.

    I think we need a Steve Rinella (The Meateater) type approach to sell gun rights. That guy has mastered bringing together all walks of life into the hunting world with his campaign of eating wild game through hunting. He made it about the food and the journey to get there. I have seen more people parked at trailheads than I have ever seen before. They don't look like they have ever hunted in their lives, but they are decked out in First Light, and have Meateater stickers on their CUV. We should take notes.
     
    They current strategy is to dehumanize the average gun owner, my thinking was to change this

    clearly no interest, so moving on ...

    Joe Biden will be lucky to be in office 6 months before they find an excuse to say he has to step down, the real issue is Ms California, unless Bigfatcock can change her mind, she is gonna strip you of your gun rights faster than her panty's dropped for old Willy Brown.
     
    They current strategy is to dehumanize the average gun owner, my thinking was to change this

    clearly no interest, so moving on ...

    Joe Biden will be lucky to be in office 6 months before they find an excuse to say he has to step down, the real issue is Ms California, unless Bigfatcock can change her mind, she is gonna strip you of your gun rights faster than her panty's dropped for old Willy Brown.
    I think it is a great idea, but I think the reluctance of a lot of people to be that human face is included in what you say. Who wants to be the first guinea pig to be dehumanized because they took their kid to the range, to have Child Protective Services called on them. I think the people on here who post pictures of their gear or whatever are brave souls indeed. But you are right, it is the answer. But I also think that wrapped up in that reality is that if you go to a pro-gun rally, go in a polo shirt and jeans, not a ballistic helmet and patches. That too is humanizing of the community. If we look like them we are more like them. The irony of that is that we are just like them every single day, which is kind of your point, until we decide to make a point, at which point we act like idiots.
     
    The Celebrities and Entertainers, the Firebrands aren't going away, let them be the assholes about it.

    They can be the pitbulls, if a grassroots campaign came out of the ranks of everyday people, video, viral, etc.

    Everyone has a solid camera on their phones, we need 30 second clips from people, it's silly how easy this can be...

    If it doesnt rain Sunday Ill try to get a video. The guy Im taking is an older well established attorney. I dont think he really liks guns but allthe recent shit has him scared and thinking about self defense.

    Unfortunately, I think we're fighting a losing battle for on major reason. Changinh population demographics. Less rural more urban/city. The city folks dont want a sunny day in the woods, they want to go to the arcade or cinema or something where they wont get cold or wet.

    But we'll continue to work and defend.
     
    This is a great idea. You could start playing with some footage from the covid precision match thread. Some good stuff in there, including the old lady shooting her first "match". Nurse on "the front lines" and it doesn't hurt that her butt is nice! I'll work on some go pro footage that is higher res. Have some kids coming down to take shooting soon and the old lady just got another new pistol to play with. I'll see what I can do for decent 10-30 second clips. Let us know where and if you want this stuff sent.

    NRA hasn't been great politically for awhile but I agree they still do carry weight and make shooting a hell of a lot more accessible than it would be without them. I haven't donated extra for awhile but my life membership covered quite a bit.
     
    They current strategy is to dehumanize the average gun owner, my thinking was to change this

    clearly no interest, so moving on ...

    Joe Biden will be lucky to be in office 6 months before they find an excuse to say he has to step down, the real issue is Ms California, unless Bigfatcock can change her mind, she is gonna strip you of your gun rights faster than her panty's dropped for old Willy Brown.

    I think a lot of people are posting based on the thread title without actually reading what is being posted. Some of us agree with you.
     
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    Part of the idea is not just showing us shooting but being "real people", I hate to say it that way, but it's what's missing when the others says you're not moral, you're not empathetic, etc, When just being on the opposite side of an issue makes you a pariah.

    I think we need to show, "the non shooting" side of life, and then sprinkle in the shooting, less of that, more of what makes us people, why we consider ourselves the True Americans because we are exercising our rights and not attacking them. By valuing the divinity of people, ideas, etc,

    To start I thinking simply stuff,

    Greeting the family after work
    Light dinner table conversation,
    Playing something else, a board game

    Then mixing in the contrast, but it should be contrasted by shooting as a family activity and not your golf day away from the wife and kids.

