It seems like only moments ago we reported that NRA board member Richard Childress had tendered his resignation. Childress counted as the fifth NRA board member to leave his post early as corruption allegations, suspicions of coups, and downsizing threats continue to rattle the Second Amendment-obsessed organization. Now, the Washington Post is reporting that popular country musician Craig Morgan has also given his early notice. This makes him the sixth board member to resign.
Another way to look at this is if you count the late June resignation of Chris Cox, the former No. 2 in command and top lobbyist for the organization, that makes seven NRA directors gone in recent months. Cox’s departure came after he was suspended in what is believed to be a power struggle between NRA chief Wayne LaPierre and executives from their PR firm, Ackerman McQueen. The two companies are suing one another in court, alleging financial improprieties, while New York investigators look into the gun organization’s tax-exempt status.
Whether these moves are a part of LaPierre’s consolidation of power or directly related to reports of LaPierre and the NRA’s influence over conservative overtures toward gun safety legislation, as some have speculated, one thing is clear. The NRA is going through something. But no matter what is happening, all of this still seems influential enough to secure Republican Party officials’ impotence on yet another set of attempts at gun safety legislation. It all proves that no matter how incoherent or corrupt an institution may be, no matter how much blood they might have on their hands, the Republican Party only listens to the color green.
The “best ways” have not worked.