Adolphus Busch IV Resigns From NRA After Gun Control Defeat In Senate

[CreekDog]

Last edited Fri Apr 19, 2013, 02:16 PM - Edit history (1)

"One only has to look at the makeup of the 75-member board of directors, dominated by manufacturing interests, to confirm my point. The NRA appears to have evolved into the lobby for gun and ammunition manufacturers rather than gun owners," he wrote.

Adolphus Busch IV Resigns From NRA After Gun Control Defeat In Senate
Source: Huffington Post

WASHINGTON -- Adolphus Busch IV, heir to the Busch family brewing fortune, resigned his position on the board of the National Rifle Association on Thursday, writing in a letter to NRA President David Keene, "I fail to see how the NRA can disregard the overwhelming will of its members who see background checks as reasonable."

The resignation, first reported by KSDK, came a day after the Senate rejected a series of amendments to a gun control bill, including a bipartisan deal to expand background checks for gun sales. The NRA had vigorously opposed all those measures.

"The NRA I see today has undermined the values upon which it was established," wrote Busch, who also dropped his NRA membership. "Your current strategic focus clearly places priority on the needs of gun and ammunition manufacturers while disregarding the opinions of your 4 million individual members."

Reached for comment on Busch's resignation, NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam told The Huffington Post, "We disagree with his characterization, but we wish him all the best."

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story stated incorrectly that Adolphus Busch IV had resigned his membership on the NRA board. Busch was not a member of the board.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/18/adolphus-busch-iv-nra_n_3112750.html

Here's Mr. Busch's letter:

April18, 2013

Mr. David A Keene
President
Adolphus A Busch, IV
National Rifle Association of America
11250 Waples Mill Road
Fairfax, VA 22030

Mr. Keene,

This letter shall serve as formal resignation of my life membership in the
NRA. I ask that you immediately remove my name from your membership
roles and provide me an acknowledgement of this action.

As most in your organization would admit, I have historically been a
staunch defender of the NRA purpose and tradition in representing the
interests of gun owners. I have personally devoted countless financial
resources and time to nurture an intelligent environmental policy that
provided for the proud tradition of personal hunting for generations to
come.

It disturbs me greatly to see this rigid new direction of the NRA. As a
starting point, one only has to ask why the NRA reversed its original
position on background checks. Was it not the NRA position to support
background checks when Mr. LaPierre himself stated in 1999 that NRA
saw checks as "reasonable"? Furthermore, I fail to see how the NRA can
disregard the overwhelming will of its members who see background
checks as reasonable. In fact, according to a Johns Hopkins University
study, 74% say they support background checks.

I am simply unable to comprehend how assault weapons and large
capacity magazines have a role in your vision. The NRA I see today has
undermined the values upon which it was established. Your current
strategic focus places a priority on the needs of gun and ammunition
manufacturers while disregarding the opinions of your 4 million individual
members.

One only has to look at the makeup of the 75-member board of directors,
dominated by manufacturing interests, to confirm my point. The NRA
appears to have evolved into the lobby for gun and ammunition
manufacturers rather than gun owners.

In closing I find it important to extend my personal thanks to Chris Cox and
David Lehman for their support of so many important environmental
issues. I will miss that level of friendship and support, but must take this
action based upon my personal feelings toward the distorted values I see
emerging within the NRA.

Sincerely,

Adolphus A. Busch IV

CC: Chris Cox
David Lehman

http://www.ksdk.com/assetpool/documents/130418042829_Read%20Adolphus%20Busch%20IV%27s%20letter%20to%20NRA.pdf

[sylvi]

1. "I am simply unable to comprehend...

...how assault weapons and large capacity magazines have a role in your vision."

Odd, how he stuck that in there almost as an afterthought with no elaboration in a GCW letter mainly about background checks. I seriously doubt "74%" of the membership would agree with those restrictions as they do with the checks.

While I support Mr. Busch's decision to resign in light of the NRA's reversing course on BCGs, he sounds more like a Fudd who has little interest or understanding in the broader issues of the 2nd Amendment.

[DonP]

3. Billionaire Fudd goes AWOL

I bet he gives away all his Holland & Holland double guns now too.

Wow, what a blow to the organization.

But it will make the gun control losers feel all warm and fuzzy to have another 1%er on their side.

I'm sure the other 4,999,999 dues paying members will be leaving soon too.

[Bay Boy]

2. So if he feels this way...

...why didn't he say something before the vote?

[CokeMachine]

4. Check your facts please!!

He wasn't on the board -- old story from yesterday. He gave up his life-time membership. HuffPo has a correction to the story. You might want to read your links first -- just a thought.

"CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story stated incorrectly that Adolphus Busch IV had resigned his membership on the NRA board. Busch was not a member of the board."

[sylvi]

5. Thank you

Confirms my suspicion that he was more a dilletante at best when it comes to RKBA than someone committed to that freedom.

[CreekDog]

6. That makes no sense. An error in the article is a reflection on Mr. Busch?

that makes less than no sense.

[sylvi]

7. It means he wasn't a board member

who, if you're going to commit the time and resources required to be one, would likely be more dedicated to the issues than someone who merely sent in a check to get a nice membership card with their name on it. Between that and his Fudd-ish view on firearms ownership it would indicate he has only a superficial involvement with 2nd Amendment issues.

So this is not the big deal heroic stand you would have liked for your original OP to imply.

[CreekDog]

8. can you quote where my OP says or said it was "big deal" and "heroic"?

no you can't.

[sylvi]

9. Don't bother being coy

You obviously thought it made a statement of some import or you wouldn't have bothered posting it.

[CreekDog]

10. it is news

[Ghost in the Machine]

13. Oh COOL! We have our own resident mind reader here!

Please, tell me what I'm thinking right now?

Thanks in advance,

Ghost

[sylvi]

14. How to pull

the stick out of your ass?

[Ghost in the Machine]

15. Sorry, not only were you not even in the same ball park, you weren't even on the same planet!

Hone those skills a little longer, then feel free to try again

[Buzz cook]

11. Holy smokes

The NRA even offends a krypto-nazi like Busch. What's next the Coors kids?

[gejohnston]

12. perhaps he read some history

like Battle of Blair Mt, or maybe the French Revolution. krypto-nazis don't want us to think or have unions, why do you think they would want us to be armed?