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</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">igor d</font></div><div style=""><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>a year after being re-elected as the executive vice president and CEO of the National Rifle Association, Wayne LaPierre has seen his group go from an <a href="https://www.salon.com/2018/10/10/waterloo-for-the-nra-its-donations-to-gop-candidates-plunge-90-percent/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">electoral kingmaker</a> to the edge of financial ruin. He and other NRA executives have urged laid-off employees to <a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/03/26/leaked-memo-nra-tells-employees-to-seek-government-aid-as-coronavirus-forces-cuts-layoffs/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">seek public assistance benefits</a></b>. The nation’s most prominent pro-gun lobby has <a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/04/22/wayne-lapierre-reveals-that-nra-cut-budget-to-survive-after-losing-100-million-leaked-audio/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">lost tens of millions of dollars</a> amid numerous legal woes and investigations that have exposed its questionable financial dealings. Now, the longtime <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">NRA leader hopes his lawyers can “keep him out of jail,” according to previously unreported allegations in court documents in the group’s legal battle against its longtime public relations firm, Ackerman McQueen.</span></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">The documents, which were published in full on <a href="https://nrawatch.org/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">NRA Watch</a>, a new database launched by the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, allege that LaPierre has grown “preoccupied with going to jail.</span>” Ackerman’s allegations paint a picture of an executive who “didn’t trust his own accounting department” and instructed associates not to disclose important information to the group’s auditors.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The documents also include allegations about the NRA’s search for a <a href="https://www.salon.com/2019/08/17/document-shows-nra-money-helped-its-chief-search-for-a-personal-mansion_partner/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">personal mansion</a> for LaPierre, whose alleged obsession with “purchasing a lavish home for himself” led Ackerman to pull out of the deal. They also allege that LaPierre may have violated his own group’s bylaws by improperly using Ackerman to pay off the group’s former president, Lt. Col. Oliver North, who left the organization after what it described as a <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/nra-marches-ex-leader-to-court-on-failed-coup/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">“failed coup attempt.”</a></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, the grassroots arm of Everytown for Gun Safety</b>, told Salon that NRA Watch aimed to show that LaPierre “used member dues for what looks like personal reasons” while “only 10% of NRA funds in 2018 were even spent on gun safety.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“NRA is losing at the ballot box, in courts, on the balance sheet,” Watts said. “We always talk about shining a light under the refrigerators and forcing the cockroaches to run out, and that’s really what this website does.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“It’s important to point out why the NRA is underwater reputationally and financially,” Watts continued. The NRA’s policy priorities are killing us, so stopping the NRA is our top priority. But when it comes to legal issues, the secret to our success is that we let the NRA beat itself.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><b style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The NRA worked with </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Ackerman McQueen,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> creators of the </span><a href="https://www.salon.com/2019/10/29/gun-lobby-tells-judge-its-own-nratv-channel-was-distasteful-and-racist/" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">now-defunct online video channel NRATV</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, since the 1980s, paying them as much as </span><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/nra-files-suit-against-ad-agency-in-rift-with-key-partner-11555320601" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">$42 million</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> a year.</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> But the NRA </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/15/business/nra-nratv-lawsuit.html" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">sued the firm</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> in Virginia in 2019, accusing Ackerman of overbilling for its services. More recently, the NRA </span><a href="https://nrawatch.org/case/nra-v-ackerman-texas/" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">filed a lawsuit in Texas</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> alleging that Ackerman continues to improperly use the NRA’s brand and properties. The NRA later filed an </span><a href="https://nrawatch.org/filing/nras-answer-to-ackermans-counterclaims/" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">amended complaint</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> in October alleging that Ackerman had breached its fiduciary duties, engaged in fraudulent billing and failed to maintain adequate records. The NRA has also accused Ackerman of a pattern of corruption, including its “failed” NRATV venture, for the purpose of collecting millions in fees.</span></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Some of the new allegations were made in Ackerman’s bid to have the law firm of Bill Brewer, a longtime friend of LaPierre, disqualified as the NRA’s legal team.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Brewer’s firm responded to Salon’s questions with a statement from Linda S. Eads, professor emerita at the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“After my review, it is my initial opinion that this request for disqualification provides no legal basis for the relief sought,” Eads said. “Factually, it appears to be supported only by assumptions and innuendo. Also, it is based on allegations that have not been factually established. It is too early in the litigation process to use such unsupported claims as a basis for disqualification, which is one of the most serious actions a court can take against a litigation party — to cause the party to lose its lawyer.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Brewer’s firm is expected to issue a formal response to the new allegations next week. The response comes after Ackerman successfully asked the court in Virginia to stay the litigation pending a resolution of the Texas case, against the objections of the NRA, according to a <a href="https://nrawatch.org/filing/court-order-granting-stay-in-proceedings/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">previously unreported court order</a>.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">LaPierre was elected to a second term as the NRA’s CEO at the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/29/politics/nra-wayne-lapierre-oliver-north-carolyn-meadows/index.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">group’s annual convention in 2019</a>, one year ago this week. It was not the party that the longtime gun activist had expected. What was supposed to be a coronation quickly devolved into a civil war that has since led to the ouster of multiple top NRA officials.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Before that meeting, North — then the NRA president — <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-a-hard-charging-lawyer-helped-fuel-a-civil-war-inside-the-nra/2019/09/18/9ae0a01e-a986-11e9-a3a6-ab670962db05_story.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">began to raise concerns</a> about the large legal fees the NRA was paying to Brewer.</b> By the first day of the meeting, LaPierre <a href="https://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/LaPierreletter042519.pdf" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">wrote a letter</a> to the NRA board claiming that North had attempted to force him to resign by threatening that Ackerman would release a “devastating account” of the NRA’s financial dealings.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hours after LaPierre, North and President Trump appeared on stage together at the meeting, news of North’s attempted coup had leaked. On the third day of the meeting, North <a href="https://apnews.com/d5d90ab1596f478c8f20d4dbe3f73979" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">issued a statement</a> announcing that he would not seek another term. The statement was read by another board member as LaPierre, who had reportedly <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-a-hard-charging-lawyer-helped-fuel-a-civil-war-inside-the-nra/2019/09/18/9ae0a01e-a986-11e9-a3a6-ab670962db05_story.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">orchestrated North’s ouster</a>, looked on next to an empty chair reserved for the group’s president.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Though LaPierre was successful in beating back the alleged coup attempt, the NRA’s legal entanglements in the year since have laid bare its devolving financial situation and threatened its tax-exempt status.</b> Along with multiple lawsuits involving Ackerman, the attorneys general in New York state and Washington, D.C., have <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/dc-attorney-general-issues-subpoenas-to-nra-its-charitable-foundation/2019/07/12/835bb30e-a4bb-11e9-bd56-eac6bb02d01d_story.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">launched investigations</a> questioning the group’s tax status. New York Attorney General Letitia James is investigating whether the group violated the state’s charities law, which some legal experts and NRA insiders believe could result in a criminal referral related to LaPierre’s “use of nonprofit funds for personal expenses,” according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/18/magazine/wayne-lapierre-nra-guns.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">the New York Times</a>.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A <a href="https://nrawatch.org/filing/ackermans-amended-answer-counterclaims/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">previously unreported court filing</a> by Ackerman alleged that “[s]ometime in early 2018, LaPierre became preoccupied with going to jail.