Since I now have this blog, I can now post emails in their entirety. I asked NRA BoD Rocky Marshall, NRA BoD Jeff Knox, NRA BoD Buz Mills, and former NRA BoD Frank Tait, a few things, on April 8th 2025,
“Good morning Mr. Marshall, Mr. Knox, Mr. Mills and Mr. Tait,
I have been in contact with CEO Hamlin, CCO Mensinger, and President Barr.
There’s probably two dozen emails in all. They’re about the Ken Blackwell matter, and his alleged involvement in a $21million money laundering scheme of tax payer funds to anti gun groups. And, the NRA member, to NRA BoD email system, which is either non-existent, or inoperable, or deliberately being tampered with.
To save you all some time, I’ve written a summary, on the NRA IN DANGER blog, in the comments section, here, https://nraindanger.wordpress.com/2025/04/03/brewer-firms-legacy-still-drains-nra-finances/
I ask that you all take a couple of minutes to read, and write your thoughts on the matters on the blog, as clearly, NRA membership is unable to contact the NRA Board of Directors via the official procedure.
Thank you for giving this a few minutes of your time,
Nicholas Olson
P.S. It appears Col. North is preparing to sue the NRA… https://onlygunsandmoney.com/?p=35226“
Later on April 8th, 2025, I recieved this, from Mr. Marshall,
“Nicholas:
Howdy!
Thanks for taking the time to contact me on these issues.
A few thoughts…
Mr. Ken Blackwell – To be involved in funding anti-gun groups and at the same time function as a Director of the NRA is quite shocking, appalling, and unbelievable. I was surprised to receive the notice that Mr. Blackwell had resigned without explanation; but later, the story broke of his involvement with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). If Mr. Blackwell were still on the BOD, he would face an ethics violation and expulsion for the duplicity of his actions. I will need to research this further to understand if there are any additional outstanding issues or potential problems related to Mr. Blackwell.
NRA BOD email system – I am not aware of how the NRA email system works or if it works. As a Director I freely distribute my personal email publicly so that any member or (anyone else) can contact me directly. If you google my name, my personal email is listed along with my resume and both are easily located. I will discuss the NRA system with whoever manages these programs and determine if they are functioning. I totally agree that all members should be able to contact any NRA Director.
Transparency – Jeff Knox, Frank Tait, and myself along with a few other Directors have been in this fight for years. I was initially appointed to the BOD in 2021 and immediately researched the ongoing issues and publicly reported the malfeasance and also that the only appropriate course of action was to terminate Wayne LaPierre. Unfortunately, it has taken years to achieve a position of control on the BOD. Jeff, Frank, and myself were elected as Directors in 2024, and we are making great progress. It has been very difficult, but every day we are changing the old system to a much better future for the NRA. There is so much work ahead and we need every member and all of us working together to ensure that we have a world-class functioning organization that protects our 2A rights and all of the programs for the members. I have thrown as many bricks and harsh criticism at the NRA as anyone, but now we must focus on implementing change and improvements everywhere. It is not perfect, it is not the best situation, it is not the best representation, but we can change things now because we are driving the organization. We need your help and everyone else.
If you want to help, please become engaged in the organization. Attend the annual meeting, meet the individual Directors, and communicate real solutions to the issues that we face. Run for the Board of Directors and get elected. We need dedicated people who will work diligently to put the NRA on the best path forward.
All the best,
Rocky Marshall
NRA Director“
And I replied back, and cc’d the others, later on the 8th,
“Mr. Marshall,
I thank you for taking the time to read and write back.
In regards to the BoD email system, perhaps I can help you. Over the past couple of months, roughly, I’ve emailed the BoD, several times, regarding the issues I previously mentioned. The fact that you in your position as a Director, and have not received them, is proof something is afoul here. Mr. Knox told me last year at sometime, he asked Secretary Frazer about the BoD email system problems and Secretary Frazer told him it was due to staffing issues. It’s been going on for years, and I think if the problem was merely “staffing issues”, the NRA could’ve easily found a IT guy, or IT firm to fix any kinks in the system, well before now.
As to how it works, I’m not sure which magazine you get, but in mine, the April 2025 issue of ‘America’s 1st Freedom’, at the bottom of page 45, beneath the list of names of the NRA BoD it outlines the proper procedure for contacting the board of directors.
