Special to L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise

I‘m a bit shocked to see some people I consider friends publicly announcing their support for the Vichy NRA now. Their money, their choice. But for my money…

The NRA proposed the bump-fire stock ban now being used in court to call for a ban on all semiautomatic firearms.

The NRA backs ex parte (that is, no-due process) red flag confiscations.

The NRA brought us NICS now being used to rationalize universal preemptively-prove-your-innocence prior restraint of human/civil rights. I could also mention NFA, GCA, FOPA, constitutional carry…

In return, the NRA has kept LaPierre lavishly stocked with high dollar homes, transportation, vacations, under-dressed/over-paid interns, and just plain buckets of money. (For an interesting comparison, look at LaPierre‘s compensation, then check the 990 for the Firearms Policy Coalition to see how many of their employees get over a $100,000 per year. Then look at which group does more pro-rights litigation these days.)

If the NRA can be salvaged, wonderful. Personally, I doubt that it is possible without firing not only LaPierre, but everyone above the level of clerk & jerk, to sweep out the the organizational avaricious "deep state." Scrap the NRA-ILA completely. Leave lobbying to GOA, litigation to SAF and FPC, and return the NRA to its original training mission. Probably NRA instructors should simply drop out and form their own new and untainted organization; the American Training Association, if the name isn‘t taken.

But to effectively declare, "The bad people are out to get LaPierre and the NRA! I must give them money to show my support!" is to endorse everything wrong that LaPierre and the NRA have done, especially recently. The NRA is a powerful symbol; of corruption, unnecessary compromise, and backstabbing. It remains that symbol because gun owners, especially NRA members, have not policed our own sufficiently. To my mind, publicly supporting the NRA now is publicly supporting corruption, unnecessary compromise, and backstabbing.

Your mileage—and clearly that of some friends—may vary, but please think hard on it.

NRA —at least in its current incarnation—delenda est

Carl Bussjaeger is a Columnist at The Truth About Guns and The Zelman Partisans. He is the author of Net Assets, Bargaining Position, The Anarchy Belt, and more.SI NULLUS UMOR FORNICARI EIS, NRA delenda est.