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">LaPierre later allegedly told Angus McQueen, Ackerman’s longtime chief executive, that he believed “Brewer was going to keep him out of jail,” according to another <a href="https://nrawatch.org/filing/declaration-of-revan-mcqueen-appendix-to-ackerman-brief-to-disqualify-nra-attorney-bill-brewer-from-the-case/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">previously unreported court filing in March</a>.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The NRA roundly rejected Ackerman’s claims.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“This is the same stale, desperate and contrived narrative Ackerman has been peddling for a year,” Andrew Arulanandam, managing director of public affairs at the NRA, told Salon. “In any event, it does nothing to diminish the confidence the NRA has in Bill or his law firm — or our commitment to hold this former vendor accountable.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The simple truth is, Ackerman is desperate to distract from the agency’s woes and alleged improper actions,” Arulanandam added. “It seems the agency has resorted to unhinged rants, based on non-existent communications and allegations from terminated employees.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The group’s finances have taken a huge hit as a result of its legal woes.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to a secret recording obtained by <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/04/21/839999178/secret-recording-reveals-nras-legal-troubles-have-cost-the-organization-100-mill" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">NPR</a>, LaPierre recently told members that the NRA took a “$100 million hit” over the past two years and had to cut “about $80 million” from the budget and “took it down to the studs.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“We’re not out of the woods yet,” he warned in the recording. “We still gotta wrestle with this financial situation.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Internal documents obtained by <a href="https://www.thetrace.org/features/nra-financial-misconduct-ackerman-mcqueen/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">The Trace</a> show that the group’s finances soured as it spent millions in member donations on salaries for executives, legal bills and lavish travel, while spending less than 10% of its funds on its supposed core mission: gun safety, education and training.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The NRA’s members have begun to raise questions about the group’s spending after it was reported that LaPierre spent <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/nra-chief-wayne-lapierre-questioned-on-travel-expenses-11556834268" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">hundreds of thousands</a> on Italian suits and luxury vacations. Brewer <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/nra-chief-wayne-lapierre-questioned-on-travel-expenses" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">has argued</a> that the “vast majority of travel involved donor outreach, fundraising and stakeholder engagement.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">NRA board member Allen West, a former Republican congressman from Florida, slammed LaPierre after NRA officials defended their CO. West argued the defense was filled with <a href="https://theoldschoolpatriot.com/statement-regarding-nra/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">“outright lies”</a> and said he was removed from key committees for daring to “challenge the cabal of cronyism.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">More than <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/dan-boren-national-rifle-association-1469333" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">10% of the organization’s board</a> has resigned in the past year.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“If you’re surprised by this you don’t know Wayne LaPierre,” Watts said, “because he has a long history of overseeing sweetheart deals and self-dealing to himself, friends and family and others.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Many of the more lurid allegations of impropriety came from Ackerman in response to the NRA’s lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed weeks ahead of the 2019 annual meeting, in what appeared to be an attempt to get ahead of the allegations raised by North.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">North <a href="https://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Oliver-North-and-Richard-Childress-Memo-on-Brewer-Attorney-Fees.pdf" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">warned officials</a> that the legal fees paid to Brewer were “draining NRA cash at mind-boggling speed” and “pose[d] an existential threat to the financial stability of the NRA.” North claimed that LaPierre had rejected multiple attempts to request a full audit of the legal fees.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After North’s ouster, several NRA members spoke out against LaPierre and NRA leaders and <a href="https://www.thetrace.org/2019/05/was-the-nras-reelection-of-wayne-lapierre-really-unanimous/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">initiated motions for a no-confidence vote</a> in LaPierre, though that effort was defeated.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Since then, mounting allegations of wrongdoing have consumed the group. But executive compensation has continued to rise</b>. In 2018, LaPierre’s salary increased by 57% to <a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/03/26/leaked-memo-nra-tells-employees-to-seek-government-aid-as-coronavirus-forces-cuts-layoffs/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">$2.15 million per year</a>. Other “senior staff cashed in, too,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/18/magazine/wayne-lapierre-nra-guns.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">the New York Times</a> reported,” while oversight “has been complicated by paydays to the 76-member board.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Court <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/nra-promised-6-5-million-to-buy-mansion-for-ceo-wayne-lapierre-document-shows-11565714149" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">filings suggest</a> that shortly after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, the NRA considered buying LaPierre and his wife a $6.5 million mansion through <b>Ackerman.</b> The NRA <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/check-for-dallas-mansion-raises-new-questions-about-nra-plans-11565626607?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=1" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">sent a $70,000 check</a> to a newly formed LLC to facilitate the transaction.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In a <a href="https://nrawatch.org/filing/declaration-of-william-winkler-dj-investments/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">previously unreported declaration</a>, Ackerman’s chief financial officer, William Winkler, said that he refused to move ahead with the acquisition when “it became apparent … that Mr. LaPierre was more interested in purchasing a lavish home for himself” than in addressing “alleged safety concerns.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The NRA has dismissed the allegations.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The agency introduced Mr. LaPierre to its preferred local real estate agent, directed a tour of multiple homes, and established a company to manage the investment,” Arulanandam said in a statement to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/documents-show-nra-discussions-to-purchase-luxury-mansion-for-use-of-its-chief-executive/2019/08/06/eb8b0490-b7ce-11e9-b3b4-2bb69e8c4e39_story.html" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">the Washington Post</a> last year. “No matter, Mr. LaPierre ultimately rejected the opportunity and not one dime of the NRA’s money was spent on this venture.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a separate transaction that even the NRA’s own accountants described as “vague and deceptive,” the NRA paid $1.8 million to rent a house in Southern California from a production company that worked on a show featuring LaPierre, according to <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/an-internal-memo-raises-new-questions-about-self-dealing-at-the-nra" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">The New Yorker</a>.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The NRA also “used unorthodox means to arrange [LaPierre’s] travel, including his use of private jets for almost every trip,” according to <a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/05/01/exclusive-nra-chief-wayne-lapierres-no-good-very-bad-year-according-to-new-court-filings/%5C" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">the Wall Street Journal</a>. The group’s accountants were “instructed to pay” for certain trips “without the usual detailed supporting documentation, which was held in a private file in the NRA treasurer’s office,” including private flights that “totaled about $2 million in one recent year.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The big spending extended to other officials as well. A <a href="https://nrawatch.org/filing/ackermans-response-to-the-nras-motion-to-compel/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">previously unreported February court filing</a> by Ackerman alleged that LaPierre convinced North to “leave his paid position at Fox and become the next President and an employee of [Ackerman] by hosting a television show on NRATV.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The NRA agreed to compensate [Ackerman] for Col. North reimbursing [Ackerman] for his work,” the filing claimed.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The contract may have violated the group’s bylaws, Everytown for Gun Safety said.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The pass-through nature of the contract raises serious questions about whether the NRA was attempting to conceal its payments to its board president, especially since the NRA’s organizational bylaws do not provide for compensation of the board president,” <a href="https://nrawatch.org/report/nra-in-crisis-2020/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">according to a report from NRA Watch</a>. “One concerned NRA employee wrote a memo shortly afterward, warning that ‘using a vendor to provide compensation to’ North ‘does not work to hide disclosure of the compensation.’ Months later, the NRA audit committee retroactively approved North’s contract.