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Inside the NRA: A Tell-All Account of Corruption, Greed, and Paranoia within the Most Powerful Political Group in America
A shocking exposé of rampant, decades-long incompetence at the National Rifle Association, as told by a former member of its senior leadership. Joshua L. Powell is the NRA--a lifelong gun advocate, in 2016, he began his new role as a senior strategist and chief of staff to NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre. What Powell uncovered was "the waste and dysfunction at the NRA was staggering." INSIDE THE NRA reveals for the first time the rise and fall of the most powerful political organization in America--how the NRA became feared as the Death Star of Washington lobbies and so militant and extreme as "to create and fuel the toxicity of the gun debate until it became outright explosive." INSIDE THE NRA explains this intentional toxic messaging was wholly the product of LaPierre's leadership and the extremist branding by his longtime PR puppet master Angus McQueen. In damning detail, Powell exposes the NRA's plan to "pour gasoline" on the fire in the fight against gun control, to sow discord to fill its coffers, and to secure the presidency for Donald J. Trump.
277 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 8, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
March 7, 2024
Gave this 3 stars.
Powell served as NRA's Chief of Staff. His CEO, Wayne
LaPierre was allegedly controlled by Chris Cox, NRA's
chief lobbyist. Who Powell referred to as "the puppet-
master." Wayne's stated purpose of hiring Powell :to
modernize the NRA, but he fought or ignored many
of Powell's suggestions.
The author described Wayne "... Wayne's whole world
operated out of fear. He didn't like to upset people. He
hated confrontation. And if you yelled loud enough &
carried on enough..." (18% mark). And "He (W.L.) didn't
delegate, or lead or hold people accountable, which lead
to political infighting ..." (25% mark).
Several things went through my mind as I read this:
(1) the IRA's poor response to mass shootings in the US,
like it was just another day,
(2) fear tactics Wayne used: try to increase NRA member-
ship & to demonize those encouraging gun control,
(3) poor NRA coordination (3 PR firms served the NRA,
NRA had 2 FB pages.)
(4) also the shocking money mismanagement IE NRA
higher mgt flew 1st class and stayed in high-class
lodgings, some pd NRA consultants did nothing, the
NRA bought a $6M mansion for Wayne. And pd for
private jets and vacations and bespoke suits.
Several NRA executives were competitive and 'gunned'
for Wayne's job. After the Sandy Hook Elementary murders,
Wayne made himself scarce. Paraphrasing "Wayne blamed
Democrats, FBI and socialism for tragic shootings." (4%
mark). Author explained then NRA pres. Ollie North's coup
attempt to become CEO. Powell noted that NRA members
suffered when NRA overspending put them 'in the red' 3
years in a row. NRA gave $30M to Trump's 2016 POTUS
election (5% mark).
Letitia James, Attorney General for N.Y. State, is trying to
take away the NRA's tax-exempt status & is investigating
financial irregularities. The NRA hired a hot-shot attorney
at $2 M a month (!!!) to fight these accusations!
Powell briefly noted "crazies" with guns, some of whom
were responsible for mass shootings. I don't think Powell,
or the NRA worried about preventing mass shootings. Or the
implications of someone mentally unstable IE Dylann Roof
owning several guns, and then murdering innocent Bible
study members.
Revised.
Powell served as NRA's Chief of Staff. His CEO, Wayne
LaPierre was allegedly controlled by Chris Cox, NRA's
chief lobbyist. Who Powell referred to as "the puppet-
master." Wayne's stated purpose of hiring Powell :to
modernize the NRA, but he fought or ignored many
of Powell's suggestions.
The author described Wayne "... Wayne's whole world
operated out of fear. He didn't like to upset people. He
hated confrontation. And if you yelled loud enough &
carried on enough..." (18% mark). And "He (W.L.) didn't
delegate, or lead or hold people accountable, which lead
to political infighting ..." (25% mark).
Several things went through my mind as I read this:
(1) the IRA's poor response to mass shootings in the US,
like it was just another day,
(2) fear tactics Wayne used: try to increase NRA member-
ship & to demonize those encouraging gun control,
(3) poor NRA coordination (3 PR firms served the NRA,
NRA had 2 FB pages.)
(4) also the shocking money mismanagement IE NRA
higher mgt flew 1st class and stayed in high-class
lodgings, some pd NRA consultants did nothing, the
NRA bought a $6M mansion for Wayne. And pd for
private jets and vacations and bespoke suits.
Several NRA executives were competitive and 'gunned'
for Wayne's job. After the Sandy Hook Elementary murders,
Wayne made himself scarce. Paraphrasing "Wayne blamed
Democrats, FBI and socialism for tragic shootings." (4%
mark). Author explained then NRA pres. Ollie North's coup
attempt to become CEO. Powell noted that NRA members
suffered when NRA overspending put them 'in the red' 3
years in a row. NRA gave $30M to Trump's 2016 POTUS
election (5% mark).
Letitia James, Attorney General for N.Y. State, is trying to
take away the NRA's tax-exempt status & is investigating
financial irregularities. The NRA hired a hot-shot attorney
at $2 M a month (!!!) to fight these accusations!
Powell briefly noted "crazies" with guns, some of whom
were responsible for mass shootings. I don't think Powell,
or the NRA worried about preventing mass shootings. Or the
implications of someone mentally unstable IE Dylann Roof
owning several guns, and then murdering innocent Bible
study members.
Revised.
September 15, 2020
When I saw the book was dedicated to the gun owners of America, rather than the hundreds of innocent people who've been killed, wounded, or traumatised by shootings - directly abetted by the NRA's actions - in schools, churches, cinemas, concerts, malls and their homes, as well as those survivors the NRA attacked, I knew I should tread carefully.
And honestly, while it's an interesting story, it's hard to feel sympathy for somebody complaining about how the NRA was mismanaged (show me a conservative organisation that isn't), and how poor Wayne laPierre was just a poor patsy, when at the same time wondering how so many school shootings happen, and what will it mean if people can't own an arsenal of semi-automatic weapons anymore. There's a reason America is the only country in the world that has mass shootings - and especially school shootings - on such a regular basis, and Powell is very much a part of that reason.
To quote Rick Wilson, "F*ck that guy."
And honestly, while it's an interesting story, it's hard to feel sympathy for somebody complaining about how the NRA was mismanaged (show me a conservative organisation that isn't), and how poor Wayne laPierre was just a poor patsy, when at the same time wondering how so many school shootings happen, and what will it mean if people can't own an arsenal of semi-automatic weapons anymore. There's a reason America is the only country in the world that has mass shootings - and especially school shootings - on such a regular basis, and Powell is very much a part of that reason.
To quote Rick Wilson, "F*ck that guy."
September 25, 2020
I'm experiencing a strange emotional reaction to this book right now. I'm not rating it a 4 because I thought I was reading a great piece of literature, I thought the author was exemplary or that it was relating some ultimate truth. I liked the book in the same way we as humans "like" to gawk at a car wreck when we drive past it.
I couldn't stop listening (did this one on audiobook) because it pissed me off. My being "pissed off" doesn't have anything to do with guns or the second amendment (full disclosure: I have a concealed carry permit and own guns myself). I'm pissed off because, as someone who has built my career in the non-profit profession, the NRA has no business having tax exempt non-profit status. It should be revoked as quickly as possible and some (many) of their executives prosecuted. If only a fraction of what this book says is true, it turns my stomach. The NRA and their ilk are prime examples of why the public is leery of the non-profit sector. This is what you do with your members hard earned money and your donors contributions?
I appreciate the author stepping forward and putting this out there, for whatever reason he chose to. And I appreciate his thoughts on gun control and the need for a new organization to step forward and do the things the NRA once did upon a time and should be doing now. However, it also sounds to me like he is looking to create that organization himself....and lead it. Maybe I'm hearing the last chapter(s) wrong. Just my two cents: the author has now done his part, and while he may be supportive of a new effort in a volunteer (read: non-compensated) way , he should NOT be leading a non-profit in a professional (compensated) position now or any time in the near future.
