by Dick Fairburn
(GSL) – You might have heard that on January 5th the National Rifle Association of America filed a lawsuit against the NRA Foundation, Inc. I have seen some accounts in gun-related postings to the effect – “The NRA is suing Itself?”
A bit of history … The NRA Foundation was organized in 1990 in the District of Columbia. It is a 501c3 non-profit organization under the Internal Revenue Code, so can receive donations which qualify for tax deductions.
From the official NRA release concerning the lawsuit: “Contributions to the foundation are tax deductible and support NRA programs for a variety of American constituencies, including youth, women, hunters, competitive shooters, gun collectors, law enforcement officers, and persons with physical disabilities.”
Here are two key allegations made in the NRA filing:
• Although the Foundation had previously had no employees of its own, it’s Old
Guard-dominated Board hired a disgruntled former NRA employee as the Foundation’s executive director, and he began in late 2025 making onerous demands upon, harassing, and seeking to control NRA employees engaged in activities supported by the Foundation.
• The Foundation’s executive director has stated that the Foundation intends to cut off or substantially reduce its financial support of the NRA, to sue the NRA, to take control of certain NRA programs, and to undermine the NRA’s finances and financial stability.
At the recent NRA Board of Directors meeting a new 501c3 organization was founded, the NRA Patriot Fund. Funds raised at future Friends of the NRA banquets will be directed to the NRA Patriot Fund, severing the flow of such funds to the NRA Foundation.
THIS IS MY PERSONAL OPINION – NOT THE OFFICIAL OPINION OF THE NRA OFFICERS OR BOARD OF DIRECTORS: This legal action was undertaken reluctantly to prevent what amounted to a “hostile takeover” of the NRA by former “Old Guard” board members who had lost their majority influence. Many of the “Old Guard” board members recently resigned from the NRA Board of Directors to become members of the NRA Foundation board of trustees and will likely be replaced by even more reformers in the upcoming election – giving the reformers a super majority there as well.
A rumor has been circulated that the NRA is on the verge of bankruptcy and will “go under” very soon. This is a lie, spread as a part of the effort to undermine the NRA. We finished the 2025 budget in the black, the first time no red ink appeared in several years. The 2026 budget is also balanced, despite funding being cut by the NRA Foundation. Our financial situation is far from ideal, but the NRA is no danger of bankruptcy.
I encourage you to attend future Friends of the NRA banquets and help to raise the funds we use for important charitable activities.
The creation of the NRA Patriot Fund will ensure those funds go where you intend.
If you are a voting member of the NRA (life member or 5-consecutive years of annual membership) you will receive a ballot in the February issue of your NRA magazine. This is the annual election of members to the NRA Board of Directors. The ballot will be surrounded by a two-page ad listing the reform candidates supported by the group “Elect a New NRA.” I am one of the candidates in the “Elect a New NRA” group and ask for your vote to remain on the Board of Directors.
Please visit the website – www.electanewnra.com to see profiles of these candidates and VOTE!
Editor’s Note: GSL member Dick Fairburn is a new member of the NRA Board of Directors and he’s running for a three-year term this cycle. He’s one of two GSL members running for the NRA Board that Guns Save Life is strongly endorsing (along with Todd Vandermyde). For a full list, see our story on GSL board endorsements.