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Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: zxcvbob on January 15, 2021, 04:36:41 PM

Title: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: zxcvbob on January 15, 2021, 04:36:41 PM
I thought we had a current NRA thread but I can't find it.  (maybe that was on TFL)  So here's a new one

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/jan/15/nra-files-bankruptcy-protection-will-seek-reorgani

I just let my membership (of over 20 years) lapse.  I gave an extra $50 to SAF instead, and it felt good.  If the NRA survives and if they get their *expletive deleted*it together I may join again, but I don't see that happening.  Wayne will go down with the ship, even if the ship could have righted itself with him gone.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: WLJ on January 15, 2021, 04:50:12 PM
Can't say I'm surprised
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Fly320s on January 15, 2021, 05:00:07 PM
Can't say I'm surprised

Can't say I'm saddened.  Lapierre shot himself and the NRA in the foot. 
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: WLJ on January 15, 2021, 05:17:22 PM
"Project Freedom"
Anyone aware what the NRA's actual  financial condition is beyond what this statement that reads like an "All is well" statement out of the Berlin bunker in April 45 states?

Quote
What did the NRA announce?
This is a transformational moment for the NRA. We announced a new strategic plan called Project Freedom.

The NRA’s new strategic plan involves pursuing reincorporating the Association from the State of New York to the State of Texas – home to more than 400,000 NRA members and site of the 2021 NRA Annual Meeting being held in Houston.

The NRA’s restructuring plan also aims to help the NRA streamline costs and expenses, proceed with pending litigation in a coordinated and structured manner, and realize many financial and strategic advantages.

We believe the restructuring plan positions our organization for the future – and ensures our continued success as the nation’s leading advocate for constitutional freedom.

It’s important to note that they’re not insolvent:

Is the NRA going “bankrupt?”
No. In fact, this move comes at a time when the NRA is in its strongest financial condition in years.

To facilitate its reorganization, the NRA and one of its subsidiaries filed voluntary chapter 11 petitions in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division. The NRA is not insolvent.

We expect no impacts to NRA programming.

Nothing is more important to the NRA than protecting the Second Amendment rights of our law-abiding members. We will be as effective as ever in advocating for your rights, promoting firearms education and training, and engaging in public endeavors.

SORRY HATERS: The NRA *IS NOT* insolvent or going out of business
https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2021/01/15/sorry-haters-the-nra-is-not-insolvent-or-going-out-of-business/
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Ben on January 15, 2021, 06:47:23 PM
Well, even if they're not insolvent, it's not good optics, especially with the NY and other AGs saying they're going to put the NRA out of business. Also I guarantee 46/Harris will use this as a "we're winning". it might even give them a positive perception for new gun laws.

I don't know what they were ever doing in NY in the first place. Also, I do question their finances, because it seems to me that a lot of people have been like me, and holding off donations because of stupid Wayne.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Jim147 on January 15, 2021, 07:15:09 PM
Wasn't there a rumor this summer that Trump jr was going to come in and run the NRA?
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: kgbsquirrel on January 15, 2021, 07:22:16 PM
I thought we had a current NRA thread but I can't find it.  (maybe that was on TFL)  So here's a new one

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/jan/15/nra-files-bankruptcy-protection-will-seek-reorgani

I just let my membership (of over 20 years) lapse.  I gave an extra $50 to SAF instead, and it felt good.  If the NRA survives and if they get their *expletive deleted*it together I may join again, but I don't see that happening.  Wayne will go down with the ship, even if the ship could have righted itself with him gone.

Wayne can't let anyone else take over the NRA; they would find his embezzlement.  He has no choice but to ride it into the ground.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Ben on January 15, 2021, 07:54:03 PM
Also, did I miss it, or did the NRA send zip to members about this? Seems if you're a member, you should have at least heard about it from the NRA via email at the same time they announced it to the press.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Fly320s on January 15, 2021, 08:06:49 PM
Also, did I miss it, or did the NRA send zip to members about this? Seems if you're a member, you should have at least heard about it from the NRA via email at the same time they announced it to the press.