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><b style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The NRA’s relationship with vendors like</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"> Ackerman</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> sparked concern within the group’s audit committee, which held an emergency meeting in 2018 to discuss the spending.</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Documents obtained by </span><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/secrecy-self-dealing-and-greed-at-the-nra" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">The New Yorker</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> show that the group’s accountants were concerned that the “NRA pays overbilled, deceptive, vague invoices to ‘preferred’ vendors and contractors” and “decisions are made in the best interests of vendors,” not the organization.</span></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">A <a href="https://nrawatch.org/filing/ackermans-amended-answer-counterclaims/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">previously unreported filing</a> by Ackerman alleged that “[t]hroughout his tenure with the NRA, LaPierre has routinely used third-party vendors like [Ackerman] to conceal his penchant for personal spending, seemingly with the NRA’s blessing.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The filing goes on to allege that LaPierre “on many occasions, told [Ackerman] that he didn’t trust his own accounting department within the NRA” and that “on several occasions, LaPierre would specifically instruct [Ackerman] not to disclose certain information to certain auditors” in the NRA’s accounting department.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The relationship with Brewer also drew scrutiny after the NRA paid the firm more than $24 million in legal fees, according to North. Ackerman has <a href="https://nrawatch.org/filing/ackermans-response-to-the-nras-motion-to-compel/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">alleged that Brewer’s firm</a> is a “PR firm masquerading as a law firm to try cases in the ‘court of public opinion,’ not the courtroom.” The filings also raise questions about the firm’s methods. Revan McQueen, the son of former Ackerman CEO Angus McQueen (who died in July of 2019), alleged in a <a href="https://nrawatch.org/filing/declaration-of-revan-mcqueen-appendix-to-ackerman-brief-to-disqualify-nra-attorney-bill-brewer-from-the-case/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">previously unreported declaration</a> that attorney Bill Brewer “had detailed knowledge about Angus’s cancer treatment and used that information to time his litigation and media attacks.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Another <a href="https://nrawatch.org/filing/ackermans-motion-to-compel-documents-and-motion-for-sanctions/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">filing by Ackerman</a> alleged that Brewer “engaged in deeply personal and calculated attacks on the McQueen family … at times strategically coordinated with Angus [McQueen’s] medical treatment, his final family events, his declining health, and ultimately the period of grief following his death.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The past year has also seen several congressional investigations aimed at the NRA. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., called for the IRS to <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/national-rifle-association-congress-report-1486056" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">investigate the organization’s nonprofit status</a> after a yearlong probe into allegations of self-dealing and corruption. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., separately <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/oct/16/nra-criminal-investigation-sought-house-democrats/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">urged the IRS to investigate</a> financial fraud by the NRA. Reps. Don Beyer, D-Va., Dwight Evans, D-Pa., and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., followed with their <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/nra-nonprofit-status-irs-investigation-house-ways-means-democrats-1422752" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">own call for an IRS probe</a>.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the Senate, Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, <a href="https://apnews.com/8109bcc1e3fd47979d21ecc82c861c0a" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">led an investigation</a> that found that “NRA leaders may have violated tax laws that prohibit use of organization resources for personal benefit.” Wyden and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer have <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/02/irs-audit-nra-tax-exemption-019896" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">called on the IRS</a> to investigate the group’s tax-exempt status.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Raskin and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., have <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/429003-dems-probing-whether-nra-made-illegal-contributions-to-trump" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">separately called for an investigation</a> into whether the NRA violated campaign finance laws</b> by coordinating communications with the Trump campaign and other Republicans.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As the investigations mounted, LaPierre <a href="https://apnews.com/1ed1a970f1c946f19665602b66b5bb1b" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">issued statements</a> warning gun owners that their rights were under attack by lawmakers who want to make “Americans less safe and less able to defend themselves.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The NRA is mired in crisis and they’re strapped for cash and their leaders keep going back to the old playbook to bail them out: fear-mongering about the collapse of society to raise money [and] to sell guns,” Watts told Salon. “And it’s so dangerous right now given that there are increased risks of domestic violence, unintentional gun violence [and] gun suicides because of the coronavirus crisis.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The past year also saw NRATV shutter after three years after the NRA spent upwards of <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/10/28/20936511/nra-nratv-ackerman-mcqueen-lawsuit-complaint" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">$20 million annually</a> to sustain the network. The NRA later said in <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/nra-officials-found-nratv-messaging-to-be-distasteful-and-racist-lawsuit?source=twitter&via=desktop" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">court filings</a> that some NRA leaders found the network’s content to be “distasteful and racist” and described the overall effort as an “abject failure.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The past year has also seen a purge of NRA board members who had spoken out about the alleged financial misconduct.</b> Eight of the group’s board members have resigned and multiple high-ranking officials have left the group, including former top lobbyist Chris Cox, who was executive director of the NRA Institute of Legislative Action.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The NRA <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/20/us/nra-lawsuit-wayne-lapierre-chris-cox.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">suspended Cox</a> in June of 2019 after accusing him of participating in North’s attempted coup. Cox, once considered the <a href="https://www.thetrace.org/2019/06/nra-chris-cox-ackerman-mcqueen-nra-tv-newest-casualties-of-turmoil/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">“heir apparent”</a> to LaPierre, resigned days later as NRA-ILA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker insisted that “any notion that Chris participated in a coup is absurd.” Baker was <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/wayne-lapierre-nra-purge-861509/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">subsequently fired</a> as well.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But the purge has not stopped the leaks about questionable spending at the group. Internal documents obtained by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/nra-2018-annual-financial-report/05b36d8c-cd64-4011-a685-e0a26eba9be6/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_14" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">the Washington Post</a> show that the organization spent $9.3 million on office supplies in 2018, roughly <a href="https://ag.ehawaii.gov/charity/attachments/irs/530116130/2018/0/T/530116130.pdf" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">$12,000</a> per employee. To make up for the big spending, the NRA <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-the-nras-finances-deepening-debt-increased-spending-on-legal-fees--and-cuts-to-gun-training/2019/06/14/ac9dc488-8e30-11e9-b08e-cfd89bd36d4e_story.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">cut funding</a> for gun training, a key component of its purported core mission.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to the NRA’s financial report, the group ended 2018 with a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-the-nras-finances-deepening-debt-increased-spending-on-legal-fees--and-cuts-to-gun-training/2019/06/14/ac9dc488-8e30-11e9-b08e-cfd89bd36d4e_story.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">$10.8 million deficit</a>, marking the third straight year it spent more than it brought in, even as it <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/nra-boosted-executive-pay-while-cutting-funding-for-key-programs-filing-shows/2019/11/26/da4f3f60-0c61-11ea-a49f-9066f51640f6_story.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">continued to increase executive pay</a>.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This year, the NRA announced across-the-board 20% pay cuts and layoffs, urging affected employees in a <a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/03/26/leaked-memo-nra-tells-employees-to-seek-government-aid-as-coronavirus-forces-cuts-layoffs/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">leaked memo</a> to “contact any germane state or federal agency to determine eligibility for any additional aid.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">LaPierre in the memo blamed “extraordinary challenges resulting from COVID-19” for the cuts despite years of deficits and increased legal spending.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But the revelations in the court documents and news reports make it clear, Watts said, “that the pandemic is not what’s bankrupting the NRA. “That’s its own corrupt leadership. It’s really showing that even though Wayne LaPierre is scapegoating, he and the rest of the NRA leaders have used the organization as their personal piggybank for years.