With the ballots about to be counted, and the winners announced, there will no doubt be many, if not most or all of the reform ticket getting seats on the board. Neither they, nor those currently on the board, who, will remain on the board, will know what members think, or want, if we can’t easily contact them. Few have their email addresses available to the public. Directors must have a functioning, official NRA email system. This will help not just with knowing what members want, but also transparency. Because as it is, only you, Mr. Mills, and Mr. Knox, are seeing my concerns. Mr. Tait, doesn’t count as he’s not on the board as of this moment. That’s three directors out of 76. That’s peanuts. All 76 should be getting this email.
As you can see, I just emailed the NRA BoD. I blind CC’d you, and Mr. Mills, and Mr. Knox, and Mr. Tait. Now, see if it gets forwarded to the three of you whom are currently on the board.
Obviously it should as it’s not profane, not spam, and my name, contact information and member number are in the subject line, so there can be no doubt by any HQ staffer that I am indeed a NRA member.
Thank you for your time,
Nicholas Olson”
And the next day, April 9th, 2025, I received the following from Mr. Knox,
“Nick:
First, I think it’s pretty astounding that Doug Hamlin, the CEO of a corporation the size of the NRA, has been willing to take the time to personally respond to your communications. Doug is a ridiculously busy guy and personally replying to individual member requests can be extremely time consuming.
Having dealt with you over the past year, I know how dogged and demanding you can be, so I’m not surprised at all that Doug might have become frustrated and less diplomatic in his communications with you.
President Barr and Mr. Mensinger are also very busy, with a lot on their plates. The fact that any of these guys replied to your emails at all demonstrates significant commitment to member services on their parts.
As to the Board email system:
Member communication with the Board has been a problem for a long time, and it’s something I’ve personally raised hell about on multiple occasions.
I’ve spoken again with John Frazer about the issues and I’m hopeful that we can finally get things working better. We have recently been transitioning to a new portal system for Board communications, and I think John has figured out a way to make this work in that system.
Having a functional means for members to communicate with Directors remains a priority for me, and I will keep pressing the issue.
Regarding Mr. Blackwell:
I know very little about the situation that Mr. Blackwell was involved with. From what I’ve been able to glean from reports, it appears that DOGE uncovered a government funding program that was funneling money to an “election” group, which was then doling out that money to certain special interest groups, including some gun control groups, and Mr. Blackwell was listed as one of the key players in that “election” group. While it’s been characterized as him participating in the funneling of money into gun control groups, I think perhaps a more accurate characterization would be that he represented a “conservative” voice in the group, ensuring that at least some of the funding that flowed through the group went to “conservative” and pro-gun causes. I’m sure we’ll eventually learn more details.
As you know, Washington operates to a large degree on a trade-off, “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” type system. Not something I approve of or endorse, but a reality that we live with in DC.
As we wait for more details about what was actually going on with this particular group, I think Mr. Blackwell’s long record of championing “conservative” causes and commitment to individual rights, has earned him some benefit of the doubt in this case.
Mr. Blackwell has announced his resignation from the NRA Board. While we could pursue the matter, initiate an internal investigation, and seek some sort of punitive measures, I don’t see how any of that would be productive or good for the Association, especially in light of the dearth of facts. I think it’s better to let the matter play out away from NRA, and focus our attention on moving forward.
Some other things you’ve been talking about:
NRA’s Second Amendment stance going forward: I have been working on some resolutions to try to make our position very clear, with hard “Do Not Cross” lines as guidance to ILA. I’m reluctant to discuss this in detail publicly at this time because I feel it needs to be hashed out within the Board before making any public announcements. It’s my hope that we’ll come out of the Atlanta meetings with some significant policy announcements.
The legal matters:
I’m as frustrated as the next guy regarding the ongoing legal issues. Anyone who’s ever been tied up in court knows that such things are never as simple as they appear, and it’s generally not wise for litigants to be discussing options or strategy in public. As a Director, it’s doubly unwise for me to opine on such things without clearing my statements with our legal counsel first.
I think I can safely say that the NRA is anxious to resolve all of the current litigation as expeditiously as possible, while still protecting our members’ interests.
It’s easy to say that we should just “settle this,” but any sort of settlement is always a two-way street. The desires, motivations, and objectives of the other party play a major role. I’d love to sit down with the “opposition” in these cases and hash out our differences and objectives, but they must be willing to come to the table in good faith with reasonable expectations.
