14 SEPTEMBER 2019 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
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NRA OFFICERS
Carolyn D. Meadows
President
Charles L. Cotton
First Vice President
Willes K. Lee
Second Vice President
Wayne LaPierre
Executive Vice President
John Frazer
Secretary
Craig Spray
Treasurer
Jason Ouimet
Interim Executive
Director, NRA-ILA
Joseph P. DeBergalis, Jr.
Executive Director,
General OperationsCarolyn D. Meadows
President
My Take On NRA’s Leader,
Wayne LaPierre
A
s president of the NRA and a
long-time member of its Board of
Directors, I’ve seen firsthand why
NRA has been so successful in achieving
the remarkable track record that honest,
hard-working Americans rely on and that our
political enemies fear. This unprecedented
victory streak has expanded the right to
carry to almost every state, expanded public
hunting on federal lands and helped win
legislative and courtroom victories from coast
to coast. How did we come so far? What’s
been integral to the NRA’s success?
More than any other reason, it’s been
four decades of brilliant work from Wayne
LaPierre. This man has dedicated his life
to advancing the NRA’s critically important
mission. No one knows the issues like he
does, and no one has worked as hard or
made all the personal sacrifices he has on
behalf of our cause. There are a very small
number of people who can pick up the
phone and call President Donald Trump
directly like he can. Put simply, Wayne is
vital to our cause.
And yet, despite all Wayne has done to
preserve American values, an unthinkable
time has come when individuals who portray
themselves as champions of the NRA and
the Second Amendment are abetting the
progressive-socialist campaign to destroy the
NRA and strip away those freedoms we hold
so dear. Spurred on by the anti-gun media,
these destructive forces accuse Wayne of an
ever-changing litany of baseless offenses and
claim he is mismanaging the Association.
Don’t believe it! There’s not a shred of
evidence to support those reckless and
false rumors. I’ve seen the books, I’ve met
with staff, donors and political supporters at
all levels and, most importantly, with NRA
members, and I reiterate: The NRA is on firm
financial footing. We remain the strongest
force for gun owners and for all Americans
who value freedom. This is nothing more than
a desperate attempt to sabotage our mission
to help re-elect President Donald Trump and
a Congress that will not yield on the Second
Amendment.
Think about where America would be if
Wayne LaPierre had not been our leader these
past 40 years. How many states would have
some form of concealed carry? Would all law-
abiding American gun owners be permitted
to buy affordable guns, and transport them
freely for lawful purposes? Would Americans
be trusted to own modern semi-automatic
rifles, or to own the standard magazines forsuch rifles? Would commonsense measures
like preemption statutes, Castle Doctrine,
range protection and criminalizing hunter
harassment be the law in so many states?
Would firearm companies be able to conduct
their time-honored business without the
constant threat of lawsuits?
Not without Wayne. Starting as a lobbyist,
Wayne has excelled in every way. He has
more than doubled the NRA membership
today from the 2 million members it was
when he assumed the role of executive vice
president to the 5+ million it is today.From my position as NRA President, I
assure you Wayne is a highly skilled manager
who makes full use of his resources. We talk
often, and he is very hands-on in working with
the officers and Board members. He keeps us
up to date, digests our input and works with
NRA’s various committees. All of us within the
NRA leadership take our roles very seriously,
but none more so than Wayne LaPierre.
When I look back on the people whom
I have admired the most in my life—those
who truly influenced me—honestly, it’s been
a small group. My father; my longtime friend,
Phyllis Schlafly; Lawrence “Larry” McDonald,
a Democrat congressman from Georgia who
died in an airplane shot down by the Soviets
in 1983; and Wayne LaPierre of the NRA.
What do they all have in common? They were
and are honest and steadfast fighters for the
Second Amendment and liberty.
Although some may think they have
turned the political tide against the NRA,
nothing is further from the truth. We are
winning and are continuing to push back
against those who would take away our
rights. And you need only to look at all the
Democrat presidential contenders to know
that the fight is far from over. In fact, our
fight is more critical today than ever before.
And Wayne is the man at the tip of the spear.SPURRED ON BY THE
ANTI-GUN MEDIA, THESE
DESTRUCTIVE FORCES
ACCUSE WAYNE OF AN
EVER-CHANGING LITANY OF
BASELESS OFFENSES AND
CLAIM HE IS MISMANAGING
THE ASSOCIATION.