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>The NRA has also seen its political influence wane as its election spending has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/16/us/politics/nra-gun-control-fund-raising.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">dropped precipitously</a>.</b> In the group’s home state of Virginia, voters elected a Democratic legislative majority in 2019 that <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/10/politics/ralph-northam-signs-gun-bills/index.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">quickly passed a package</a> opposed by the NRA that implemented expanded background checks, a “red flag” law and other gun-control measures. The previous Republican majority had refused to take up the issue even after the mass shooting that killed 12 people at a municipal building in Virginia Beach.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“We outspent the NRA eight-to-one in Virginia, we outworked them on the ground, making hundreds of thousands of calls and knocking on tens of thousands of doors,” Watts told Salon. “And as a result we flipped both chambers” of the state legislature.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Watts said the Virginia elections were only one example of the NRA’s waning influence: “The NRA is weaker than it’s ever been and we are stronger than we’ve ever been. We outspent and outworked them in 2018. We were able to flip the U.S. House of Representatives and change the makeup of seven state legislatures and elect over 1,000 ‘gun sense’ candidates across the country.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Going into the 2020 elections, Watts said, her group has “already committed to spending $60 million, which is twice what the NRA spent in 2016. And the NRA is so deep underwater that even the president they worked so hard to elect no longer wants to work with them.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">President Trump received more than $30 million in backing from the NRA during his 2016 run, but has recently complained to aides that the group is “going bankrupt,” according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/14/us/politics/trump-gun-control.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">the New York Times</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1122837541084958725" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">tweeted</a> that the NRA “must get its act together quickly, stop the internal fighting, & get back to GREATNESS – FAST!”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Donald Trump talks about the Second Amendment, but he doesn’t so much talk about the NRA anymore,” Watts said. “Some of the NRA’s own board members have distanced themselves from the NRA and major donors have begun to distance themselves from the NRA, so it’s really not surprising that Donald Trump would as well if he sees them as possibly an albatross around his neck.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>“If you look at the way this country has been going since the 2016 election, background checks continue to pass, red-flag laws, laws that disarm domestic abusers. We have a 90% track record in the last five years of stopping the NRA’s agenda in state houses. So politically, they have not been as successful.”</b></font></p></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></p></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="" /><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="">Oklahoma City News, Entertainment and Occasional Humor, established 2007</font></font></font></font></div><div style="">
</div><div style=""><b>Ackerman McQueen has to be sweating right now…</b></div><div style="">February 27, 201815 Commentsby Patrick</div><div style="">
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</div><div style="">I’m not too sure what to make of the recent movement by the Department of Online Social Justice to get corporations to stop working with or for the NRA.</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Don’t get me wrong – as a firearm owner, I think the NRA is an awful, propaganda-peddling organization and I would love nothing more than to see it fail – but I don’t like it when groupthink and the court of public opinion picks and chooses which partisan special interest groups get corporate money and support. That should be left to rich powerful people in boardrooms.</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">I also can’t help but watch any social media movement today with a dose of skepticism. I wonder how many Russian trolls are tweeting #BoycottNRA at this very moment? And even if the boycott campaigns are legit, do you really think they’ll silence the NRA? Those wackos still have plenty of private money and support. In fact, I’d be willing to bet the boycott movement makes NRA members even more extreme and defiant. Basically, Mother Russia will be very happy.</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">With those thoughts out of the way, one group that has to be watching the #BoycottNRA movement with heightened awareness is Oklahoma City’s Ackerman McQueen. It’s the ad agency the Oklahoma City ruling class turns to for advertising, brand support, and shitty NBA logos. It’s also who the NRA uses to craft its fear mongering rhetoric and propaganda, something Ackerman proudly boasts on their website.</div><div style="">
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</div><div style="">That image links to a story about the great work Ackerman has done helping the NRA craft and create targeted gun propaganda through the branded-news website NRAnews.com. Here’s the article.</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">The local Oklahoma City news media, which is always looking to connect a national trend to a local story, has rarely, if ever, reported the connection that one of OKC’s most recognizable ad agencies has with one of the world’s most notorious and hated organizations.</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">I’m sure this is because the Ackerman / NRA connection is not a legit news story. It has nothing to do with Ackerman being the agency of record and media buyer for big local spenders like INTEGRIS, The Chickasaw Nation, OG&E, The State Fair, multiple tribal casinos, as well as prominent non-profits like Allied Arts, Oklahoma City Ballet and even the Oklahoma City Bombing National Memorial.</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Yeah, that’s right. The memorial that helps us heal from the crazed actions of an anti-government, right-wing, gun nut shares its ad agency with NRA. Just check out this partial roll call of existing Ackerman clients.</div><div style="">
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</div><div style="">In all fairness to Ackerman, Tim McVeigh did quit the NRA in 1994 because he thought their stance on gun rights was too weak. If only he were alive today to see the aggressive stance the NRA is taking today to block any sort of meaningful and needed gun reforms in this country. I’m sure he’d be happy.</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Although the local media (outside of us) has been quiet, the national media doesn’t mind sharing the details of the Ackerman – NRA relationship. The Washington Post covered it in 2013. Real Progress released this earlier in the week:</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Through dozens of mass shootings, one ad agency keeps producing the NRA’s slick messaging</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">In the wake of the Parkland shooting and under pressure from anti-gun activists and some of the most impressive teenagers America has seen in quite some time, a number of companies have been publicly severing their ties with the National Rifle Association.</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">One company, however, has stuck with the NRA for three decades: ad agency Ackerman McQueen.</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Ackerman McQueen has been the NRA’s ad agency since the early 1980s, AdAge reported in 2013, “making it one of the longest-running collaborations in advertising history.” It counts as clients a handful of local organizations, including the Oklahoma City Ballet and the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum, and some larger brands, like the United Way. But “the NRA is easily the biggest — and likely most profitable — account on its roster.” And, in turn, Ackerman McQueen is the key player in the NRA’s media dominance.</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">With stories like this slowly leaking out, you know the folks at Ackerman have to be worried about the effect it will have on their business and clients. What if people threaten to boycott Ackerman unless they drop the NRA account???</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">I don’t think Ackerman has anything to worry about in that regard. People may complain, but they’ve stuck by the NRA through years of criticism and controversy. And besides, how many Twitter users even need to hire an ad agency?</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">The real fear for Ackerman is what will happen if activists, groups and Russian trolls call to boycott all these businesses that use the services of the NRA’s ad agency? Do you think places like Remington Park really want that association? Actually, I think half of all tribal casino patrons are also NRA members, so that’s a bad example.</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Anyway, it will be interesting to see what, if anything, will happen over this. And if something does happen, it will be even more interesting to see how the local Oklahoma City media avoids covering it. They never stop surprising us.</div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen</font></a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div id="mw-content-text" lang="en" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr" style="direction: ltr;"><div class="mw-parser-output"><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Ackerman McQueen</b> is an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising_agency" title="Advertising agency" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">advertising agency</a> based in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City" title="Oklahoma City" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Oklahoma City</a>. Founded in 1939, it has expanded to include offices in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria,Virginia" title="Alexandria, Virginia" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Alexandria, Virginia</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Springs" class="mw-redirect" title="Colorado Springs" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Colorado Springs, Colorado</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas" title="Dallas" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Dallas, Texas</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa" class="mw-redirect" title="Tulsa" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Tulsa, Oklahoma</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen#cite_note-1" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[1]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-newyorker20190417_2-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen#cite_note-newyorker20190417-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[2]</a></sup> Ackerman McQueen has about two hundred and twenty-five employees.