I couldn't stop listening (did this one on audiobook) because it pissed me off. My being "pissed off" doesn't have anything to do with guns or the second amendment (full disclosure: I have a concealed carry permit and own guns myself). I'm pissed off because, as someone who has built my career in the non-profit profession, the NRA has no business having tax exempt non-profit status. It should be revoked as quickly as possible and some (many) of their executives prosecuted. If only a fraction of what this book says is true, it turns my stomach. The NRA and their ilk are prime examples of why the public is leery of the non-profit sector. This is what you do with your members hard earned money and your donors contributions?
I appreciate the author stepping forward and putting this out there, for whatever reason he chose to. And I appreciate his thoughts on gun control and the need for a new organization to step forward and do the things the NRA once did upon a time and should be doing now. However, it also sounds to me like he is looking to create that organization himself....and lead it. Maybe I'm hearing the last chapter(s) wrong. Just my two cents: the author has now done his part, and while he may be supportive of a new effort in a volunteer (read: non-compensated) way , he should NOT be leading a non-profit in a professional (compensated) position now or any time in the near future.
November 6, 2020
No apology, especially this one with his guarded as good but warped views will suffice for the damage the NRA has done to the members and citizens of the United States. When you see criminal activity and you continue month after month to support it you, and in particular Josh Powell, is an accomplice.
The NRA should be banned and a new entity that returns the principles of the original NRA return with a new name and branding. Mass rallies or conventions to support fringe right-wing agenda should be avoided because they promote divisiveness and in many ways promote or support domestic terrorism. And Domestic Terrorism is one of the biggest problems America faces today.
The NRA is one of the most corrupt charity organizations in human history and should have been stripped of its tax-free status. The NRA deserves many criminal indictments and jail terms. The harm to America, the support of extreme right-wing 2nd Amendment fanaticism has ruined America.
Right to carry, fighting against background checks, red flag, and stand your ground have created a society where more gun violence will follow, not less.
The NRA should have been making schools and society safe, teaching safe gun practices, and promoting a healthy lifestyle. 5m of the 100m gun owners who possess 300m weapons have taken the view that the liberals, Democrats, progressives want to take away their guns because the NRA keeps promoting this lie. The rest fo gun owners and Americans including Republicans and Democrats want gun regulaitons to help prevent violence and the misuse of weapons.
Why has the NRA prevented the study of mass shootings and prevent them? Why do we need to secure all schools and Churches just as we do our airlines and airports? GUns are the problem because some misuse them. The solutions that Joshg provides are not adequate to prevent this and Josh dismisses or belittles other efforts.
The author fails to blame Republicans for blocking funds to study gun violence, he admits to being part of the problem and his contribution to the evil of this wildly greedy and extravagant group who in fact stole and wasted hundreds of millions of dollars from the 5m members is a sin and a crime.
Josh tries to offer some suggestions for how we as a nation can solve the gun problem. Far too small, far too little, and not nearly as extreme as the death rate from guns deserves. Guns are a tool and at times can serve good but far too often they are cancer on our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Because weapons have not been regulated properly and most gun owners. want proper and fair gun regulation. He seems to think he can do this himself.
The last chapter should have been the first chapter but some of Josh's ideas are warped by a supergun fanaticism that misses the point. He makes the point that if AR 15's account for 15% of the mass shootings then the removal of them will not deter someone who can kill just as easily with a handgun or shotgun. Sure, a clip can be changed quickly but the velocity of a AR 15 vs a handgun is not similar and they are easy to convert to an automatic. I can carve or print out a bump stock so what does outlawing them do?
The problem is the culture of guns and violence. We live in the 21st century, many countries do not have so many weapons and most do not have mass shootings. It is time to ask why?
You could say that the countries with social democracies (not socialism which is not Cuban or Venezuelan socialism or North Korean communism) do not have as many deaths by gun or incarceration, injustice, poverty, less addiction, racism, misogyny, and lack of healthcare and education.
American society is cruel. The strongest survive unless you are a minority? Guns for sport and hunting are fine but when every citizen is encouraged to have a gun you are giving up what most of the world enjoys which is real freedom. We all deserve to have the right to freedom from extreme violence, hatred, divisiveness, and crime.
Unless we train everyone with a gun better than we have trained our Police forces, I believe that the gun-rights lobby violates our right to a secure and peaceful world. We need to improve society and psychiatry so that we can identify potentially violent individuals and treat them, prevent them from having guns, and mass killing our fellow citizens and children.
The NRA should be banned and a new entity that returns the principles of the original NRA return with a new name and branding. Mass rallies or conventions to support fringe right-wing agenda should be avoided because they promote divisiveness and in many ways promote or support domestic terrorism. And Domestic Terrorism is one of the biggest problems America faces today.
The NRA is one of the most corrupt charity organizations in human history and should have been stripped of its tax-free status. The NRA deserves many criminal indictments and jail terms. The harm to America, the support of extreme right-wing 2nd Amendment fanaticism has ruined America.
Right to carry, fighting against background checks, red flag, and stand your ground have created a society where more gun violence will follow, not less.
The NRA should have been making schools and society safe, teaching safe gun practices, and promoting a healthy lifestyle. 5m of the 100m gun owners who possess 300m weapons have taken the view that the liberals, Democrats, progressives want to take away their guns because the NRA keeps promoting this lie. The rest fo gun owners and Americans including Republicans and Democrats want gun regulaitons to help prevent violence and the misuse of weapons.
Why has the NRA prevented the study of mass shootings and prevent them? Why do we need to secure all schools and Churches just as we do our airlines and airports? GUns are the problem because some misuse them. The solutions that Joshg provides are not adequate to prevent this and Josh dismisses or belittles other efforts.
The author fails to blame Republicans for blocking funds to study gun violence, he admits to being part of the problem and his contribution to the evil of this wildly greedy and extravagant group who in fact stole and wasted hundreds of millions of dollars from the 5m members is a sin and a crime.
Josh tries to offer some suggestions for how we as a nation can solve the gun problem. Far too small, far too little, and not nearly as extreme as the death rate from guns deserves. Guns are a tool and at times can serve good but far too often they are cancer on our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Because weapons have not been regulated properly and most gun owners. want proper and fair gun regulation. He seems to think he can do this himself.
The last chapter should have been the first chapter but some of Josh's ideas are warped by a supergun fanaticism that misses the point. He makes the point that if AR 15's account for 15% of the mass shootings then the removal of them will not deter someone who can kill just as easily with a handgun or shotgun. Sure, a clip can be changed quickly but the velocity of a AR 15 vs a handgun is not similar and they are easy to convert to an automatic. I can carve or print out a bump stock so what does outlawing them do?
The problem is the culture of guns and violence. We live in the 21st century, many countries do not have so many weapons and most do not have mass shootings. It is time to ask why?
You could say that the countries with social democracies (not socialism which is not Cuban or Venezuelan socialism or North Korean communism) do not have as many deaths by gun or incarceration, injustice, poverty, less addiction, racism, misogyny, and lack of healthcare and education.
American society is cruel. The strongest survive unless you are a minority? Guns for sport and hunting are fine but when every citizen is encouraged to have a gun you are giving up what most of the world enjoys which is real freedom. We all deserve to have the right to freedom from extreme violence, hatred, divisiveness, and crime.
Unless we train everyone with a gun better than we have trained our Police forces, I believe that the gun-rights lobby violates our right to a secure and peaceful world. We need to improve society and psychiatry so that we can identify potentially violent individuals and treat them, prevent them from having guns, and mass killing our fellow citizens and children.
July 19, 2022
This was and eye-opening yet tough read. I gave it 4 stars not because I am an NRA supporter in the least, but because it held my attention. I see where the author is coming from by exposing the corruption in an organization that has no business holding non-profit, tax exempt status, he also mentions frequently about wanting to get back to the original mission of the NRA as being the source of gun safety training and education for Americans. However, there were still small mentions sprinkled throughout this book that showed the author’s naïveté about issues of race and gun violence and gender biases.
Overall I’m glad I read this but clearly there is still a long way to go.
Overall I’m glad I read this but clearly there is still a long way to go.
July 18, 2022
Not quite what is promised from the sleeve. More of an attempt by the author to justify his job for 3 years than an expose of this organisation. Very self-indulgent. But still worth reading.