Ha!  You think the NRA gives a flip about the members?  All the NRA cares about is the NRA.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Andiron on January 15, 2021, 08:27:46 PM
Also, did I miss it, or did the NRA send zip to members about this? Seems if you're a member, you should have at least heard about it from the NRA via email at the same time they announced it to the press.

Checked my spam trap,  nada.

Wayne needs deposed and prosecuted.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Cliffh on January 15, 2021, 08:35:22 PM
I didn't receive any notice.

My membership has been spotty over the years.  I'd sign on for a couple/three years, let it lapse for a few years, sign on for a year - that sort of thing.  Last time I signed on for 2 years, since then I've found some unsettling things and am just riding out the expiration.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: MechAg94 on January 15, 2021, 08:40:28 PM
I got an email about the latest gun/truck raffle.  That is more important isn't it?   =D
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: MechAg94 on January 15, 2021, 08:42:52 PM
Looking at the original article, it sounds more like they are trying to get a bankruptcy judge to allow them to move to another state.  I had heard that the New York rules require them to get permission from NY to charter in another state.  I could be wrong on that. 
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: MechAg94 on January 15, 2021, 09:03:01 PM
I just got this email.  Are they reading our posts?  Maybe Mike Irwin called someone.

Quote
Dear NRA Members & Supporters:

Today, the NRA announced a restructuring plan that positions us for the long-term and ensures our continued success as the nation’s leading advocate for constitutional freedom – free from the toxic political environment of New York.

The plan can be summed up quite simply: We are DUMPING New York, and we are pursuing plans to reincorporate the NRA in Texas.

To facilitate the strategic plan and restructuring, the NRA and one of its subsidiaries filed voluntary chapter 11 petitions in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division. As you may know, chapter 11 proceedings are often utilized by businesses, nonprofits and organizations of all kinds to streamline legal and financial affairs.

Under the plan, the NRA will continue what we’ve always done – confronting anti-gun, anti-self-defense and anti-hunting activities and promoting constitutional advocacy that helps law-abiding Americans. Our work will continue as it always has. No major changes are expected to the NRA’s operations or workforce.
It goes on at length.  I didn't want to post the entire thing.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Hawkmoon on January 15, 2021, 09:25:21 PM
I'm an NRA life member. I didn't get an e-mail.

I've read a couple of articles on this. I'd say it's a Hail Mary play, at best. I very much doubt that it will succeed.

The answer is that Wayne LaPierre needs to resign, retire, or be fired -- along with several members of the board of directors. The NRA is supposed to be a membership organization, but the membership have been effectively cut out of any say in the operation of the organization since the by-laws revisions of several years ago. Until the cancer has been removed from the body, it will continue to eat away at the fabric of the organization.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: WLJ on January 16, 2021, 10:00:26 AM
Someone is doing the happy dance

Quote
Shannon Watts
@shannonrwatts
Let's be clear: The NRA is filing for bankruptcy in order to escape legal culpability for years of deception, decadence and disregard of non-profit law. This unprecedented maneuver should be considered an admission of guilt.
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/breaking-nra-shutting-down-in-new-york-state-moving-corporation-to-texas/
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Ben on January 16, 2021, 10:05:48 AM
I still haven't seen an NRA email on this.

Edit: Oh - just checked the inbox and I do now have an NRA email. Asking me for money.  ;/
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: zxcvbob on January 16, 2021, 10:06:26 AM
Ms. Watts is probably not wrong in that statement, gleeful or not.

BTW, if someone wants to merge this thread with the "NRA going forward" I am fine with that.  For some reason I couldn't find that thread when I started a new one.  (I used the search function rather than just looking myself at the recent threads :doh: )
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: WLJ on January 19, 2021, 11:30:17 AM
If they think the dems are going to call off the attack dogs then they are sadly mistaken.

Quote
“The NRA’s claimed financial status has finally met its moral status: bankrupt. While we review this filing, we will not allow the NRA to use this or any other tactic to evade accountability and my office’s oversight.”

— Press release from New York Attorney General Letitia James

New York Attorney General Pledges to Pursue the NRA to the Ends of the Earth
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/ny-attorney-general-pledges-to-pursue-the-nra-to-the-ends-of-the-earth/
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: MechAg94 on January 19, 2021, 02:26:32 PM
If they think the dems are going to call off the attack dogs then they are sadly mistaken.