<sup id="cite_ref-newyorker20190417_2-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen#cite_note-newyorker20190417-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[2]</a></sup></font></p><h2 style="background: none; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177);" linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Client_engagements">Client engagements</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ackerman_McQueen&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Client engagements" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></font></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">They worked for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Rifle_Association" title="National Rifle Association" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">National Rifle Association</a> (NRA) from the 1980s through the 2010s; the relationship was called one of the strongest in the advertising field.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen#cite_note-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[3]</a></sup>Ackerman McQueen, also called "Ack-Mac", is credited with much of the NRA's modern success.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen#cite_note-4" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[4]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen#cite_note-5" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[5]</a></sup> In 2019, the NRA sued Ackerman McQueen for overbilling and severed ties with the organization.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen#cite_note-6" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[6]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen#cite_note-7" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[7]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Other clients have included <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Flags" title="Six Flags" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Six Flags</a> amusement parks, some Oklahoma casinos, and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickasaw_Nation" title="Chickasaw Nation" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Chickasaw Nation</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-newyorker20190417_2-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen#cite_note-newyorker20190417-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[2]</a></sup></font></p><h2 style="background: none; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177);" linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ackerman_McQueen&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: References" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></font></h2><div class="reflist" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; list-style-type: decimal;"><div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references" style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 3.2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: inherit;"><li id="cite_note-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen#cite_ref-1" aria-label="Jump up" title="Jump up" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">^{</a></b></span> }<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web" style="font-style: inherit; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.am.com/offices" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%2212%22" height="%2212%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%2336c%22" d="%22M9.995" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" e="E" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" c="C" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">"Offices"</a>. <i>Ackerman McQueen</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">November 16,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Ackerman+McQueen&rft.atitle=Offices&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.am.com%2Foffices&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAckerman+McQueen" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li><li id="cite_note-newyorker20190417-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen#cite_ref-newyorker20190417_2-0" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen#cite_ref-newyorker20190417_2-1" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen#cite_ref-newyorker20190417_2-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Spies, Mike (April 17, 2019). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/secrecy-self-dealing-and-greed-at-the-nra" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%2212%22" height="%2212%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%2336c%22" d="%22M9.995" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" e="E" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" c="C" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">"Secrecy, Self-Dealing, and Greed at the N.R.A."</a> <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Yorker" title="The New Yorker" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">The New Yorker</a></i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+New+Yorker&rft.atitle=Secrecy%2C+Self-Dealing%2C+and+Greed+at+the+N.R.A.&rft.date=2019-04-17&rft.aulast=Spies&rft.aufirst=Mike&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newyorker.com%2Fnews%2Fnews-desk%2Fsecrecy-self-dealing-and-greed-at-the-nra&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAckerman+McQueen" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li><li id="cite_note-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen#cite_ref-3" aria-label="Jump up" title="Jump up" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">^{</a></b></span> }<span class="reference-text">Rupal Parekh. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://adage.com/article/agency-news/nra-ackerman-mcqueen-strongest-relationships-adland/240218/" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%2212%22" height="%2212%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%2336c%22" d="%22M9.995" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" e="E" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" c="C" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">"The NRA and Ackerman McQueen: One of the Strongest Relationships in Adland".</a> <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising_Age" class="mw-redirect" title="Advertising Age" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Advertising Age</a></i>, March 11, 2013.</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen#cite_ref-4" aria-label="Jump up" title="Jump up" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">^{</a></b></span> }<span class="reference-text">Peter Finn and Sari Horwitz. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/ackerman-mcqueen-pr-firm-has-been-behind-nras-provocative-ads-for-decades/2013/02/13/fedb70b4-7155-11e2-ac36-3d8d9dcaa2e2_story.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%2212%22" height="%2212%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%2336c%22" d="%22M9.995" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" e="E" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" c="C" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">"Ackerman McQueen PR firm has been behind NRA’s provocative ads for decades".</a> <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Post" title="The Washington Post" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">The Washington Post</a></i>, February 13, 2013.</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen#cite_ref-5" aria-label="Jump up" title="Jump up" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">^{</a></b></span> }<span class="reference-text">Feldman, Richard. <i><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=pFOSdZmSjnUC" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%2212%22" height="%2212%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%2336c%22" d="%22M9.995" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" e="E" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" c="C" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">Ricochet: Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist</a></i> John Wiley & Sons, 2011</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen#cite_ref-6" aria-label="Jump up" title="Jump up" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">^{</a></b></span> }<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web" style="font-style: inherit; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/nra-sues-its-main-advertiser-for-allegedly-withholding-billing-information" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%2212%22" height="%2212%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%2336c%22" d="%22M9.995" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" e="E" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" c="C" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">"NRA sues its main ad agency for allegedly withholding billing information"</a>. Fox News. March 2, 2019<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">April 18,</span> 2019</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=NRA+sues+its+main+ad+agency+for+allegedly+withholding+billing+information&rft.pub=Fox+News&rft.date=2019-03-02&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fus%2Fnra-sues-its-main-advertiser-for-allegedly-withholding-billing-information&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAckerman+McQueen" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li><li id="cite_note-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackerman_McQueen#cite_ref-7" aria-label="Jump up" title="Jump up" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">^{</a></b></span> }<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web" style="font-style: inherit; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Tipton, Whitney (June 26, 2019). