Key Takeaways:
- On Saturday, the National Rifle Association’s members overwhelmingly backed senior leader Wayne LaPierre in a vote of confidence.
- A few individuals spoke out against the proposal, drawing applause and boos for bringing up LaPierre’s assertions.
Members of the National Rifle Association overwhelmingly supported veteran leader Wayne LaPierre with a vote of confidence on Saturday, despite charges that the lobby misappropriated millions of dollars.
The group’s annual gathering is held in Houston, approximately 280 miles (450 kilometers) east of the Texas elementary school. On Tuesday, an 18-year-old man wielding an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle massacred 19 students and two teachers.
Even before the massacre, the NRA’s success in preserving and expanding gun rights had been shattered by allegations that senior executives of the nonprofit organization syphoned millions of dollars for personal gain and to buy the silence and loyalty of former employees.
The vote of confidence comes ahead of the NRA board’s decision on whether or not to re-appoint LaPierre as executive vice president on Monday. He also serves as the group’s CEO.
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As predicted, if LaPierre survives Monday’s vote, he might still be removed from office by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has filed a lawsuit against the NRA. In New York, the NRA is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
James filed the case in 2020, stating that NRA leaders paid for family trips to the Bahamas, private jets, and lavish dinners and clothing, all of which contributed to the NRA’s balance sheet shrinking by $64 million in three years, turning a surplus into a deficit.
The NRA claims to have made a “course correction” by tightening oversight, fostering whistleblowers, and requiring LaPierre to refund the organization for personal expenses.
A resolution supporting LaPierre’s past, current, and future leadership was passed unanimously by a few hundred of the group’s 5 million members gathered in Houston on Saturday.
Almost everyone in the room backed LaPierre in a show of hands. Only a few people opposed the resolution.
During the discussion, Niger Innis, a life member of the NRA from Las Vegas, remarked, “I wish to God that you (LaPierre) stay in this role as long as humanly possible.”
A few speakers spoke out against the proposal, receiving applause and boos for bringing up the claims against LaPierre.
“You (LaPierre) have brought questioning and dishonour down on the NRA in the last few years,” remarked Robert Bryan of Arkansas.
Source: Global News
