NRA President speaks.

https://www.ammoland.com/2024/10/open-letter-to-nras-community-of-competitive-shooters/

Prove it.

John Sigler was one of the very few competitors on the board, but how many times did he vote against WLP?

Doug Hamlin, longtime director of publishing and now executive vice president, has at best a tepid record of promoting classical nra shooting sports.

They're going to have a difficult time getting competitors back, me included.

Competitive shooters were always a very small number of NRA members. The national matches at Camp Perry were always a money losing proposition for the NRA. Having said that, I think that competitive shooters have always been the NRA's best promoters and volunteers. It is very sad what the NRA has done to itself. As a very long time member, I suppose that I am just as guilty of letting things get out of hand as anyone else. It's going to be a long, long road back to health for the NRA unless it doesn't respond to treatment and passes away. Many, many anti-gun organizations and individuals would be elated that the organization suffer the latter and that they had a big part in its demise.

BE Mike wrote:Competitive shooters were always a very small number of NRA members. The national matches at Camp Perry were always a money losing proposition for the NRA. Having said that, I think that competitive shooters have always been the NRA's best promoters and volunteers. It is very sad what the NRA has done to itself. As a very long time member, I suppose that I am just as guilty of letting things get out of hand as anyone else. It's going to be a long, long road back to health for the NRA unless it doesn't respond to treatment and passes away. Many, many anti-gun organizations and individuals would be elated that the organization suffer the latter and that they had a big part in its demise.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolt_at_Cincinnati

If you want to change the NRA focus on protecting the Second Amendment (see above) then organize, go to the next NRA yearly meeting and change it. When it comes time for your state rep to be elected vote for someone who is a competitive shooter and supports Precision Pistol. The NRA is a membership organization, a small group changed the NRA in 1977. It can be done again.

Just my two cents...

Marvin

Years ago my shooting coach was a NRA board member, State Assoc president, retired LTC USA.  
Times have changed

BE Mike wrote:Competitive shooters were always a very small number of NRA members. The national matches at Camp Perry were always a money losing proposition for the NRA. 

I would argue that the number of NRA members that are "competitive" shooters was at one point actually quite high. Think of all the people who would shoot local club leagues and matches, I know from my club a fair number of shooters only desire (or means) to compete at a local club level. In the past 4 years at best maybe 10% of the club members at my club shot events outside of the club. 

I would also disagree that the National Matches at Camp Perry for the NRA were always "a money losing proposition". I would argue the NRAs issues of running Matches at Camp Perry were a struggle as a result of poor leadership and management decisions, as well as some large egos that led to many problems that were cited in them leaving for Atterbury (which they are now rumored to be leaving there after a facility was built there for their shooting events). 

Having said that, I think that competitive shooters have always been the NRA's best promoters and volunteers. 

I would agree, but the NRA has burned so many good people that they will have a long uphill battle regaining the sort of support and volunteers they have had in the past. One thing mentioned in that open letter is that the desire is there to rebuild the competitions department, which is excellent news, however its hard to rebuild it if you can't maintain a team of staff to do the job.

It is very sad what the NRA has done to itself. As a very long time member, I suppose that I am just as guilty of letting things get out of hand as anyone else. It's going to be a long, long road back to health for the NRA unless it doesn't respond to treatment and passes away. Many, many anti-gun organizations and individuals would be elated that the organization suffer the latter and that they had a big part in its demise.

It is not fair to put blame on individual members for a failure leadership. The problem that the NRA is in now is not because of members, it can be directly assigned to leadership related issues.


All that said, the letter does leave me with more questions than answers.

Almost all disciplines of "competitive" shooting matches the competitors have aged out.
NRA was slow to get aligned with the run and gun stuff so they formed their own events.

chiz1180 wrote:

BE Mike wrote:Competitive shooters were always a very small number of NRA members. The national matches at Camp Perry were always a money losing proposition for the NRA. 

I would argue that the number of NRA members that are "competitive" shooters was at one point actually quite high. Think of all the people who would shoot local club leagues and matches, I know from my club a fair number of shooters only desire (or means) to compete at a local club level. In the past 4 years at best maybe 10% of the club members at my club shot events outside of the club. 

I would also disagree that the National Matches at Camp Perry for the NRA were always "a money losing proposition". I would argue the NRAs issues of running Matches at Camp Perry were a struggle as a result of poor leadership and management decisions, as well as some large egos that led to many problems that were cited in them leaving for Atterbury (which they are now rumored to be leaving there after a facility was built there for their shooting events). 

Having said that, I think that competitive shooters have always been the NRA's best promoters and volunteers. 

I would agree, but the NRA has burned so many good people that they will have a long uphill battle regaining the sort of support and volunteers they have had in the past. One thing mentioned in that open letter is that the desire is there to rebuild the competitions department, which is excellent news, however its hard to rebuild it if you can't maintain a team of staff to do the job.

It is very sad what the NRA has done to itself. As a very long time member, I suppose that I am just as guilty of letting things get out of hand as anyone else. It's going to be a long, long road back to health for the NRA unless it doesn't respond to treatment and passes away. Many, many anti-gun organizations and individuals would be elated that the organization suffer the latter and that they had a big part in its demise.

It is not fair to put blame on individual members for a failure leadership. The problem that the NRA is in now is not because of members, it can be directly assigned to leadership related issues.


All that said, the letter does leave me with more questions than answers.

We'll have to agree to disagree. My information is based on the NRA's former (at the time current)  competitive shooting head, Dennis Willing, who himself was/ is a Master or High Master bullseye pistol shooter. When individuals of an organization get together they can change things. Such were the Cincinnati reforms, but someone has to step up to lead.

They focus on selling the latest plastic guns instead of on people.

When was the last time you saw a person on the cover of the rifleman?

bruce martindale wrote:They focus on selling the latest plastic guns instead of on people.

When was the last time you saw a person on the cover of the rifleman?

And when was the last time they did a negative gun review?  All reviews are positive, and any negatives are amply diluted and rationalized.  Money talks!*

*But don't expect Newsom to tax this deadliest of weapons

When did the magazine run a decent article on reloading like when Ed Harrison, MD Waite or even CE Harris?

I was hoping that the bylaws and leadership structure would be overhauled. Doesn't look like that's going to happen. Ultimately, business as usual with a bloated and ineffective BoD.

I'm not holding my breath, but I am also not completely dismissing the message either.  Giving the new leadership a chance doesn't mean having to go all in with investment of time and money.  But to hear them out, see if the rebuild process starts to materialize.

The participants have aged out in almost every competitive shooting match discipline.

First, the thread title should be Past President, not President.

As to the content of his letter: so what?

He gave us a history lesson that probably most of us already knew. He offers no solutions to the current problem. Even if he did, he is in no position to implement anything.

I joined the NRA as a teenager, close to 50 years ago. I became a life member over a third of a century ago. With all the corruption that has come out over the past few years, I don't care about the NRA anymore.

I am glad the CMP is  taking over precision pistol and highpower rifle. Things are much better already.