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://dailycaller.com/2019/06/26/nratv-as-ackerman-split-becomes-official/" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%2212%22" height="%2212%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%2336c%22" d="%22M9.995" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" e="E" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" c="C" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">"National Rifle Association Shutters NRATV As Ackerman Split Becomes Official"</a>. <i>The Daily Caller</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">June 26,</span> 2019</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=The+Daily+Caller&rft.atitle=National+Rifle+Association+Shutters+NRATV+As+Ackerman+Split+Becomes+Official&rft.date=2019-06-26&rft.aulast=Tipton&rft.aufirst=Whitney&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fdailycaller.com%2F2019%2F06%2F26%2Fnratv-as-ackerman-split-becomes-official%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAckerman+McQueen" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li></ol></div></div><h2 style="background: none; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177);" linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="External_links">External links</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; 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line-height: 1.5em; text-align: right; white-space: nowrap; background-color: rgb(221, 221, 255); border-top: 2px solid rgb(253, 253, 253); width: 145.375px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Stock_Exchange" title="New York Stock Exchange" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">NYSE listed</font></a></th><td class="navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="line-height: 1.5em; border-color: rgb(253, 253, 253); background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 2px; border-top-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; width: 1166px; padding: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0em 0.25em;"><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0.125em 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%225%22" height="%2213%22%3E" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="%222.5%22" cy="%229%22" r="%222.5%22" fill="%22%23222%22/%3E" c="C" e="E" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesapeake_Energy" title="Chesapeake Energy" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Chesapeake Energy</a></font></font></font></font></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Resources" title="Continental Resources" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Continental Resources</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devon_Energy" title="Devon Energy" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Devon Energy</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_Gas%26_Electric" title="Oklahoma Gas & Electric" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">OG+E Energy</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paycom" title="Paycom" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Paycom</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SandRidge_Energy" title="SandRidge Energy" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">SandRidge Energy</a></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="padding: 0.25em 1em; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: right; white-space: nowrap; background-color: rgb(221, 221, 255); border-top: 2px solid rgb(253, 253, 253); width: 145.375px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASDAQ" title="NASDAQ" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">NASDAQ listed</font></a></th><td class="navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="line-height: 1.5em; border-color: rgb(253, 253, 253); background-color: rgb(247, 247, 247); border-top-width: 2px; border-top-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; width: 1166px; padding: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0em 0.25em;"><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0.125em 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%225%22" height="%2213%22%3E" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="%222.5%22" cy="%229%22" r="%222.5%22" fill="%22%23222%22/%3E" c="C" e="E" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BancFirst" title="BancFirst" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">BancFirst</font></a></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="padding: 0.25em 1em; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: right; white-space: nowrap; background-color: rgb(221, 221, 255); border-top: 2px solid rgb(253, 253, 253); width: 145.375px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Major private companies</font></th><td class="navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="line-height: 1.5em; border-color: rgb(253, 253, 253); background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 2px; border-top-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; width: 1166px; padding: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0em 0.25em;"><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0.125em 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%225%22" height="%2213%22%3E" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="%222.5%22" cy="%229%22" r="%222.5%22" fill="%22%23222%22/%3E" c="C" e="E" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a class="mw-selflink selflink" style="text-decoration: inherit; background: none; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; white-space: nowrap;">Ackerman McQueen</a></font></font></font></font></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Fidelity_Assurance" title="American Fidelity Assurance" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">American Fidelity Assurance</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braum%27s" title="Braum's" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Braum's</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Designs" title="Digital Designs" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Digital Designs</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globe_Life_and_Accident_Insurance_Company" title="Globe Life and Accident Insurance Company" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Globe Life and Accident Insurance Company</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffin_Communications" title="Griffin Communications" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Griffin Communications</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobby_Lobby" title="Hobby Lobby" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Hobby Lobby</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love%27s_Travel_Stops%26_Country_Stores" title="Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Love's Travel Stops</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MidFirst_Bank" title="MidFirst Bank" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">MidFirst Bank</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_Drive-In" title="Sonic Drive-In" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Sonic Drive-In</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oklahoman" title="The Oklahoman" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">The Oklahoman</a></i></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taco_Mayo" title="Taco Mayo" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Taco Mayo</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyler_Media_Group" title="Tyler Media Group" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Tyler Media Group</a></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="padding: 0.25em 1em; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: right; white-space: nowrap; background-color: rgb(221, 221, 255); border-top: 2px solid rgb(253, 253, 253); width: 145.375px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Law firms</font></th><td class="navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="line-height: 1.5em; border-color: rgb(253, 253, 253); background-color: rgb(247, 247, 247); border-top-width: 2px; border-top-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; width: 1166px; padding: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0em 0.25em;"><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0.125em 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%225%22" height="%2213%22%3E" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="%222.5%22" cy="%229%22" r="%222.5%22" fill="%22%23222%22/%3E" c="C" e="E" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowe%26_Dunlevy" title="Crowe & Dunlevy" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Crowe & Dunlevy</font></a></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Authority_control_frameless|text-top|10px|alt=Edit_this_at_Wikidata|link=https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17151806|Edit_this_at_Wikidata" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); width: 1346px; clear: both; text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: -1px auto 0px; background-color: rgb(253, 253, 253);"><table class="nowraplinks hlist navbox-inner" style="width: 1338px; border-spacing: 0px; background: transparent;"><tbody><tr><th id="Authority_control_frameless|text-top|10px|alt=Edit_this_at_Wikidata|link=https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17151806|Edit_this_at_Wikidata" scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="padding: 0.25em 1em; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: right; white-space: nowrap; background-color: rgb(221, 221, 255); width: 113.375px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Authority_control" title="Help:Authority control" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Authority control</a> <a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17151806" title="Edit this at Wikidata" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><img alt="Edit this at Wikidata" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png" decoding="async" width="10" height="10" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/15px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/20px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="20" data-file-height="20" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: text-top;" /></a></font></th><td class="navbox-list navbox-odd" style="line-height: 1.5em; border-color: rgb(253, 253, 253); background-color: transparent; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; width: 1198px; padding: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0em 0.25em;"><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0.125em 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%225%22" height="%2213%22%3E" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="%222.5%22" cy="%229%22" r="%222.5%22" fill="%22%23222%22/%3E" c="C" e="E" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Congress_Control_Number" title="Library