    The New Shooters, the First times, The Nurses, yes, all that, spliced in, but it can't just be a collage it has has to be a short story.

    The idea is change the narrative so the a new narrative has to be inserted,

    Heck, we can use a bunch of stills to get an idea in order to lay it out...

    Understand I don't want to edit just random clips, they have to right, which is to say, not hard, simplistic, but the scene has to fit the story.

    A story about a match is promoting the match, the story I want to tell is about People, you, the other guy posting, the ones in the bear pit, the ones in the rifle section, we want to tell individual stories that show the American side of shooting
     
    If it doesnt rain Sunday Ill try to get a video. The guy Im taking is an older well established attorney. I dont think he really liks guns but allthe recent shit has him scared and thinking about self defense.

    Unfortunately, I think we're fighting a losing battle for on major reason. Changinh population demographics. Less rural more urban/city. The city folks dont want a sunny day in the woods, they want to go to the arcade or cinema or something where they wont get cold or wet.

    But we'll continue to work and defend.

    That's good, but it all depends how it comes across. If the message is "I want a gun because bugaloo is coming" it's not really going to help.
     
    • Like
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    No,

    The militant side of this only goes so far, too easy to dismiss them as Kooks,

    She is actually a bitch, when she is at SHOT, it's like they walk in front of her warning you not to make eye contact.

    The angry side has not worked, the attack dogs biting everyone is not working for you and Me, it works for them, they are millionaires and get invited to all the political functions you're not. They are entertainers nothing else...

    We need a grassroots campaign that is for the shooters, by the shooters, because the shooters,

    Fuck we should crowd share here and build a bunch of videos, we can group write a script, build an easy story board, then have people use phones or Go Pros to shoot it and I can put it together
    So let's do it!
     
    Part of the idea is not just showing us shooting but being "real people", I hate to say it that way, but it's what's missing when the others says you're not moral, you're not empathetic, etc, When just being on the opposite side of an issue makes you a pariah.

    I think we need to show, "the non shooting" side of life, and then sprinkle in the shooting, less of that, more of what makes us people, why we consider ourselves the True Americans because we are exercising our rights and not attacking them. By valuing the divinity of people, ideas, etc,

    To start I thinking simply stuff,

    Greeting the family after work
    Light dinner table conversation,
    Playing something else, a board game

    Then mixing in the contrast, but it should be contrasted by shooting as a family activity and not your golf day away from the wife and kids.

    The New Shooters, the First times, The Nurses, yes, all that, spliced in, but it can't just be a collage it has has to be a short story.

    The idea is change the narrative so the a new narrative has to be inserted,

    Heck, we can use a bunch of stills to get an idea in order to lay it out...

    Understand I don't want to edit just random clips, they have to right, which is to say, not hard, simplistic, but the scene has to fit the story.

    A story about a match is promoting the match, the story I want to tell is about People, you, the other guy posting, the ones in the bear pit, the ones in the rifle section, we want to tell individual stories that show the American side of shootingGood
    \
     

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    So let's do it!
    Yes! We have a venture scout group that use our facilities not just for the ranges, but as their regular meeting place. That's a regular piece of community involvement us normal shooters provide. Because they are not all adults it gets harder to get permissions to do that kind of a journalistic piece, but it is the kind of narrative we need.
     
    This can't be about the gun, it's about the people behind it ...

    The more they attempt to dehumanize the right, the easier it is to treat them as something less than, there is no counter voice out there...

    yelling back, "I know you are but what am I" has not worked, except to make those people rich, and it's gotten worse. So a waste of money if 90% goes to paying a bunch of a freaks. This is why the NRA is bankrupt, they squandered what they had in order to make themselves rockstars flying private jet and buying fancy suits. They did just enough to make more money and keep things confrontational.

    They need the confrontation it makes them money, we are on the losing end of it all.

    Start steering our own ship, we have all the tools , we don't need them to do it, we can.
     
    @Maggot

    Dude when are you gonna learn how to post an image on this site,

    An image is NOT An attachment if you want to post a PDF File, Attach it, Images don't work that way

    You'll have 2.7 Million posts, you'd think you know by now
     
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