March 31, 2022
I started reading this book thinking I would give it a 2. However as I read on, I realized that this could be a very important book for people on both sides of the gun debate. Most of the book talks about the lack of oversight at the nra, and the in fighting. But Joshua Powell ends the book by describing common sense remedies for cutting down on gun violence. It was refreshing to hear someone from inside the nra talking about policies that would actually lead to fewer gun deaths, rather than taking the typical NO response to any suggestion of gun reform bills.
2 notes on this book that I felt that I needed to share. One, at two different times in the book, Powell claims that the AR15 and military weapons, both the M16 and M4 are not the same caliber, and the military weapon is a larger caliber. This simply is not true. They are the exact same caliber, same bullet, same jacket, identical. This is a simple fact. You can get the AR15 in different calibers, but by far the most popular is the .223 (5.56). I'm not sure why Powell wrote this, or what his motivation was. That leads me to my second note where he talks about magazine capacity. Currently many assault rifles are capable of holding 30 round magazines. He claims that reduced magazine sizes would not cut down on mass shootings. What he doesn't say is that while the overall number of shootings may or may not decrease, the number of victims certainly increases due to the nature of the efficiency of the assault weapons. He argues that magazines can be changed quickly and that a shooter can simply continue changing out smaller magazines. This could be true, but it could buy time for responders and also increases the chance that the shooters gun could jam, buying more time for responders. Not only that, but it would be more cumbersome for a shooter to carry, making them more identifiable.
2 notes on this book that I felt that I needed to share. One, at two different times in the book, Powell claims that the AR15 and military weapons, both the M16 and M4 are not the same caliber, and the military weapon is a larger caliber. This simply is not true. They are the exact same caliber, same bullet, same jacket, identical. This is a simple fact. You can get the AR15 in different calibers, but by far the most popular is the .223 (5.56). I'm not sure why Powell wrote this, or what his motivation was. That leads me to my second note where he talks about magazine capacity. Currently many assault rifles are capable of holding 30 round magazines. He claims that reduced magazine sizes would not cut down on mass shootings. What he doesn't say is that while the overall number of shootings may or may not decrease, the number of victims certainly increases due to the nature of the efficiency of the assault weapons. He argues that magazines can be changed quickly and that a shooter can simply continue changing out smaller magazines. This could be true, but it could buy time for responders and also increases the chance that the shooters gun could jam, buying more time for responders. Not only that, but it would be more cumbersome for a shooter to carry, making them more identifiable.
January 27, 2024
Powell shares his very candid and "close up" story of working for the NRA in "Inside the NRA" and accomplishes relating to the reader some of the complexities and failures of the organization.
Politics aside, I found the book to be an interesting read for the most part. The author does cross the line at times between topics, wandering close to autobiography. But Powell led an interesting life and I appreciated his perspective. Did not agree with all of them, but respected them.
This is a story of re-invention, adaptation and, ultimately, greed for cash and power. Powell does a pretty fair job of relating his perceptions of the eventually downfall of the credibility of the organization. Betrayals and back stabbing galore, at times this book made the NRA appear to be some old school Roman political coliseum.
The author also make some good points about the 2nd Amendment, rational and reasonable changes to current gun laws and similar measures.
Definitely an interesting read.
Politics aside, I found the book to be an interesting read for the most part. The author does cross the line at times between topics, wandering close to autobiography. But Powell led an interesting life and I appreciated his perspective. Did not agree with all of them, but respected them.
This is a story of re-invention, adaptation and, ultimately, greed for cash and power. Powell does a pretty fair job of relating his perceptions of the eventually downfall of the credibility of the organization. Betrayals and back stabbing galore, at times this book made the NRA appear to be some old school Roman political coliseum.
The author also make some good points about the 2nd Amendment, rational and reasonable changes to current gun laws and similar measures.
Definitely an interesting read.
May 20, 2022
Interesting Read.
And really not super surprised with most of the information. Corrupt, money-hungry corporations are the game. And how they are able to manipulate all of that money out of certain industries, let them be tax-exempt or whatever, I don't see any of it changing anytime soon.
And really not super surprised with most of the information. Corrupt, money-hungry corporations are the game. And how they are able to manipulate all of that money out of certain industries, let them be tax-exempt or whatever, I don't see any of it changing anytime soon.
August 8, 2021
The author of the book has a direct view into the NRA based on his time there for several years, witnessing the crazies and the massive grifting. I appreciate his attempts to expose corruption and his efforts to reduce gun violence. While I don't agree politically with the author, nor do I believe the author's interpretation is free of bias, I do think it's a thoroughly written book.
July 23, 2021
So I got this book because these are things I have thought for some time...and was interested to see where the author would fall on the ideas of gun control issues...
I was hoping it would be fair and honest and that the author would realize that there needs to be some forms of control in an area that presently has almost none.
The book started out talking about the morning of Sandy Hook...he definitely says he has issues with school shootings...and so had hope that he would understand the needs for our country...and he did ...for about 150 pages or so....and then his real views really came to light...
I am not going into his background...actually he seemed to be bragging about his intelligence...his abilities ....his money....and was the last thing I was interested in... an author fluffing his pages with his own accolades...but made my way through it...
Sandy hook was a travesty and the author says this also...and then while acknowledging his own part in the NRA response...the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun ...he seemed to place the blame totally on others...he did state that the NRA's response was ALWAYS to say no gun control....to blame the shooter...and it wasn't the fault of the second amendment nor the lack of control that was any issue...this didnt sit well with me...
I am not going to rehash the entire book...about 2/3rd's through I wanted to stop...I saw where he was...what he was....and had no interest but then he said something that intrigued me...that he had answers that would help....so I kept going...
While he does reveal tons of issues of graft...greed....lies...misuse of funds...scandals...i am not going to tear into all of those...many of these other reviews cover these very well....but I want to more center on the author's thought processes...
He talks about this old nazi woman in Florida who has so many links in politics she can evidently cause people to not get re-elected if you do not absolutely and fully agree with anything she says...what a weak freaking state...to be afraid of one gun nut who is fully in favor of any law ...no matter what it is as long as it keeps all guns now and future in the hands of the owners...i suppose when guns become phasers as in star trek are available...disintegration ...those will be ok too....and the author is so enamored by her...says things like ...she has a passion to be admired....that she is totally committed ...she was completely behind the stand your ground law which was first placed in Florida....and has now been copied in many states...he mentions Trayvon Martin and looks at it as an unfortunate incident...and blows past it so fast ...with no analysis...but fully supports the stand your ground with no defense of how it can be warped and used for flat out murder...too bad for Trayvon...he had to lose his life for the sacrifice of crazy gun owners...so... too bad so sad....i guess his love of children only goes as far as his own or white children....black children evidently shouldn't be allowed out of their houses....what a racist asshole...
he states that the NRA has gotten where it is by sowing fear...buying off politicians...and acts like this disgusts him....but at the same time argues that no guns should ever be banned (he did mention a class C permit for machine guns but never really said if he was for them or against...but would assume he is for them) ...he mentions how the NRA caters to the small percentage of the wide right...and that is wrong...but he never says much about anything other than the smallest of controls...such as registered gun owners list...which he admits most of the country wants...
He states his case that assault rifles should not be banned...his reasons? that there are more powerful guns out there....that the mass shootings only use a small percentage of assault rifles ...that the only reason it is targeted is because it is "scary looking" ....but he doesn't even touch the other side...if there are more powerful guns....why do you need the assault rifle? and more importantly wouldn't it make sense to ban it?...it throws the left a bone...but keeps the other guns intact....(no doubt fearing that the dems would be all after every gun if you give up one...which he states OVER AND OVER...is not and will not happen as many democrats are gun owners...which is a fact) ....that the assault rifle is only used in like 15% of mass shootings (not sure of the exact percentage but that close) but he doesn't mention the number of DEATHS are caused by the assault rifle ...I would bet that if he cited those numbers the percentage of death in mass shootings caused by assault rifles would be WAY higher than the 15% he cites...but he wouldn't want to cite that fact....that the assault rifle is wanted to be banned because it is "scary looking" while completely ignoring that it could be a weapon of choice exactly for that reason...that because it is scary looking shooters look for guns just like that...las vegas the shooter brought FOURTEEN ar-15's ....why? he modified them with bump stocks...but why choose the ar-15???? he fired over 1000 rounds of ammunition in ten minutes....cant really get that from a shotgun or a regular rifle....but again...these items are ignored....he also is against any sort of limits of weapon purchasing....but if we had registries ...you could make requirements that anything over a certain number you go on a watch list...a solution? nope...a deterrent? possibly...
