Open Letter to Competitors

[Heman]

To All:

I recently posted an "Open Letter to NRA's Competitive Shooting Community" on Ammoland.com.

Several competitors who read that letter asked why I didn't post it here with my friends here at Accurateshooter.com. and suggested that I do so. I told them that I didn't think it was appropriate to post here - they told me I was wrong and that I should share it with you - so I am posting it now.

The letter is far too long to post here in the body of this message, so I have attached it as a pdf file.

I hope that you will take the time to read it.

John Sigler
NRA Past President
F-Class High Master (Both LR & MR)
Member 2017 & 2023 US F-Class Rifle (Open) Team
International Distinguished Badge #67

John,
As many have said you were president when all of this started and yet you did nothing. How many times I sat at HP competitors meetings or read posts by Walt and you saying we need to vote for you two because you're the only HP Shooters on the board. Yet during your 20+ years there was the decline and nothing happened. You used your position to write new E-Target rules that suited what your home range used, even though it was denied it was clear which brand they favored. This whole thing has been very enlightening. Interesting the names of people who have been really staunch fall in line, we need to rebuild the NRA, NRA fights for you, support the NRA types are the ones who are getting named as part of the Old Guard who defended WLP. Willis Lee's posts have been very interesting. I've copied it below. You along with others are just trying to keep your positions of power and you are the Cabal that has plagued the NRA. There is another name on here of a "shooter" which doesn't surprise me either. You and other endear yourself to certain groups of shooters to make it look like you care to just build a support base to maintain your power. Case in point Willis Lee's post below. Comments in red are by Willis Lee.

As far as competitive shooting. The NRA hasn't given a rats hind end about competitive shooting for 20 years or more. Do the stories still appear in American Rifleman like they use to back in the halcyon days of the sport? No. It is clear the NRA doesn't care about the sport. To go and negotiate with the CMP and expect it to be 2015 like nothing has happened have all the old dates and run the show is ridiculous. I'm coming around on the CMP but I'm glad they told the NRA to go pound sand. It took how many years for the NRA crew at Atterbury to figure out to run matches, only this past year did things go smoothly and even then still making up stuff on the fly. This was after I was asked in 2019 by Farmer where we got our 800 and 900yd targets for Palma because he noticed they didn't have any. Sutherland getting his range card revoked by the base because they couldn't follow procedures and so forth. His wife just being plain nasty to people and causing them to refuse to come back. This is the clown show that was going to run NRA matches at Perry and cause people to comeback? The splitting of the championships is nothing but pride getting in the way of admitting defeat. The NRA had a plan lost its leaders to execute the plan (Willing and Judd) and have suffered the consequences because they couldn't find people to carry it out.

Lengthy enough post but we could also discuss McCullough using his position to start and run an NRA sanctioned event at his range he owned (Peacemaker) and the potential conflicts of interest. The problems infest all of the NRA.

 

[Heman]

John,
Since you tout being a NRA BOD I have some questions

1. Why as a BOD did you keep allowing or not question the preponderance of funds being spend on Bill Brewer as NRA attorney who keeps filing challenges and losing them? Some of them having no sound legal ground. If you say you didn't know, then you are not doing your job as a BOD staying informed of what is going on in the organization and your fiduciary duty to represent the members? If you were aware, then why didn't you question? I mean if someone keeps losing or filing nonsensical motions shouldn't you have challenged?

How much money has been laundered to Bill Brewer who ironically enough supported Democratic candidates financially in several of the past elections?

2. Can you address the firearms that were given to the NRA museum that have been auctioned off where did those funds go?

3. When Oliver North brought to the attention of WLPs issues and was forced out. What was your view/stance on this issue? Did you support Oliver North's removal? If so why did you ignore the evidence that has now been brought to light of the illegal activities. If you did not support Oliver North's removal why have you not been more vocal of this and the issues he brought forward of WLP?

I'll have more questions to come.

 

[danny]

Where do you find the current board of directors list? I did a bunch of searches and only found a list of those winning some recent elections. Maybe it is time to look at who is on the list.

Danny

 

[Heman]

John,
In October of 2016 when NRA Executive Kyle Weaver was fired as a member of the board of directors did you follow up as is your fiduciary duty into this misappropriations of funds? If not, then why? D. Willing had stated to me in phone conversations and I'm sure said to others that money that he should have had for competitive shooting was not there and was "gone". As a member of the BOD did you not want to question to see if anything else like this was going on (i.e. what we later publically found out WLP was doing)? Or did you know this was going on and not want to rock the boat and bring it to the attention for fear of losing committee appointments?