New York Attorney General Pledges to Pursue the NRA to the Ends of the Earth
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/ny-attorney-general-pledges-to-pursue-the-nra-to-the-ends-of-the-earth/
It seems to me that she would still have jurisdiction over what they did up to the point they were able to move.  May not be able to end the NRA, but I figure she can still go after the leadership. 

Of course, that assumes a judge will actually let them leave NY.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Brad Johnson on January 19, 2021, 04:34:00 PM
I honestly can't understand why any sane board of directors would keep a company in NY or Cali anyway, what with their confiscatory tax rates and dictatorial state governments. If it were my corp, there wouldn't be a NY AG witch hunt prompting departure because I'd have bailed long ago.

Brad
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: zxcvbob on January 19, 2021, 06:27:30 PM
I honestly can't understand why any sane board of directors would keep a company in NY or Cali anyway, what with their confiscatory tax rates and dictatorial state governments. If it were my corp, there wouldn't be a NY AG witch hunt prompting departure because I'd have bailed long ago.

Brad

I don't know why they're not a Delaware corporation. (like KAOS)   =)
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Fly320s on January 19, 2021, 07:27:07 PM
It seems to me that she would still have jurisdiction over what they did up to the point they were able to move.  May not be able to end the NRA, but I figure she can still go after the leadership. 

Of course, that assumes a judge will actually let them leave NY.

Even if the NRA leaves NY, they are still liable for any crimes they committed in NY.  Right?
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Ben on January 20, 2021, 08:50:19 AM
Finally got the NRA member email about it this morning. The usual positive language. Signed by Wayne, which I thought was interesting, because most of these kinds of emails I've gotten over the last year have been signed by one of the other guys, I was assuming to keep Wayne under the radar.

The email mentioned potentially leaving Virginia as well. Though that makes less sense to me. Seems like they would want an HQ office close to DC.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: MechAg94 on January 20, 2021, 08:53:28 AM
Another question:  If they do move, will they move their headquarters and/or museum? 
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Hawkmoon on January 20, 2021, 11:09:57 AM
Wasn't it Texas where Wayne wanted the NRA to purchase a mansion for him? Maybe there's more to this Texas thing than simply trying to get out from under the purview of the State of New York.

Companies do strange things. A couple of decades ago, the major company in the automotive parts industry relocated its corporate headquarters (not the state where it's legally incorporated, the physical headquarters) from Texas to Connecticut. The company bought a former private school in Greenwich, Connecticut, and spent many millions of dollars renovating it to the CEO's specifications. From any logical, business perspective the move made zero sense.

Come to find out, the CEO's wife was a horsewoman. Not into rodeos or barrel racing, she was big into the hoity-toity riding and showing circus, and she felt that Greenwich was THE place to be for that sort of thing. So the CEO talked the board of directors into uprooting the entire corporate HQ, spending millions of dollars, putting 'X' number of people in Texas out of work -- all so he and his wife could live in Greenwich.

That was in 1995. Just four years later -- 1999 -- the company split and the corporate headquarters was moved to Illinois. But the CEO retired, so he and his wife were able to continue to live in Greenwich.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: WLJ on January 22, 2021, 10:31:36 AM
This my shocked face

New York Court Denies Motion to Dismiss NY Attorney General’s Lawsuit Against the NRA
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/new-york-court-denies-motion-to-dismiss-ny-attorney-generals-lawsuit-against-the-nra/
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: WLJ on January 22, 2021, 03:16:49 PM
In the video
The bankruptcy filing may get tossed out since they filed it in Texas and not NY
One of the NRA's largest donors is filing suit to block the bankruptcy filing because he wants Wayne to face the music in NY

NRA Bankruptcy Filing In Trouble
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWw0YIs3XX0
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: kgbsquirrel on January 22, 2021, 04:48:46 PM
In the video
The bankruptcy filing may get tossed out since they filed it in Texas and not NY
One of the NRA's largest donors is filing suit to block the bankruptcy filing because he wants Wayne to face the music in NY

NRA Bankruptcy Filing In Trouble
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWw0YIs3XX0

Wayne deserves it.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Andiron on January 22, 2021, 06:48:18 PM
I've wanted to see the NRA and Wayne face a reckoning for a while,  but this is absolutely garbage timing.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: kgbsquirrel on January 23, 2021, 02:08:32 AM
I've wanted to see the NRA and Wayne face a reckoning for a while,  but this is absolutely garbage timing.