His argument is the same as all crazies....that controls....banning... wouldnt solve anything...but since we havent done it...you can't say that and maintain any sort of credibility...but it's what the senators say...its what the NRA says...its what he says...because its easy to say and gloss over...but put some bans in...and make a 10 year ban...then track it...lets see....but we dont want that ....it would limit the gun nuts...
the last I want to mention is that donald trump signed an executive order rescinding an order put in by Obama that made it harder for mentally ill people to get guns...and he stated rescinding this was a great win for gun advocates...i ask WHY....why would you want someone with a mental illness to have a gun??? because he wants NO restriction on people buying ANY gun out there...this is so hard for me to justify....he hates school shootings but is all for mentally ill to get guns...
bottom line...he is a two faced hypocrite...he refuses to acknowledge any causes other than the shooters...but wants nothing to control the shooters...like a gun registry would make a difference in school shootings...afterwards we can say ...well he got them legally...wow...that sure will make all the parents feel better...the registry has to be only the beginning and the barest of needed measures...if you have a registry with no controls that is useless
bottom line....it is NOT the gun...but the gun is the instrument...look at great britain...I went for a vacation a few years ago...while i was there London had it's 17th murder (in September) ...thats a city of 7 million people with 17 murders...and the county went CRAZY...they were talking about limiting who could buy a knife...17!!!!!...our major cities have more than that on a Friday night...
I know we will never rid ourselves of guns...but there need to be limits and controls...owning a gun for personal protection is fine...but since by his own admission...there are many guns out there that can do all kinds of damage...then you dont need most of them...and no one needs to own 50....and if you are a collector you have to register as such
it needs to stop...but as long as we have corrupt organizations buying off politicians ...we will never get better...it will only get worse....
which I am sure Mr. Powell....out loud ....will decry as horrible...but in secret...rub his hands in glee at having NO restrictions on his freedoms...too bad so sad....
I was hoping it would be fair and honest and that the author would realize that there needs to be some forms of control in an area that presently has almost none.
The book started out talking about the morning of Sandy Hook...he definitely says he has issues with school shootings...and so had hope that he would understand the needs for our country...and he did ...for about 150 pages or so....and then his real views really came to light...
I am not going into his background...actually he seemed to be bragging about his intelligence...his abilities ....his money....and was the last thing I was interested in... an author fluffing his pages with his own accolades...but made my way through it...
Sandy hook was a travesty and the author says this also...and then while acknowledging his own part in the NRA response...the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun ...he seemed to place the blame totally on others...he did state that the NRA's response was ALWAYS to say no gun control....to blame the shooter...and it wasn't the fault of the second amendment nor the lack of control that was any issue...this didnt sit well with me...
I am not going to rehash the entire book...about 2/3rd's through I wanted to stop...I saw where he was...what he was....and had no interest but then he said something that intrigued me...that he had answers that would help....so I kept going...
While he does reveal tons of issues of graft...greed....lies...misuse of funds...scandals...i am not going to tear into all of those...many of these other reviews cover these very well....but I want to more center on the author's thought processes...
He talks about this old nazi woman in Florida who has so many links in politics she can evidently cause people to not get re-elected if you do not absolutely and fully agree with anything she says...what a weak freaking state...to be afraid of one gun nut who is fully in favor of any law ...no matter what it is as long as it keeps all guns now and future in the hands of the owners...i suppose when guns become phasers as in star trek are available...disintegration ...those will be ok too....and the author is so enamored by her...says things like ...she has a passion to be admired....that she is totally committed ...she was completely behind the stand your ground law which was first placed in Florida....and has now been copied in many states...he mentions Trayvon Martin and looks at it as an unfortunate incident...and blows past it so fast ...with no analysis...but fully supports the stand your ground with no defense of how it can be warped and used for flat out murder...too bad for Trayvon...he had to lose his life for the sacrifice of crazy gun owners...so... too bad so sad....i guess his love of children only goes as far as his own or white children....black children evidently shouldn't be allowed out of their houses....what a racist asshole...
he states that the NRA has gotten where it is by sowing fear...buying off politicians...and acts like this disgusts him....but at the same time argues that no guns should ever be banned (he did mention a class C permit for machine guns but never really said if he was for them or against...but would assume he is for them) ...he mentions how the NRA caters to the small percentage of the wide right...and that is wrong...but he never says much about anything other than the smallest of controls...such as registered gun owners list...which he admits most of the country wants...
He states his case that assault rifles should not be banned...his reasons? that there are more powerful guns out there....that the mass shootings only use a small percentage of assault rifles ...that the only reason it is targeted is because it is "scary looking" ....but he doesn't even touch the other side...if there are more powerful guns....why do you need the assault rifle? and more importantly wouldn't it make sense to ban it?...it throws the left a bone...but keeps the other guns intact....(no doubt fearing that the dems would be all after every gun if you give up one...which he states OVER AND OVER...is not and will not happen as many democrats are gun owners...which is a fact) ....that the assault rifle is only used in like 15% of mass shootings (not sure of the exact percentage but that close) but he doesn't mention the number of DEATHS are caused by the assault rifle ...I would bet that if he cited those numbers the percentage of death in mass shootings caused by assault rifles would be WAY higher than the 15% he cites...but he wouldn't want to cite that fact....that the assault rifle is wanted to be banned because it is "scary looking" while completely ignoring that it could be a weapon of choice exactly for that reason...that because it is scary looking shooters look for guns just like that...las vegas the shooter brought FOURTEEN ar-15's ....why? he modified them with bump stocks...but why choose the ar-15???? he fired over 1000 rounds of ammunition in ten minutes....cant really get that from a shotgun or a regular rifle....but again...these items are ignored....he also is against any sort of limits of weapon purchasing....but if we had registries ...you could make requirements that anything over a certain number you go on a watch list...a solution? nope...a deterrent? possibly...
His argument is the same as all crazies....that controls....banning... wouldnt solve anything...but since we havent done it...you can't say that and maintain any sort of credibility...but it's what the senators say...its what the NRA says...its what he says...because its easy to say and gloss over...but put some bans in...and make a 10 year ban...then track it...lets see....but we dont want that ....it would limit the gun nuts...
the last I want to mention is that donald trump signed an executive order rescinding an order put in by Obama that made it harder for mentally ill people to get guns...and he stated rescinding this was a great win for gun advocates...i ask WHY....why would you want someone with a mental illness to have a gun??? because he wants NO restriction on people buying ANY gun out there...this is so hard for me to justify....he hates school shootings but is all for mentally ill to get guns...
bottom line...he is a two faced hypocrite...he refuses to acknowledge any causes other than the shooters...but wants nothing to control the shooters...like a gun registry would make a difference in school shootings...afterwards we can say ...well he got them legally...wow...that sure will make all the parents feel better...the registry has to be only the beginning and the barest of needed measures...if you have a registry with no controls that is useless
bottom line....it is NOT the gun...but the gun is the instrument...look at great britain...I went for a vacation a few years ago...while i was there London had it's 17th murder (in September) ...thats a city of 7 million people with 17 murders...and the county went CRAZY...they were talking about limiting who could buy a knife...17!!!!!...our major cities have more than that on a Friday night...
I know we will never rid ourselves of guns...but there need to be limits and controls...owning a gun for personal protection is fine...but since by his own admission...there are many guns out there that can do all kinds of damage...then you dont need most of them...and no one needs to own 50....and if you are a collector you have to register as such
it needs to stop...but as long as we have corrupt organizations buying off politicians ...we will never get better...it will only get worse....
which I am sure Mr. Powell....out loud ....will decry as horrible...but in secret...rub his hands in glee at having NO restrictions on his freedoms...too bad so sad....
