Can you briefly discuss how you envision the NRA supporting the shooting sports, please?
I'm going to start out by saying I'm not a competitor and have never shot in competition so I'll leave that out of the discussion.
I envision the revamped NRA supporting the shooting sports in a three-pronged approach.
- Training and education
- Advocacy including lobbying
- Litigation
Since 2020, we have had millions of new gun owners purchase their first firearm. Many of these new gun owners are women and/or minorities. They need basic instruction in firearms safety, firearms handling, and shooting. Some of this could be done online but the majority needs to be in-person. The NRA traditionally has done a good job with this but it seems the training department has become a forgotten part of the NRA. This needs a serious reinvigoration. Groups like USCCA have done a better job of preparing people to carry concealed. The more people that can be trained, the more that will respect the Second Amendment and the shooting sports.
Along with basic instruction, the NRA needs to work with state wildlife agencies and hunting groups on a) hunter safety and b) new hunter apprentice type programs.
With regard to advocacy, the NRA and its lobbying arm, NRA-ILA, needs to work cooperatively with other hunting and 2A groups like SCI, DSC, Second Amendment Foundation, and especially the non-NRA affiliated gun rights groups who are in the state legislative trenches. An email I received earlier today from Bloomberg's Everytown said they are making state legislatures a priority.
In terms of firearms or wildlife related legislation, the NRA needs to work hand-in-hand with these other groups to promote the good bills such as national reciprocity and the Hearing Protection Act and to kill bad legislation. Further, the NRA needs to make clear that the Dept of the Interior and the USFWS has to stop settling lawsuits with groups like the US Humane Society and the Center for Biological Diversity. Under the Biden Admin, all these groups had to do was file a lawsuit and a settlement would be in the works. It also needs to force Trump to undo much of the closure of public lands to hunting that happened under Biden's Sec of Interior Deb Haaland.
Finally, litigation. This is not cheap but is essential. I am pleased to see that the NRA-ILA is now starting to file more amicus briefs and to cooperate on litigation with groups like SAF, NSSF, and Firearms Policy Coalition. I think a good part of this is due to a recognition that the NRA can't do it all, that the other groups are good at it, and that the new Dir of Litigation Joe Greenlee came from one of the other groups and knows all the 2A players. I would expand this to include groups like SCI when they are fighting anti-hunting legislation.
I certainly don't have all the answers. One of the major reasons I decided to run for the board is I saw the NRA help kill a permitless concealed carry bills in North Carolina because it was not their bill. Those days have got to be over.
