The NRA's Latest Scandal Needs Its Own Documentary Series
The National Rifle Association has officially shot themselves in the foot, or perhaps an even more fatal organ, as New York Attorney General, Letitia James, is looking to dissolve the NRA following an 18-month investigation of alleged fraud and abuse. It's the type of scandal that will undoubtedly have a docu-series on Netflix someday because if you thought the McMillions dudes were corrupt, wait until you get a load of this whopp-- ergh ... Big Mac(?) of a story.
The NRA files as a non-profit organization making the dozens of allegations of financial misconduct against it all the more egregious. One such example is how Wayne LaPierre, the long time CEO of the NRA, used charitable funds to secure a post-employment contract worth over $17 million. There are also allegations that he, alongside other top-ranking members of the NRA, used "millions upon millions from NRA reserves for personal use, including trips for them and their families to the Bahamas, private jets, expensive meals, and other private travel." Said James, in her statement:
"The NRA's influence has been so powerful that the organization went unchecked for decades while top executives funneled millions into their own pockets. The NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse, which is why, today, we seek to dissolve the NRA, because no organization is above the law."
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The lawsuit also explicitly "seeks restitution for NRA members who were allegedly defrauded and additional penalties worth millions of dollars," according to ABC News.
It's worth noting that, even if financial wrongdoing is confirmed, it doesn't necessarily mean the end of the NRA, and it certainly doesn't mean the end of the pro-gun lobby. Even if the NRA were to dissolve, there would surely be another organization to rise and take their place, like a phoenix made of bullets, camo, and bumper stickers. Hopefully, that organization would be less corrupt. (Probably not.)
While some may find these to be some shocking revelations (and I'd wager we've only seen the beginning), are they really? I mean, this is an organization that was so fervently pro-gun that they lobbed insults at survivors of a school shooting. Could it be that the NRA's true motivations were not necessarily protecting gun-rights, so much as they were to stoke the flames of the gun-rights debate to drive donations to line their pockets and take trips to the Bahamas? It's just a theory, but I don't think it's a bad one. After all, there was a time where the NRA supported sensible gun legislation and even drafted the legislation requiring permits for concealed weapons. Perhaps people on both sides of the aisle would be a lot closer together on gun control if guys like Wayne LaPierre didn't have a direct financial incentive to drive them apart.
But who knows? Maybe Wayne LaPierre and his buddies were just really bad at bookkeeping. We'll have to wait for the documentary to find out.
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Top Image: Gage Skidmore/Wiki Commons, Clint Patterson/Unsplash