March 31, 2024
A FORMER NRA EXECUTIVE ‘COMES CLEAN’ ABOUT ITS PROBLEMS
.Author Joshua Powell wrote in the first chapter of this 2020 book about the Sandy Hook school shooting, “Sandy Hook marked a turning point for the NRA, and America, in terms of gun violence. The tragedy was so unimaginable---the brutal slaughtering of young children---that it scarred the nation in ways that would continue to be visible for years. I was part of a message machine that helped to perpetuate the problem and exacerbate the extremism of the gun debate, something I wouldn’t fully appreciate for a long time. … And my experience would ultimately convince me that the NRA itself had lost its mission, and lost its way too.” (Pg. 9)
He notes that shortly after Sandy Hook, Wayne LaPierre (the NRA’s CEO) gave a speech at the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference): “Wayne went on the attack, blaming Democrats, the FBI, and socialism for the tragic shootings. He claimed that the real goal of people who advocated for gun control was to eliminate the Second Amendment and eradicate all individual freedom… he finished his speech repeating … that the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun was with a good guy with a gun.” (Pg. 9-10)
He observes, “the waste and dysfunction at the NRA was staggering, costing the organization and its members hundreds of millions of dollars over the years. After poring through all of our vendor expenses, consulting agreements, and people on the dole for God knew what, it was apparent just how big the problem was and how long it had gone on… The NRA’s finances were so glaringly out of control that in 2019 the New York attorney general, Leticia James, opened an inquiry into the NRA’s tax-exempt status.” (Pg. 11-12)
He explains, “This is my attempt to set the record straight… I feel that the only way to create an organization that can genuinely better serve gun owners, and all Americans, is to show what the association has become, over the years with the current leadership… In the 1980s and 1990s, Wayne steered the NRA away from its roots as an organization focused on gun safety and education into a lobbying Death Star. His approach and messaging, and the NRA’s was deeply divisive, the brainchild or the angry and unrepentant Angus McQueen, hear of the NRA’s outside marketing firm, and the puppet master who constantly stirred up the most radical element of the association’s five-million-strong membership. Any attempt to pas gun control legislation was seen as a slippery slope to overturning the Second Amendment.” (Pg. 12-13)
He continues, “Was the NRA responsible for [Sandy Hook]? Of course not. But they ought to help find a solution. If not the NRA, then who? They are America’ experts when it comes to guns and their use. Gun violence is an epidemic. Instead the NRA fueled a toxic debate by appealing to the paranoia and darkest side of our members… Rather than offering solutions, Wayne … poured gas on the fire and sowed discord. He knew it would set the stage to drive more membership dollars.” (Pg. 14) He adds, “the finances of the NRA are in shambles; it has operated in the red for the past three years, despite annual revenues of roughly $350 million a year… the NRA is closer in its politics and intrigue to the Vatican, and Wayne LaPierre was our pope… Despite my zeal to reform the NRA, I had turned into the Establishment… Our loyalties lay only with Wayne, rather than with the association or the members… And that was not what I had signed up for.” (Pg. 18-19) He summarizes, “What follows is a story of the money, greed, and incompetence that has brought the NRS to its knees… that will expose the inherent weakness of what the country sees as the most powerful lobbying group in history.” (Pg. 21)
He explains, “The NRA has a byzantine board structure---there are seventy-six board members, which is almost unheard of. Trying to get the board to agree on anything was like convening the Italian parliament… they exercised almost no genuine oversight on the NRA executive leadership.” (Pg. 40) He goes on, “You simply could overcome the bureaucracy that had grown up around the NRA. Every decision was based on politics… where once a program was in place you couldn’t get rid of it.” (Pg. 45) He adds, “Rather than a sleek high-tech lobbying organization, I found it was actually a low-tech, cumbersome bureaucracy.” (Pg. 58)
He states, “Wayne became unapologetic and extreme. And he did nothing to broaden the appeal of the NRA with the ninety-five million gun owners who weren’t members Peddling fear on top of fear was damaging our perception with the rest of the public. The NRA gained a million members---and alienated millions more… Wayne’s speech after Sandy Hook … put the NRA directly in the crosshairs of the gun control politicians, and it is paying the price now.” (Pg. 61) Of their support for Donald Trump in 2016, he observes, “Some people were concerned that Trump wasn’t really a gun guy. But we were confident he would take a hard line on the Second Amendment and gun rights. Trump’s sons Eric and Don Jr. … WERE gun guys.” (Pg. 64)
He recounts, “In 1995, Wayne signed off on an NRA mailer referring to ATF… agents as ‘jackbooted government thugs.’ Former president George H.W. Bush resigned his NRA membership in disgust, but Wayne got everyone’s attention… It was a pivotal moment for the NRA, and one that pushed the association further to the extremes.” (Pg. 69) He laments, “The NRA said no to every effort to rein in gun rights, no matter how modest or reasonable… from universal gun checks to any limitation on magazines… or on the types of weapons that people were allowed to own or buy… We didn’t offer to become part of the solution… We just became known for inciting riots on any effort that would impact the rights of gun owners. And as a result, we were seen as the problem Even by gun owners.” (Pg. 73-74)
He asks, “could Wayne justify the suits and the trips? I’m sure he could rationalize it. To him, he WAS the NRA. He led the battle, whatever the cost. And the suits and the private planes were necessary, in his mind, to protect him… he was acting like a corporate fat cat.” (Pg. 239)
Ultimately, “I realized we weren’t doing our jobs anymore… what I’d been brought in to do---to help fix the procedures and processes, to modernize the organization---just wasn’t going to get done… Maybe, I realized, the NRA, as it was currently set up, didn’t deserve to continue. Maybe gun owners needed a more compassionate defender, and organization that would try to work for the rights of all Americans… Instead, Wayne, with and without Agnus and Chris, had continued to escalate things, to add to the toxicity of the debate, to make the NRA the lobbying organization no one wanted to invite to the political table… if we were really running the place correctly, with a proper board, they would see that Wayne was a drag on the association… I needed to save my soul. And I wasn’t going to do that by continuing to save Wayne... I was on my own, and so was Wayne, whether he realized it or not.” (Pg. 261-262)
This is a very insightful book, that will be of great interest to those seeking critiques of the NRA
.Author Joshua Powell wrote in the first chapter of this 2020 book about the Sandy Hook school shooting, “Sandy Hook marked a turning point for the NRA, and America, in terms of gun violence. The tragedy was so unimaginable---the brutal slaughtering of young children---that it scarred the nation in ways that would continue to be visible for years. I was part of a message machine that helped to perpetuate the problem and exacerbate the extremism of the gun debate, something I wouldn’t fully appreciate for a long time. … And my experience would ultimately convince me that the NRA itself had lost its mission, and lost its way too.” (Pg. 9)
He notes that shortly after Sandy Hook, Wayne LaPierre (the NRA’s CEO) gave a speech at the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference): “Wayne went on the attack, blaming Democrats, the FBI, and socialism for the tragic shootings. He claimed that the real goal of people who advocated for gun control was to eliminate the Second Amendment and eradicate all individual freedom… he finished his speech repeating … that the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun was with a good guy with a gun.” (Pg. 9-10)
He observes, “the waste and dysfunction at the NRA was staggering, costing the organization and its members hundreds of millions of dollars over the years. After poring through all of our vendor expenses, consulting agreements, and people on the dole for God knew what, it was apparent just how big the problem was and how long it had gone on… The NRA’s finances were so glaringly out of control that in 2019 the New York attorney general, Leticia James, opened an inquiry into the NRA’s tax-exempt status.” (Pg. 11-12)
He explains, “This is my attempt to set the record straight… I feel that the only way to create an organization that can genuinely better serve gun owners, and all Americans, is to show what the association has become, over the years with the current leadership… In the 1980s and 1990s, Wayne steered the NRA away from its roots as an organization focused on gun safety and education into a lobbying Death Star. His approach and messaging, and the NRA’s was deeply divisive, the brainchild or the angry and unrepentant Angus McQueen, hear of the NRA’s outside marketing firm, and the puppet master who constantly stirred up the most radical element of the association’s five-million-strong membership. Any attempt to pas gun control legislation was seen as a slippery slope to overturning the Second Amendment.” (Pg. 12-13)