One year ago today, the “Old Guard” was still firmly in control of the NRA, covering and making excuses for Wayne LaPierre, with Bill Brewer pulling the strings and Charles Cotton and David Coy in control of the Board and all of the most critical committees. A small group of 4 vocal reformers were challenging the status quo with an insurgent campaign for the Board, and there was little hope that the 4 of us would be able to make any significant impact on the massive, deeply entrenched, and broadly compromised Board of Directors.
Today, “reformers” hold a solid majority on the Board and within the next day or two we’ll learn the results of the most recent election, which can only strengthen that majority. I don’t expect to see a clean sweep by the “reform” candidates, but I know we will see a significant number of new, energized Directors ready to continue and accelerate the work we’ve done over the past year to help bring the NRA back from the brink.
The audits have been done. The miscreants and self-servers among the staff and vendors are gone or going. The “Old Guard” Directors are falling by the wayside, and Doug Hamlin is leading a major reorganization, revitalization, and redirection effort for the Association.
By any measure, what has been accomplished over the past year is nothing short of miraculous, and I’m looking forward to seeing that trend explode in the year to come.
NRA members are winning. With your help, we can continue winning. We can’t solve every issue overnight, but we can keep working toward a better, stronger, more effective organization, improving a little bit every day.
In Liberty,
Jeff
Jeff Knox
Director, The Firearms Coalition
Member, NRA Board of Directors since May 2024
Columnist for Firearms News magazine and Ammoland.com”
And I replied back to Mr. Knox, and cc’d the others, this, later on the 9th,
“Mr. Knox,
Let me begin by saying, I appreciate that in your position, as a director, that discussing legal matters, can potentially put you in a murky legal position. Since much of what I’ll write will be about legal matters, please know that I don’t expect a response, as I do not wish for you to be in any awkward legal position. But I do wish for you to know my position on some matters.
Regarding CEO Hamlin, CCO Mensinger, and President Barr, replying to me, I don’t view it as astounding at all. They’re all scared. Very scared. I was writing them about very damning things. Ken Blackwell… Now there’s one huge embarrassment, regardless of his “conservative” past, the fact that he was involved with an organization which was conducting a money laundering scheme to anti gun groups, using tax payer dollars, while being on the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association… Well, that doesn’t look good. As to his offering a “conservative voice”, well, if he had, he would’ve spoken up, and spoken loud about the money laundering schemes. Regardless, a “conservative” wouldn’t be involved with such an organization to begin with.
You don’t truly believe any of that money went to “conservative” causes or pro gun causes do you? Please, when has the government ever done anything pro gun with out being forced to by pro gun groups and thousands and millions of angry gun owners? Never. They were not funding pro gun causes. We don’t need a DOGE audit to know that.
I know you don’t see the point in investigating Ken Blackwell, but, consider, if he was involved in one money laundering scheme, could he have been involved in another? One involving NRA funds? You won’t know until you investigate.
Further, the leadership was also scared that I was hitting them hard with the fact that the NRA BoD system is inoperable. CCO Mensinger assures me it does work, but isn’t optimal. I don’t believe him that it works at all. I’ll post his comments below. Now the fact that the President, the CEO and the CCO have all been made aware, it’s documented, when the RICO discovery phase happens, they will look terrible. It’s been inoperable for years. The simple fact is that the Board, should’ve fixed it the day it went down, if it ever worked to begin with. Any competent board, and competent officers, would’ve fixed the BoD email system immediately, the moment it went down. Period. No excuses.
Again, the officers are responding to me because they’re scared of discovery. They’re scared of being asked, in court, “Why did you allow the system to be inoperable for years?”, “Why did you do nothing for so long, even after being made aware?”, “Why did you decide after all these years to finally fix it?”.
Damning questions. With damning answers.
Your assertion that reform is happening, that reformers hold a majority on the board, that the old guard it out, etc, is false.
Where’s the reform? The NRA’s suing “Under Wild Skies”?!!! Just drop it already. It’s over. The Virginia courts will roast the NRA!
Now, the NRA’s suing Ack Mac for the umpteenth time? All because Bill Brewer made a “mistake”, and put confidential information in a public file? Here’s an idea, drop the Ack Mac lawsuit, and sue Brewer for everything under the sun and then some? Bad legal advice, like the bankruptcy crap? The obscene legal costs? If the NRA wants to sue anybody, it should be Bill Brewer, NOT Under Wild Skies and Ack Mac.