 

[D Coots]

I would like to believe Mr. Sigler. I cannot. As NRA President he had the power to reign in the abuses of WLP. It is not reasonable for me to believe the President and BOD were unaware of the wrongdoings of WLP. I would like to believe that the new NRA President and EVP have turned a new leaf at NRA, righted the ship, steered a new course.... take your pick of cliche's...... I have yet to see any evidence of that and until I do see clear and obvious evidence, I cannot believe that it has occurred. Has WLP or Phillips repaid the millions they have been ordered to repay? No? Why not? I cannot and do not fault Mr. Sigler for trying to rally support for NRA. But I need to see true and convincing evidence that real change has occurred and will be ongoing before I can lend my support again.

E-X-AC-T-L-Y

 

[BoydAllen]

IMO the NRA has and continues to have a serious transparency problem, that and honesty. Until these issues are resolved in some bullet proof fashion, most of us will not have confidence in the organization. Saying that the president and BOD were not aware of what was going on makes me think that they were all engaged in wilful ignorance.

 

[Herzo]

The boards' tarring of Col. North made it obvious to many of us that they were approving or even actively participating in the activities of WLP thus further strengthening our support of the CMP.

 

[SteveOak]

I shot competitive matches in 2023 that were sanctioned by the NRA. I registered and paid a fee for the Competitive Shooting Web Portal. My scores were submitted to the NRA. The MD is a friend of more than 25 years.

My scores were never posted and no classification.

I shot in the National Championships. My scores were never posted and no classification.

 

[jelenko]

Hmm. Appears the OP is not going to try to defend/clarify the comments.
In the meantime, he did post an unrelated topic on suppressors.

Maybe his bio now includes '...active member of Accurate Shooter....'

 

[jackieschmidt]

Hmm. Appears the OP is not going to try to defend/clarify the comments.
In the meantime, he did post an unrelated topic on suppressors.

Maybe his bio now includes '...active member of Accurate Shooter....'

Defending the indefensible is pretty tough.

Is there a listing of all of the salaries of the NRA officials who were on the payroll during the reign of WLP.?

 

[LVLAaron]

Yeah, I don't think this went the direction he expected.

 

[WSnyder]

wilful ignorance

NRA BOD

 

[snert]

What happens on the stand in court and what transpired in real life are seldom, if ever, congruent.

However, the process often brings out the truth. It isn't always reflected in a verdict, but anyone watching with any discernment can see the truth.

Wayne and his gang fleeced a few million people. They took an organization that once was a proud representation of American freedom and rights and turned it into a campaign for self enrichment. Verdict? They owe a measly 7 million which will never be recovered.

The American sportsman, the American gun owner, the American patriot has moved on and divested themselves of the NRA. They have not left the ideals and values. In fact, instead of a moribund and lumbering monolithic turd, we now have successful and responsive organizations actually doing the work. Let the liberal left crow about killing the NRA. Who cares. In thirty years I never saw them accomplish a thing in NY...in fact, they ran away like cockroaches in the light every time NY government took another right away.

But, I guess as a former NRA member I can solace myself in my Chinese ballistic nylon NRA bag and $1.99 penlight I got the last time I wasted my money on membership.

 

[AlNyhus]

NRA BOD
View attachment 1618164

Did you notice that every time Vincent went to the bathroom....bad things happened?

 

[jackieschmidt]

What happens on the stand in court and what transpired in real life are seldom, if ever, congruent.

However, the process often brings out the truth. It isn't always reflected in a verdict, but anyone watching with any discernment can see the truth.

Wayne and his gang fleeced a few million people. They took an organization that once was a proud representation of American freedom and rights and turned it into a campaign for self enrichment. Verdict? They owe a measly 7 million which will never be recovered.

The American sportsman, the American gun owner, the American patriot has moved on and divested themselves of the NRA. They have not left the ideals and values. In fact, instead of a moribund and lumbering monolithic turd, we now have successful and responsive organizations actually doing the work. Let the liberal left crow about killing the NRA. Who cares. In thirty years I never saw them accomplish a thing in NY...in fact, they ran away like cockroaches in the light every time NY government took another right away.

But, I guess as a former NRA member I can solace myself in my Chinese ballistic nylon NRA bag and $1.99 penlight I got the last time I wasted my money on membership.

Don’t forget the cheap “eagle embossed” folding knife you got with your Lifetime Membership.

I am guilty of being ambivilant. For years, I said that despite its faults, the NRA was THE organization that stood up for our second Amendment Rights. I believed they fought hard to not give an inch, because they knew that if you gave an inch to the anti-second Amendment Crowd, they would come back for a mile.

And, I think the NRA did just that. The only catch, several of those in charge saw a pile of money that was not theirs and decided to help themselves.

In a way, they were much like these huge charity organizations that for every dollar taken in, they keep 90 cents for “operating expenses” and give 10 cents to the purpose of the charity.

We have to have strong lobbying organizations to combat the anti-second crowd. It takes money to do this.

It also takes honest people.

 

[LVLAaron]

There's a reason they're quietly referred to "Negotiating Rights Away"