He continues, “Was the NRA responsible for [Sandy Hook]? Of course not. But they ought to help find a solution. If not the NRA, then who? They are America’ experts when it comes to guns and their use. Gun violence is an epidemic. Instead the NRA fueled a toxic debate by appealing to the paranoia and darkest side of our members… Rather than offering solutions, Wayne … poured gas on the fire and sowed discord. He knew it would set the stage to drive more membership dollars.” (Pg. 14) He adds, “the finances of the NRA are in shambles; it has operated in the red for the past three years, despite annual revenues of roughly $350 million a year… the NRA is closer in its politics and intrigue to the Vatican, and Wayne LaPierre was our pope… Despite my zeal to reform the NRA, I had turned into the Establishment… Our loyalties lay only with Wayne, rather than with the association or the members… And that was not what I had signed up for.” (Pg. 18-19) He summarizes, “What follows is a story of the money, greed, and incompetence that has brought the NRS to its knees… that will expose the inherent weakness of what the country sees as the most powerful lobbying group in history.” (Pg. 21)
He explains, “The NRA has a byzantine board structure---there are seventy-six board members, which is almost unheard of. Trying to get the board to agree on anything was like convening the Italian parliament… they exercised almost no genuine oversight on the NRA executive leadership.” (Pg. 40) He goes on, “You simply could overcome the bureaucracy that had grown up around the NRA. Every decision was based on politics… where once a program was in place you couldn’t get rid of it.” (Pg. 45) He adds, “Rather than a sleek high-tech lobbying organization, I found it was actually a low-tech, cumbersome bureaucracy.” (Pg. 58)
He states, “Wayne became unapologetic and extreme. And he did nothing to broaden the appeal of the NRA with the ninety-five million gun owners who weren’t members Peddling fear on top of fear was damaging our perception with the rest of the public. The NRA gained a million members---and alienated millions more… Wayne’s speech after Sandy Hook … put the NRA directly in the crosshairs of the gun control politicians, and it is paying the price now.” (Pg. 61) Of their support for Donald Trump in 2016, he observes, “Some people were concerned that Trump wasn’t really a gun guy. But we were confident he would take a hard line on the Second Amendment and gun rights. Trump’s sons Eric and Don Jr. … WERE gun guys.” (Pg. 64)
He recounts, “In 1995, Wayne signed off on an NRA mailer referring to ATF… agents as ‘jackbooted government thugs.’ Former president George H.W. Bush resigned his NRA membership in disgust, but Wayne got everyone’s attention… It was a pivotal moment for the NRA, and one that pushed the association further to the extremes.” (Pg. 69) He laments, “The NRA said no to every effort to rein in gun rights, no matter how modest or reasonable… from universal gun checks to any limitation on magazines… or on the types of weapons that people were allowed to own or buy… We didn’t offer to become part of the solution… We just became known for inciting riots on any effort that would impact the rights of gun owners. And as a result, we were seen as the problem Even by gun owners.” (Pg. 73-74)
He asks, “could Wayne justify the suits and the trips? I’m sure he could rationalize it. To him, he WAS the NRA. He led the battle, whatever the cost. And the suits and the private planes were necessary, in his mind, to protect him… he was acting like a corporate fat cat.” (Pg. 239)
Ultimately, “I realized we weren’t doing our jobs anymore… what I’d been brought in to do---to help fix the procedures and processes, to modernize the organization---just wasn’t going to get done… Maybe, I realized, the NRA, as it was currently set up, didn’t deserve to continue. Maybe gun owners needed a more compassionate defender, and organization that would try to work for the rights of all Americans… Instead, Wayne, with and without Agnus and Chris, had continued to escalate things, to add to the toxicity of the debate, to make the NRA the lobbying organization no one wanted to invite to the political table… if we were really running the place correctly, with a proper board, they would see that Wayne was a drag on the association… I needed to save my soul. And I wasn’t going to do that by continuing to save Wayne... I was on my own, and so was Wayne, whether he realized it or not.” (Pg. 261-262)
This is a very insightful book, that will be of great interest to those seeking critiques of the NRA
April 5, 2021
This poorly written, grammatically challenged work in need of a literate editor whose experiences extend beyond Boys Club extravaganzas, has the redeeming feature of attempting to show dysfunction not only in the NRA as a (commercial?) organization but in the pathology the organization displays in its messaging especially following the multiple mass shootings that plague America.
What this author refuses to admit is that he is part of the problem which begins and ends with unrestricted, universal gun ownership in America, and a forlorn, irredeemable misunderstanding of what the Second Amendment actually says and allows, the mistake this author makes in trying to sort through the multiple organizational problems the NRA has and the dystopia and dysfunction in its bureaucracy and the leadership of Wayne LaPierre and its former lobbyist Chris Cox.
Early in the book, the author puts his finger on the throat of the problem when he says, in essence, that when LaPierre or NRA spokespeople react to mass shootings, their messages intentionally are designed to agitate the most extreme edges of American society--the gun-owning, loud mouth thumping losers who believe that God bestowed on them the right to own as many guns as they want, to use them in any way they want, and to avoid the very things that might, just might, reduce gun violence and gun death, like universal background checks, the banning of assault weapons and destructive ammo, and impose certain restrictions and fees that might somehow reduce the gun violence that is now destroying American institutions from the military to the schools to the businesses. All of this is because the NRA peddles its gospel to the nihilists on the right-wing of the Republican Party and the leadership of the Republican Party is now dependent on that "base" to compete in elections. How many people who stormed the Capitol, do you think, held NRA membership? I don't know but I'll bet it was more than one.
All that being said, this insider account reveals some interesting information about the lobbying nonprofit organization that competes with the pharmaceutical lobby for political influence:
1. All the NRA says and does is, outside allegations of spending improprieties, is designed to stir up the base. This has resulted in NRA members being mostly Republican and right-wing, sometimes to the extreme.
2. NRA messaging, guided and masterminded by Angus McQueen, now deceased, and condoned by LaPierre has made the NRA impervious to any solution to gun violence in America.
3. AckermannMcQueen, the ad agency, essentially dictated to LaPierre and billed the NRA to the moon for its work.
4. AckermannMcQueen created NRATV, billed for its creation, operation, and selection of talent, using it as another billing source to drain NRA resources. A disaster from the beginning, Ollie North and Dana Roesch were unable to bring viewership to more than 50,000 unique views, but Angus McQueen kept it alive until it on-air people became public embarrassments to the NRA, something quite hard to do.
5. Chris Cox, the former chief lobbyist for the ILA, the NRA lobbying subsidiary, ran a shop that did not submit to NRA leadership guidance. To the author, it was apparent that he wanted LaPierre's job.
6. NRA bureaucracy with 600 employees at its headquarters in Fairfax was fairly representative of bureaucracies all over Washington, D.C. Stodgy, lethargic, resistant to change and progress, earning good money and benefits.
7. The author maintains that LaPierre is racially blind, that insofar as racial equity and progress is concerned, LaPierre is among the most progressive. The employee rolls at NRA reflect this.
8. Susan LaPierre was treated like a princess and a principal, and along with her husband Wayne maintained conflicts of interest that affected the NRA in significant ways.
9. Wayne LaPierre was loyal to no one but as Donald Trump was known to do, demanded loyalty from all. The author came to believe that LaPierre was completely engaged only for his own benefit, financially and politically.
10. The NRA has 5 million members. There are 100 million gun owners. The outsized influence of the NRA in Republican and national discussion to resolve gun violence rests not on its monetary contributions to political candidates, but on its ability to drive its membership and the gun-owning base to vote for candidates the NRA endorses.
11. Marion Hammer, the NRA lobbyist in Florida, who constructed and caused the passage of Stand Your Ground, Concealed Carry, No Permit Carry, and other legislation that I believe are laws eroding civility and ultimately American Democracy, is the meanest, most influential lobbyist in the nation.
12. Bill Brewer, a New York attorney who represents the NRA in multiple lawsuits and proposed litigation against it, is a committed Democrat with tentacles into the Democratic Party and who was, at one point anyway, billing $100,000. PER DAY to the NRA for his work, or about 10% of the entire NRA budget. Of course, Angus McQueen, the NRA's advertising and public relations agent, billed more.
