Documenting the 2019 NRA Revolt at Indy Against Current NRA Leadership

The members meeting Saturday at this year’s NRA annual meeting was chaotic, but in this post I do my best to summarize of what went down.

NRA member Joshua Prince, critical of the current leadership, rises to speak at the NRA members meeting. Current NRA Board member and supporter of current leadership, Willes Lee, waits to speak immediately behind him. Photo by David Yamane

Drama was present from the start of the meeting. NRA President Oliver North, who was supposed to sit next to NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre was a no show at the members meeting. He will not seek or get a second term as President.

Wayne LaPierre received a 3/4 standing ovation from the members assembled when he was introduced. NRA VP Richard Childress, presiding at the meeting in North’s absence, read a letter from Oliver North that leveled accusations against current leadership (in YouTube video below).

Speeches were then given by current leadership praising current leadership for past 2A successes. After some other business was conducted, an old guard NRA Board Member who was strategically sitting in the seat closest to one of the floor microphones, moved to adjourn the meeting before member resolutions could be considered. (NOTE: I did not get his name so if you know who it was, please let me know so I can add it here.)

This was motion to adjourn was DEFEATED by a vote (show of hands) by the members. By defeating this move to adjourn, a resolution of no confidence in LaPierre and some board members was read (see video below).

Well before any vote on the resolution could be taken, NRA Secretary John Frazier moved to refer the motion to the NRA Board of Directors for consideration. Joshua Prince, a prime mover behind the resolution, rose immediately to note the conflict of interest present in the NRA Board considering a resolution critical of members of the NRA Board (as seen in the video below).

Opposition candidate for the NRA Board, Adam Kraut, then rose to suggest that the members meeting be closed to the media so that the members present could collectively discuss the resolution. This motion to go into “Executive Session” was then debated.

Among those who rose to speak AGAINST the motion for executive session was former NRA President Marion Hammer, who (according to a disclosure letter provided to members at the meeting) was paid $270,000 by the NRA in 2018. As seen in the video below, her argument that secrecy would be impossible in such a large group (even without the media present) received considerable support from the assembled members.

Among those speaking FOR this motion for executive session was firearms trainer, Rob Pincus, about whom I have written a number of times. He made the point that the effort to adjourn the meeting before this issue could be consider was defeated and that the members had a right to have their voices heard (see video below).

The motion to go to executive session was subsequently defeated by a vote of the members, and in the end, the motion by NRA Secretary Frazier to refer the resolution (critical of the board) TO THE BOARD passed handily, as can be seen in the YouTube video below.

I understand that when the NRA Board met this morning (Monday, April 29), they immediately went into Executive Session so no NRA members would be privy to their discussions.

Thus, the 2019 “Revolt at Indy” was defeated, for the time being. Having a resolution critical of Wayne LaPierre and the current NRA leadership read at all, however, was significant accomplishment.

Moreover, a number of members of the NRA have been speaking up to advocate for change in the NRA, like Andrew Lander (whose open letter to the board I posted earlier).