of Congress Control Number" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">LCCN</a>: <span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2007153616" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%2212%22" height="%2212%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%2336c%22" d="%22M9.995" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" e="E" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" c="C" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">no2007153616</a></span></span></font></font></font></font></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_International_Authority_File" title="Virtual International Authority File" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">VIAF</a>: <span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://viaf.org/viaf/135253063" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%2212%22" height="%2212%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%2336c%22" d="%22M9.995" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" e="E" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" c="C" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">135253063</a></span></span></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WorldCat_Identities" class="mw-redirect" title="WorldCat Identities" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">WorldCat Identities</a> (via VIAF): <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldcat.org/identities/containsVIAFID/135253063" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%2212%22" height="%2212%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%2336c%22" d="%22M9.995" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" e="E" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" c="C" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">135253063</a></span></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p></div></div><div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface" style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); padding: 5px; margin-top: 1em; clear: both;"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Categories</a>: </font><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style: none none; display: inline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><li style="margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left: 0px; padding: 0px 0.5em 0px 0.25em; zoom: 1;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Advertising_agencies_of_the_United_States" title="Category:Advertising agencies of the United States" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Advertising agencies of the United States</a></font></font></font></font></li><li style="margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0px 0.5em; zoom: 1;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Companies_based_in_Oklahoma_City" title="Category:Companies based in Oklahoma City" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Companies based in Oklahoma City</a></li><li style="margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0px 0.5em; zoom: 1;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Advertising_stubs" title="Category:Advertising stubs" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Advertising stubs</a></li><li style="margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0px 0.5em; zoom: 1;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Marketing_stubs" title="Category:Marketing stubs" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Marketing stubs</a></li></ul></div></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style=""><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/us/nra-nratv-ackerman-mcqueen.html"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/us/nra-nratv-ackerman-mcqueen.html</font></a></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>N.R.A. Shuts Down Production of NRATV, and Its No. 2 Official Resigns</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ImageThe N.R.A. has ceased production of live content on NRATV because of concern over its broadcasting arm’s financial costs and right-wing talking points.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The N.R.A. has ceased production of live content on NRATV because of concern over its broadcasting arm’s financial costs and right-wing talking points.CreditCreditPete Marovich for The New York Times</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By Danny Hakim</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">June 25, 2019</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Moving to clean house amid an organizational crisis, the National Rifle Association cut ties with its second-in-command, Christopher W. Cox; severed its relationship with Ackerman McQueen, its estranged advertising firm; and shut down live production at its online media arm, NRATV.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The steps took place within a brief span on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The resignation of Mr. Cox, the gun group’s top lobbyist and the architect of its legislative strategy, was communicated to the N.R.A.’s board and employees on Wednesday. The news comes days after a court filing by the N.R.A. implicated him in a failed plot to oust Wayne LaPierre, the organization’s chief executive, an allegation Mr. Cox has disputed. Last week, The New York Times reported that the N.R.A. had suspended Mr. Cox.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mr. LaPierre, in a message sent Wednesday to employees and board members, said he had accepted Mr. Cox’s resignation and wanted “to thank Chris for his service to the N.R.A. and for his efforts to advocate for the Second Amendment.” He noted that Mr. Cox had been<b> “placed on administrative leave” pending an investigation </b>into the claims against him, and said, “Naturally, that pursuit will continue in the interest of the N.R.A. and our members.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The development is the latest in an already tumultuous year for the N.R.A. The gun group has struggled to right its finances; faced investigations in Congress and by the New York attorney general; and witnessed a leadership struggle that pitted Oliver North, until recently the N.R.A.’s president, against Mr. LaPierre.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mr. Cox could not be immediately reached for comment. In a statement last week, he said that “the allegations against me are offensive and patently false. For over 24 years I have been a loyal and effective leader in this organization. My efforts have always been focused on serving the members of the National Rifle Association, and I will continue to focus all of my energy on carrying out our core mission of defending the Second Amendment.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The series of moves leaves the N.R.A., a crucial ally of President Trump, in flux, particularly in the leadership of its legislative agenda<b>. On Twitter in April, Mr. Trump urged the N.R.A. to “stop the internal fighting, & get back to GREATNESS — FAST!</b>” Mr. LaPierre told the board and employees he would soon name an interim leader for the organization’s lobbying arm.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By ending production at NRATV, the N.R.A. is also ceasing its relationship with a number of high-profile representatives of the organization, since its on-air personalities — Ackerman employees including Dana Loesch — will no longer be the public faces of the N.R.A. It remained unclear whether the N.R.A. would try to hire some of those employees, but there was no indication it was negotiating to do so.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The move comes amid a flurry of lawsuits between the N.R.A. and Ackerman, and increasing acrimony that surfaced after two prominent N.R.A. board members first criticized NRATV in an article in The Times in March. The separation had become inevitable: The two sides said last month that they were ending their partnership of more than three decades.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Many members expressed concern about the messaging on NRATV becoming too far removed from our core mission: defending the Second Amendment,” Mr. LaPierre wrote in a message to members on Wednesday. “So, after careful consideration, I am announcing that starting today, we are undergoing a significant change in our communications strategy. We are no longer airing ‘live TV’ programming.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[ImageChristopher Cox, the N.R.A.’s top lobbyist, resigned days after being implicated in a plot to oust the gun group’s leader.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Christopher Cox, the N.R.A.’s top lobbyist, resigned days after being implicated in a plot to oust the gun group’s leader.CreditSaul Loeb/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a notice to Ackerman’s chief executive, Revan McQueen, sent Tuesday night, the N.R.A. said it “regrets that a longstanding, formerly productive relationship comes to an end in this fashion.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ackerman, in its own statement, said it was “not surprised that the N.R.A. is unwilling to honor its agreement to end our contract and our longstanding relationship in an orderly and amicable manner.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“When given the opportunity to do the right thing, the N.R.A. once again has taken action that we believe is intended to harm our company even at the expense of the N.R.A. itself,” Ackerman added. It said it would “continue to fight against the N.R.A.’s repeated violations of its agreement with our company with every legal remedy available to us.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">A legal filing last week by Ackerman, which is based in Oklahoma City, underscored the dire risk to its business, which derived 41 percent of its gross revenue from the N.R.A. last year. The company accused the N.R.A. of failing to pay $1.6 million in invoices and to post a $3 million letter of credit that it said it was due, moves that Ackerman said would force it to “terminate or put on unpaid leave” roughly 40 percent of its work force within days, and shutter Mercury Group, its Northern Virginia subsidiary.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">On Wednesday, a judge in Virginia denied a motion by Ackerman to immediately force the N.R.A. to make those payments.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">N.R.A. officials had grown leery of the cost of creating so much live content for NRATV, which was started in 2016, and wondered whether the return on its investment was worth the effort. The site’s web traffic was minuscule, with 49,000 unique visitors in January, according to a report provided by Comscore.