13. Wayne La Pierre proved himself to this author to be the worst sort of manager unwilling to be accountable or to make tough decisions. He was out of the office 4 days a week most weeks.
14. If the author's arguments in support of universal gun ownership are any indication, nothing will ever be done to snuff out the extreme gun proliferation in America. For example, the author argues against regulation (i.e. banning) of AR-15 and assault weapon ownership by arguing that there are more lethal activities or instruments around, the type of argument used as a deflection by those who understand there is nothing, absolutely nothing that can be said to delegitimize the argument that assault weapon ownership is destructive, unnecessary, and reflective of an attitude about the 2nd Amendment that is simply wrong, namely that the Amendment prohibits all restrictions on gun possession, ownership, and use. He even argues that background checks are not useful or not legally permitted although he does say, the NRA should support them simply to move forward toward a solution to the gun violence problem that the NRA perpetuates.
There's more. The frat boy thinking of the NRA, including the author. The extravagant spending and the opaque information available to members. The complete disarray of NRA finances. The current bankruptcy filing, in which preliminary motions about the NRA's eligibility for reorganization/liquidation, will in many ways slow the NRA down and its proposed headquarters move to Florida out of New York, perhaps even scuttling that plan.
But, in the end, the book is a depressing compendium of why America is in the muddle we're in over guns. As long as the NRA is at the forefront of this debate, I fear progress, i.e. restricting ownership and use of guns, will be undetectable.
What this author refuses to admit is that he is part of the problem which begins and ends with unrestricted, universal gun ownership in America, and a forlorn, irredeemable misunderstanding of what the Second Amendment actually says and allows, the mistake this author makes in trying to sort through the multiple organizational problems the NRA has and the dystopia and dysfunction in its bureaucracy and the leadership of Wayne LaPierre and its former lobbyist Chris Cox.
Early in the book, the author puts his finger on the throat of the problem when he says, in essence, that when LaPierre or NRA spokespeople react to mass shootings, their messages intentionally are designed to agitate the most extreme edges of American society--the gun-owning, loud mouth thumping losers who believe that God bestowed on them the right to own as many guns as they want, to use them in any way they want, and to avoid the very things that might, just might, reduce gun violence and gun death, like universal background checks, the banning of assault weapons and destructive ammo, and impose certain restrictions and fees that might somehow reduce the gun violence that is now destroying American institutions from the military to the schools to the businesses. All of this is because the NRA peddles its gospel to the nihilists on the right-wing of the Republican Party and the leadership of the Republican Party is now dependent on that "base" to compete in elections. How many people who stormed the Capitol, do you think, held NRA membership? I don't know but I'll bet it was more than one.
All that being said, this insider account reveals some interesting information about the lobbying nonprofit organization that competes with the pharmaceutical lobby for political influence:
1. All the NRA says and does is, outside allegations of spending improprieties, is designed to stir up the base. This has resulted in NRA members being mostly Republican and right-wing, sometimes to the extreme.
2. NRA messaging, guided and masterminded by Angus McQueen, now deceased, and condoned by LaPierre has made the NRA impervious to any solution to gun violence in America.
3. AckermannMcQueen, the ad agency, essentially dictated to LaPierre and billed the NRA to the moon for its work.
4. AckermannMcQueen created NRATV, billed for its creation, operation, and selection of talent, using it as another billing source to drain NRA resources. A disaster from the beginning, Ollie North and Dana Roesch were unable to bring viewership to more than 50,000 unique views, but Angus McQueen kept it alive until it on-air people became public embarrassments to the NRA, something quite hard to do.
5. Chris Cox, the former chief lobbyist for the ILA, the NRA lobbying subsidiary, ran a shop that did not submit to NRA leadership guidance. To the author, it was apparent that he wanted LaPierre's job.
6. NRA bureaucracy with 600 employees at its headquarters in Fairfax was fairly representative of bureaucracies all over Washington, D.C. Stodgy, lethargic, resistant to change and progress, earning good money and benefits.
7. The author maintains that LaPierre is racially blind, that insofar as racial equity and progress is concerned, LaPierre is among the most progressive. The employee rolls at NRA reflect this.
8. Susan LaPierre was treated like a princess and a principal, and along with her husband Wayne maintained conflicts of interest that affected the NRA in significant ways.
9. Wayne LaPierre was loyal to no one but as Donald Trump was known to do, demanded loyalty from all. The author came to believe that LaPierre was completely engaged only for his own benefit, financially and politically.
10. The NRA has 5 million members. There are 100 million gun owners. The outsized influence of the NRA in Republican and national discussion to resolve gun violence rests not on its monetary contributions to political candidates, but on its ability to drive its membership and the gun-owning base to vote for candidates the NRA endorses.
11. Marion Hammer, the NRA lobbyist in Florida, who constructed and caused the passage of Stand Your Ground, Concealed Carry, No Permit Carry, and other legislation that I believe are laws eroding civility and ultimately American Democracy, is the meanest, most influential lobbyist in the nation.
12. Bill Brewer, a New York attorney who represents the NRA in multiple lawsuits and proposed litigation against it, is a committed Democrat with tentacles into the Democratic Party and who was, at one point anyway, billing $100,000. PER DAY to the NRA for his work, or about 10% of the entire NRA budget. Of course, Angus McQueen, the NRA's advertising and public relations agent, billed more.
13. Wayne La Pierre proved himself to this author to be the worst sort of manager unwilling to be accountable or to make tough decisions. He was out of the office 4 days a week most weeks.
14. If the author's arguments in support of universal gun ownership are any indication, nothing will ever be done to snuff out the extreme gun proliferation in America. For example, the author argues against regulation (i.e. banning) of AR-15 and assault weapon ownership by arguing that there are more lethal activities or instruments around, the type of argument used as a deflection by those who understand there is nothing, absolutely nothing that can be said to delegitimize the argument that assault weapon ownership is destructive, unnecessary, and reflective of an attitude about the 2nd Amendment that is simply wrong, namely that the Amendment prohibits all restrictions on gun possession, ownership, and use. He even argues that background checks are not useful or not legally permitted although he does say, the NRA should support them simply to move forward toward a solution to the gun violence problem that the NRA perpetuates.
There's more. The frat boy thinking of the NRA, including the author. The extravagant spending and the opaque information available to members. The complete disarray of NRA finances. The current bankruptcy filing, in which preliminary motions about the NRA's eligibility for reorganization/liquidation, will in many ways slow the NRA down and its proposed headquarters move to Florida out of New York, perhaps even scuttling that plan.
But, in the end, the book is a depressing compendium of why America is in the muddle we're in over guns. As long as the NRA is at the forefront of this debate, I fear progress, i.e. restricting ownership and use of guns, will be undetectable.
December 28, 2020
This book was indeed a tell-all but it was clear that Powell had an ax to grind. He does nothing to acknowledge his part in the corruption of the NRA and it made me sick how he referred to mass shootings in such a way that they were simply a major inconvenience for him, lacking humanity for the lives that were taken at the hands of gun violence. He wrote this tell-all but he is no hero.
October 19, 2020
I very much enjoyed this book, especially being in the Association industry. Although the author downplays his own faults at times, it’s a fascinating look inside one of the most influential organizations in the US.
January 26, 2021
Yeah, so this guy is obviously a huge piece of shit and this book is only worthwhile for purposes of schadenfreude, but it definitely delivers on that by making it clear that, comfortingly, the NRA will, sooner than later, destroy itself with its own weaponized self-interest and self-enrichment. And by the way, this piece of shit deserves zero credit for trying to cash in with a book deal after the ship has already started sinking. If he wasn’t an abject coward he might’ve bothered to do something, maybe, I don’t know, wrote a tell-all book about it BEFORE a crippling investigation and self-inflicted financial death blows all but assured the organization’s destruction. But I guess it’s easy to talk about the importance of gun safety when you’ve done next to nothing to actually foster it.
