NRA deals with internal turmoil amid calls for gun control

Washington — A silent protest outside the National Rifle Association’s Virginia headquarters capped a summer of turmoil within. First, leaked documents showed the group’s longtime leader Wayne LaPierre may have misused member dues, spending nearly $300,000 on designer clothes over 10 years and charging the NRA for luxury travel to the Bahamas, Budapest and Italy.

Then, cost and controversy led the group to shutter NRATV.

NRA president Oliver North left. So did top lobbyist Chris Cox, as LaPierre accused them of extortion. Just last week, three board members resigned, claiming they were “stripped of committee assignments” after they “sought information” about the “allegations of impropriety.”

Wayne LaPierre, NRA vice president and CEO, speaks to guests at the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum at the 148th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits on April 26, 2019, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Getty

Suits and counter suits have driven the NRA’s yearly legal fees from $13 million to $33 million, forcing the group to slash funding for gun training programs by nearly 25%.

“When I see the scale of the personal indulgences, the cronyism, it’s really disappointing,” said Rob Pincus, a longtime NRA member and firearms instructor in Florida. “Sadly, the reputation has been sullied inside the gun community.”

While the NRA opposes universal background checks, congressional backers now see an opening.

“Their day has come. Their day is over. We can get this done,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.  

The NRA still has deep pockets. It took in $170 million from donors in 2018. But all that questionable spending took a toll and now the group’s tax-exempt status is being investigated by both the New York and D.C. attorneys general.