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Some N.R.A. board members and officials were also unnerved by the breadth of the channel’s content, which strayed far beyond gun rights and encompassed several right-wing talking points, including criticism of immigration and broadsides against the F.B.I. A show hosted by Ms. Loesch that put Ku Klux Klan hoods on talking trains from the popular children’s program “Thomas & Friends” drew outrage from some within the organization.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">But the dispute between the N.R.A. and Ackerman goes deeper than NRATV. It has its origins in threats last summer by Letitia James, now the New York attorney general, to investigate the N.R.A.’s tax-exempt status. The N.R.A. began an audit of its contractors, and has said that Ackerman, which it paid roughly $40 million a year, refused to comply. Ackerman has disputed that allegation.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The advertising firm has assailed the role of the N.R.A.’s outside lawyer, William A. Brewer III, over the size of his legal fees, and has seen him as its chief antagonist. The contention has a bitter family twist because <b>Mr. Brewer is the brother-in-law of Mr. McQueen, Ackerman’s chief executive.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The schism between the organizations has been shocking. They had a closely intertwined partnership going back to the “I’m the N.R.A.” campaign in the 1980s, and Ackerman came to be known as the voice of the N.R.A.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But by Tuesday night, splitting up was seen as inevitable.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“This is just an affirmation of what we’ve known is going to happen,” Joel Friedman, an N.R.A. board member, said in an interview.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A20 of the New York edition with the headline: N.R.A. Shuts Down Production of NRATV as Its No. 2 Official Resigns.</font></div></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2019/6/26/18760446/nra-chris-cox-wayne-lapierre-ackerman-mcqueen-dana-loesch" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2019/6/26/18760446/nra-chris-cox-wayne-lapierre-ackerman-mcqueen-dana-loesch</font></a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">619 implosion?</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">chic sun times</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="c-entry-content piano-paywall-hide" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><p id="vpQTHE" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Infighting at the National Rifle Association exploded Wednesday, when the powerful association severed ties with its longtime public relations firm, suspended operations of its fiery online TV station and lost its top lobbyist.</font></p><p id="kkbWqR" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The latest turmoil emerged just a year before the critical 2020 presidential elections when the NRA’s ability to influence the outcome could decide the fate of gun rights.</font></p><p id="YsrCNb" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lobbyist Chris Cox, long viewed as the likely successor to longtime CEO Wayne LaPierre, was placed on administrative leave about a week ago by the NRA, which claimed he was part of a failed attempt to extort LaPierre and push him out.</font></b></p><p id="oYBEIJ" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It also came within hours of the association officially severing ties with Ackerman McQueen, the Oklahoma-based public relations firm that has shaped some of the NRA’s most memorable messages in the past decades. That includes severing its relationship with spokesperson Dana Loesch, who works for Ackerman McQueen.</font></span></p><p id="IEfucC" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Cox had been the executive director of the NRA’s lobbying arm, the Institute for Legislative Action, since 2002.</b> He was credited with leading efforts to allow a decadelong ban on “assault weapons” to expire in 2004, an achievement that allowed the gun industry to resume selling what the industry calls “modern sporting rifles” and critics claim are used too often to exact mass carnage.</font></p><p id="mdI2Ro" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">His resignation was confirmed by NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam. No other comment was immediately made about his departure.</font></p><p id="ULbTEo" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Cox did not immediately return a message seeking comment. However, when he was suspended, Cox said in a statement obtained by The New York Times that allegations he had been part of a group seeking LaPierre’s ouster were “offensive and patently false.”</font></p><p id="137ByC" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“For 24 years I have been a loyal and effective leader in this organization,” he said.</font></p><p id="vkKZgC" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Cox played his usual prominent role at the NRA’s annual meeting in Indianapolis in April, and there was little public evidence that he and LaPierre or the NRA’s board of directors were at odds. Infighting spilled out during what is normally a pep rally of sorts among gun-rights enthusiasts when Oliver North, then the NRA president, threatened to expose questionable personal and travel expenses unless LaPierre stepped down. Instead, LaPierre turned the tables on North and accused him of trying to extort him into submission.</font></p><aside id="CTzOTh" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="c-read-more" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; padding: 8px 0px; border-width: 1px 0px; border-color: rgb(223, 223, 223); border-style: solid;"><p class="c-read-more__intro" style="margin: 0px 0px 1rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">RELATED</font></p><h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 0.6rem; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/4/27/18621145/nra-president-ousted-following-leadership-dispute" style="text-decoration: inherit; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.1s ease 0s, background-color 0.1s ease 0s, fill 0.1s ease 0s; border-bottom: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">NRA president ousted following leadership dispute</font></a></h4></div></aside><p id="1vvtmI" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Joel Friedman, a longtime NRA board member, told The Associated Press his first reaction when he heard that Cox was stepping down was surprise. He said he saw no indications during the annual meeting that Cox was in a dispute with LaPierre.</font></p><p id="XPAjHS" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">LaPierre announced Cox’s resignation in an email sent Wednesday to staff and NRA board members that was obtained by the AP. The letter also said an investigation will continue into allegations that North sought to extort LaPierre and that the storied Marine veteran was aided by Cox, a claim first laid out in a lawsuit filed June 19.</font></p><p id="Bh4BBl" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the past few months, the NRA has filed several lawsuits against Ackerman McQueen, accusing it of refusing to document its billings and of seeking to undermine the association. <b>Ackerman McQueen has countersued, claiming the NRA is trying to renege on its financial obligations and smear the public relations firm.</b></font></p><p id="WJ6P1s" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Last year, NRA began asking all of its vendors for detailed documentation about its billings after New York authorities began threatening to investigate the NRA’s nonprofit status. The NRA was founded shortly after the Civil War and is chartered in New York, giving that state broad authority to investigate its operations.</font></p><p id="4Px8Fo" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During its two decades by the NRA’s side, Ackerman McQueen was responsible for crafting the association’s aggressive messaging, including the now-famous “From my cold dead hands” line uttered by actor Charlton Heston in 2000 as he vowed to resist any effort to take away his guns. The line became a rallying cry for gun owners around the country.</font></p><p id="u77vj3" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Ackerman McQueen also created and operated NRATV. </b>In a statement posted Wednesday on the NRA website, LaPierre said it would no longer be airing live programming and would be evaluating the station’s future. It wasn’t clear what would happen to its prominent hosts but there appeared to be no signs those on-air personalities, who are employees of Ackerman McQueen, would find spots at the NRA.</font></p><p id="dGYEHw" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a lawsuit, the NRA said some of its members had questioned NRATV’s weighing in on “topics far afield of the Second Amendment.”</font></p><p id="43Qe0a" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a statement Wednesday, Ackerman McQueen accused the NRA of trying to avoid its financial obligations by shuttering NRATV and implied its financial woes are partly the result of now paying for high-priced lawyers.</font></p><p id="elRqdb" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“When given the opportunity to do the right thing, the NRA once again has taken action that we believe is intended to harm our company even at the expense of the NRA itself,” the company said.</font></p><p id="7poGJx" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“For Ackerman McQueen, it is time to move on to a new chapter without the chaos that has enveloped the NRA</span>,” the statement continued. “Ackerman McQueen will continue to fight against the NRA’s repeated violations of its agreement with our company with every legal remedy available to us, but we will always be proud of the work that we completed during our 38-year relationship on behalf of the individual citizens that are the NRA.”</font></p></div><div class="piano-after-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="u-hidden-text" id="formatter-datter" data-cid="site/entry_formatter-1561643127_4346_32370" data-cdata="{" svg_hr_illustration="svg_hr_illustration" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline-block; height: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; width: 0px;"><section class="c-nextclick" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="c-related-list" data-cid="site/related_list-1561643127_4064_32371" data-cdata="{}" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 2.4em; padding: 0px;" /></section></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""></font></div></div></div>