I also appreciate that he makes it abundantly clear that all the brain-poisoned wombats in the US who salivate over guns are little more than toddlers who throw tantrums and spew nonsensical, bad faith gibberish about freedom and tyranny when someone dares to suggest that anything less than virtually-unfettered access to literal killing machines is acceptable. And I agree, Josh, it makes SO much more sense to turn schools into fortified fortresses than to just accept the reality that virtually every other nation in the world has: that you don’t need hundreds of millions of guns to fool yourself into thinking you’re safe, you need to treat your fellow citizens like human beings. Oh, ONLY 25-30% of school shootings are carried out using AR-15s? Well, no point in doing anything about that then. Really, it’s too bad that America will never be able to do anything about guns so you might as well just learn to live with them and DEFINITELY putting more people in jail for longer is going to solve all of these problems. Smart ideas.
Also, the book was very repetitive and the last third had a ton of word use errors, almost like the editors realized it was a pointless effort and just gave up. I would’ve too, probably.
TL:DR: A coward in a duck blind with a firearm is still a coward.
I also appreciate that he makes it abundantly clear that all the brain-poisoned wombats in the US who salivate over guns are little more than toddlers who throw tantrums and spew nonsensical, bad faith gibberish about freedom and tyranny when someone dares to suggest that anything less than virtually-unfettered access to literal killing machines is acceptable. And I agree, Josh, it makes SO much more sense to turn schools into fortified fortresses than to just accept the reality that virtually every other nation in the world has: that you don’t need hundreds of millions of guns to fool yourself into thinking you’re safe, you need to treat your fellow citizens like human beings. Oh, ONLY 25-30% of school shootings are carried out using AR-15s? Well, no point in doing anything about that then. Really, it’s too bad that America will never be able to do anything about guns so you might as well just learn to live with them and DEFINITELY putting more people in jail for longer is going to solve all of these problems. Smart ideas.
Also, the book was very repetitive and the last third had a ton of word use errors, almost like the editors realized it was a pointless effort and just gave up. I would’ve too, probably.
TL:DR: A coward in a duck blind with a firearm is still a coward.
February 15, 2025
Debated if I wanted to write a review on this but I thought I might as well give it an objective try, for my own personal reflection if not anything else. **note the incoming half baked thoughts**
This wasn’t exactly a book I sought out, more over one that caught my attention at the library and sparked intrigue with my own lack of knowledge in terms of gun regulation, policy, and the NRA itself.
By any means, this isn’t a perfect book, however, I found it informative and interesting to if you’re willing to consider a different perspective than your own (regardless of what side of the aisle you’re on). What the author does well is keep the conversational tone with reader while also laying out a detailed exposeè of the misguidances and failures of the NRA, I was never bored reading this.
I’ve seen other criticisms of this book of either being too autobiographical and also criticizing the author for not being sympathetic enough towards the continued tragedies referenced throughout, which I found both untrue and ironic.
This feels like an honest attempt, from the (loosely titled) former COO of the NRA, to open up a bipartisan conversation of what gun policy could look like moving forward- factual, effective, and based in hard evidence. While he surely could be more well versed in the policing as it relates to race (as there is some naivety there when considering certain policies), ultimately that’s not the specific focus of the book. Overall, it is apparent there is a long way to go in how we interpret the 2nd amendment as a country.
This wasn’t exactly a book I sought out, more over one that caught my attention at the library and sparked intrigue with my own lack of knowledge in terms of gun regulation, policy, and the NRA itself.
By any means, this isn’t a perfect book, however, I found it informative and interesting to if you’re willing to consider a different perspective than your own (regardless of what side of the aisle you’re on). What the author does well is keep the conversational tone with reader while also laying out a detailed exposeè of the misguidances and failures of the NRA, I was never bored reading this.
I’ve seen other criticisms of this book of either being too autobiographical and also criticizing the author for not being sympathetic enough towards the continued tragedies referenced throughout, which I found both untrue and ironic.
This feels like an honest attempt, from the (loosely titled) former COO of the NRA, to open up a bipartisan conversation of what gun policy could look like moving forward- factual, effective, and based in hard evidence. While he surely could be more well versed in the policing as it relates to race (as there is some naivety there when considering certain policies), ultimately that’s not the specific focus of the book. Overall, it is apparent there is a long way to go in how we interpret the 2nd amendment as a country.
February 5, 2021
Where do I start? First of all, I’m not sure my 5 star rating is a valid, because I’m not certain of the true motivations of the author. The former chief-of-staff to Wayne LaPierre at the NRA, Josh Powell has a lot to say. About the culture of the org and how that influenced its downfall, about the spending, graft, and coverups, and about how the NRA should agree to some common-sense gun reforms that most gun owners actually support, like background checks. But is it convenient now to write a tell-all CYA account of your time at an org that is now under immense litigation threat?
The wow-factor and engaging-ness of the story made it a 5 for me. It is truly unbelievable that this organization operated this way and his stories hit that home pretty convincingly.
This would be a fantastic book club read. I would love to have a great discussion with anyone else who’s read this book!
The wow-factor and engaging-ness of the story made it a 5 for me. It is truly unbelievable that this organization operated this way and his stories hit that home pretty convincingly.
This would be a fantastic book club read. I would love to have a great discussion with anyone else who’s read this book!
Read
March 11, 2022I’m only halfway through it. It’s interesting because I purchased this on impulse from a clearance rack, mor realizing its perspective. I do appreciate the honest take on how corrupt the organization is. I don’t support the NRA but grew up in a pro-gun environment. I do find the book to contain a LOT of pettiness that doesn’t really concern me as a reader, so wading through all that excess to get to the meat of the story has been annoying so far. The author could have trimmed a lot of the fat from the story.
It is an interesting look into the organization and explains why nothing ever gets accomplished in this country for gun safety.
Still not sure whether I’d recommend it.
It is an interesting look into the organization and explains why nothing ever gets accomplished in this country for gun safety.
Still not sure whether I’d recommend it.
July 30, 2022
A radical republican wants us to feel bad for his moment of clarity that he belonged to a corrupt organization.
Powell constantly fought against those who wanted more gun control, not his org that did everything in its power to be held accountable.
He brags in the entire book and isn’t in any place to do so. He thinks we care about his early life or how he battled grieving-stricken mothers who wanted common sense gun reform.
I thought this book would be an honest look at his errors in an evil organization. Instead, he asks for forgiveness without actually saying sorry.
Powell constantly fought against those who wanted more gun control, not his org that did everything in its power to be held accountable.
He brags in the entire book and isn’t in any place to do so. He thinks we care about his early life or how he battled grieving-stricken mothers who wanted common sense gun reform.
I thought this book would be an honest look at his errors in an evil organization. Instead, he asks for forgiveness without actually saying sorry.
July 5, 2022
Pro-Gun Point of View
This would be a good book for people who are Republicans and like Bannon and Trump but still want to know about the NRA. I learned some things too but I’m not pro-gun and believe the 2nd amendment was about individual ownership of guns. The book seems ghost written.
This would be a good book for people who are Republicans and like Bannon and Trump but still want to know about the NRA. I learned some things too but I’m not pro-gun and believe the 2nd amendment was about individual ownership of guns. The book seems ghost written.
April 22, 2024
An interesting counterpoint to Ryan Busse's Gunfight. Some of it is self serving and since it's publication the author has plead guilty to some charges in the NY State complaint against the NRA and it's leadership, paying a $100k fine. Best part is his recommendations for how to protect students from mass shootings and his support for universal background checks and red flag laws
July 20, 2021
I was disappointed with this book. I felt like Powell kept making excuses for why Wayne LaPierre isn't literally the worst businessman alive. "Tell-All" account seems exaggerated considering how much of the book is Powell just defending his former boss.
November 2, 2021
Not particularly interested in the NRA, but they are influential. Seems like the organization is a mess. The author seems like a jerk. Everyone is a moron there except me, good thing I got out to tell you how bad it is.
December 28, 2020
Interesting
December 31, 2020
Not a fun read but convincing enough to demonstrate where there is smoke, there is fire. Have been thinking for many years that the current organization is not the NRA I grew up with as a boy.
January 26, 2021
Well, from this the NRA looks pretty unredeemable. Hopefully some of these greed heads get locked up.
February 6, 2021
Interesting to learn that 40% of NRA members were democrats at one point...
February 21, 2021
Inside view of NRA. It took courage to tell. . So much dysfunction
March 1, 2021
2.5/5 stars
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