And now it appears Col. North’s coming back into the picture. How nice. If he does, and these aren’t just rumors, how many millions will his case alone cost? Then factor in the Ack Mac and Under Wild Skies… That’s going to be a HUGE number. The NRA could drop Under Wild Skies and Ack Mac. But clearly the Board of “reformers” and CEO Hamlin know better than I.
Now, Mr. Dell’Aquila… There again, his lawsuit’s moving forward. The NRA doesn’t have the money to take all these cases on. It doesn’t have the money to even take on just Mr. Dell’Aquila’s.
Yet, the “reformers” on the board and the officers, keep fighting… Three court cases for sure, maybe a fourth depending on Col. North… That’s why the officers responded. They know they’re talk of “reform”, “NRA 2.0”, “righting the ship”, “course correction” is all crap.
Now, “reform”… How do you propose 76 people can run a corporation? When have you ever heard of a corporation with a board of 76 directors? I never have. From a quick Google search, it appears the average is 12 directors, but many have 7 to 10 directors. Yet you and other reformers think the NRA can function with 76?! Nonsense. Even if all 76 were totally honest, transparent, competent, and well intentioned, how in the world will 76 people agree?
For some context, the smallest state in the Union, Rhode Island, has 75 state representatives.
The NRA has more directors than Rhode Island has state representatives! And Rhode Island has a GDP of around $63billion.
How much does the NRA have? Both cash, and investments and property? Not enough, to justify 76 directors. Again the average corporate board size seems to be about 12 directors, many in the 7 to 10 range.
The reformers ideas of voting reform in via the board is faulty. The board has a “gun club” mentality, not a “corporate” mentality.
The fact is the majority of the board doesn’t take it’s job seriously. If it did, the NRA would have a coherent 2A policy. If it did, the NRA would have a functioning member to director email system. If it did, WLP and his goons, like Woody Phillips and Millie Harlow would’ve never happened. If it did, the current CEO would be someone who’s qualified for the job. If it did, there’d be ZERO corruption at Whittington and the Foundation. If it did, there’d be ZERO guns missing from the museum. If it did, the SLC would’ve never happened. If it did, it’d drop the legal cases against Ack Mac and Under Wild Skies, and… If the board did take it’s job seriously,
The NRA would be a 2A organization. It would be lobbying and doing legal work. It’d be conducting competitions and training. It would have probably 10million members. It’s piggy bank would be stuffed with cash, overflowing in fact. It wouldn’t be hated, and despised. And there wouldn’t be a RICO lawsuit filed against it, because members would be pleased with the work being done.
Instead what to we have? A dying organization being run by fools who can’t figure out what to do, and just want to sue, sure, sue,, and come up with new PR slogan’s. No action on the 2A front. Competitions and training are pitiful. And a whole bunch of corruption.
And again, Blackwell?… The NRA’s directors aren’t even all 100% pro gun!
Regarding 2A policy, your idea of a “do not cross line” is commendable, but where’s the board been all these years? Seems like a rather simple matter. After all the Second Amendment itself, why whole Revolutionary War was fought and won, plus the whole Bill of Rights and Constitution was drafted and and adopted in less time than it’s taken the NRA to reform and write a 2A policy. I think you’d agree, that when viewed in that light, the NRA’s board has been a failure nearing the scope of the Titanic.
To think that reform has happened, to think that further reform can happen with a board of 76 directors… The board has been an epic failure. It cannot be allowed to continue with 76 directors. To think it can, is naive. And will prove fatal to the NRA.
Nick Olson
P.S. Below, is what CCO Mensinger sent me this morning. His version’s a little different from yours.
“Good morning,
I checked and was informed that the email address that you referenced does work and messages are received by the Secretary’s office. I believe emails addressed to specific Board members are forwarded, but responses cannot be guaranteed. It’s not uncommon not to forward every email to the Board, especially with spam and a large volume of emails. I managed the BOD email inbox at my last employer, and the Board only requested a summary of the relevant correspondence each quarter. However, I do agree that the Board or at least the Board leadership should be aware of relevant member issues, and perhaps we can improve the communications.
The Secretary plans on discussing the issue with the Board leadership on how and who should be informed on certain matters that are received in the BOD inbox. Also, we can at least implement an automated response in the short term, so the member knows it was received and the system is working.
So, I’m hopeful we can improve the communications going forward. I appreciate you bringing this to my attention.
Bob””
Now, that’s all there is to that email chain. Mr. Mills didn’t respond at all. Mr. Marshall never responded back again. And Mr. Tait, never responded.
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