Wayne LaPierre, CEO and Vice Chairman of the National Rifle Association (NRA), the ‘face of gun advocacy’ who is credited with making the National Rifle Association (NRA) the largest conservative lobbying group in the United States, resigned after 33 years due to a donation embezzlement scandal.
The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 6th (local time), “Lapierre issued a statement expressing his intention to resign two days before the start of a civil trial related to embezzlement of donations against him.” This is a civil trial filed by New York State Attorney General Letitia James in 2020, saying, “Lapierre violated the nonprofit corporation law by using tens of billions of dollars in NRA funds for personal purposes.” This trial is attracting attention not only because of the amount of compensation LaPierre will pay, but also because it is related to whether the NRA, which raises hundreds of millions of dollars in annual fundraising, will introduce independent accounting audits.
Prosecutors said Lapierre spent $500,000 (approximately 660 million won) on a family trip, and also paid a total of $1 million (approximately 1.32 billion won) over five years for a third party’s private jet that was not related to work. It is believed that millions of dollars in NRA funds were embezzled without permission.
LaPierre is considered a representative face of the U.S. gun advocacy camp. Although he does not have a deep connection with firearms, as he purchased his first firearm after graduating from college, he demonstrated excellent political acumen and rose to the position of CEO. Even during the series of mass shooting tragedies in the 2010s, he tenaciously blocked gun regulations by asserting the logic that “guns must be stopped with guns.”
LaPierre, who originally intended to enter the political world but joined the NRA, is considered the first NRA leader to have grown up outside the ‘shooting culture’. He is from Roanoke, the largest city in western Virginia, and grew up in a family that did not own guns.
However, after joining the NRA lobbying team in 1978 at the age of 29, he was quickly promoted to the position of CEO within 13 years. He is credited with demonstrating his skills and leading the revival of the NRA in the 1990s, when the organization suffered internal strife and regulations mandating background checks for gun purchasers were introduced.
The Hill, a media outlet specializing in Congress, said, “LaPierre solves the gun issue from a political perspective. “(His identity is) a political addict, not a gun lover.” Axios, a U.S. political media outlet, said, “With LaPierre’s resignation, an era has come to an end for the NRA, but the reality is that the Republican presidential candidates have taken over the NRA’s torch. “He defends the Second Amendment, which guarantees the freedom to bear arms, and opposes gun control.”
When President Donald Trump was elected in 2016, the NRA contributed $31 million (approximately 40.8 billion won) in campaign funds to the Trump campaign, making it a major player in the conservative camp. During this period, the number of members reached 6 million and the annual fundraising amount exceeded 400 million dollars (about 530 billion won), showing off its prestige. However, the NRA’s annual financial situation has recently become difficult due to dozens of prolonged anti-regulatory lawsuits across the United States. Due to the Lapierre scandal, the number of members decreased to 4.2 million last year.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.