You're right, it should have happened decades ago.  But as it is killing the NRA now is better than letting them continue stabbing us in the back. 

Declaring it garbage timing only serves to help the NRA by implying we should give them some slack right now; is that what you are suggesting?
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Andiron on January 23, 2021, 09:03:29 AM
You're right, it should have happened decades ago.  But as it is killing the NRA now is better than letting them continue stabbing us in the back. 

Declaring it garbage timing only serves to help the NRA by implying we should give them some slack right now; is that what you are suggesting?

Oh hell no, and I've been pilloried on this forum before for saying the NRA needs razed and rebuilt.   
 
Got a text from a lefty family member crowing about the "destruction" of the NRA  (She didn't actually read the article,  just saw "bankruptcy" and assumed).  They think it's Christmas again.  A successful coup and the end of a hated enemy?  They're pleased as punch,  and I hate it.  That's what I meant.

I actually think the NRA's troubles come at a good time.  The majority of the membership obviously isn't paying attention, maybe this will wake them up.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Fly320s on January 23, 2021, 09:56:21 AM

I actually think the NRA's troubles come at a good time.  The majority of the membership obviously isn't paying attention, maybe this will wake them up.

And some percentage of the membership is rooting for their overhaul.  Like me.

I agree that it is better to have the NRA crash now, under Biden, then crash under a pro-gun president where they won't actually learn their lesson.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: kgbsquirrel on January 23, 2021, 03:43:41 PM
Oh hell no, and I've been pilloried on this forum before for saying the NRA needs razed and rebuilt.   
 
Got a text from a lefty family member crowing about the "destruction" of the NRA  (She didn't actually read the article,  just saw "bankruptcy" and assumed).  They think it's Christmas again.  A successful coup and the end of a hated enemy?  They're pleased as punch,  and I hate it.  That's what I meant.

I actually think the NRA's troubles come at a good time.  The majority of the membership obviously isn't paying attention, maybe this will wake them up.

Ah, thank you.  Let us pray they do wake up.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: brimic on January 23, 2021, 04:03:23 PM
yay?
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: WLJ on February 16, 2021, 07:10:07 PM
For a company filing bankruptcy they sure are spending money

NRA Bankruptcy Details...WOW!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYKMy3uoSmE

NRA Reveals Assets From Charlton Heston Statue to Range Rover in Latest Bankruptcy Filing
https://freebeacon.com/guns/nra-reveals-assets-from-charlton-heston-statue-to-range-rover-in-latest-bankruptcy-filing/

Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: WLJ on May 11, 2021, 09:16:44 PM
Quote
In a lengthy opinion, United States Bankruptcy Judge Harlin DeWayne Hale has dismissed the Chapter 11 petition filed by the National Rifle Association.  The case was dismissed “without prejudice,” meaning the NRA could theoretically refile it.

BREAKING: Bankruptcy Court Dismisses NRA’s Chapter 11 Petition, Rules It Was Filed in Bad Faith
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/breaking-bankruptcy-court-dismisses-nras-chapter-11-filing-as-filed-in-bad-faith/

(https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/x383/WLJohnson1/.highres/08e30db2-ac3e-4475-9a0c-e77d7ef87c59.gif?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds)
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: 230RN on May 11, 2021, 09:41:17 PM
Ben:

"I don't know what they were ever doing in NY in the first place. '

New York was not always so lock-stepped anti gun. The National Matches were held there for many years:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=creedmoor+and+the+NRA&t=h_&ia=web

Quote
Creedmoor Rifle Range was sited on Long Island in what is now Queens Village, Queens, New York. The range was established after the New York Legislature and the newly formed National Rifle Association (NRA) combined in 1872 to acquire 70 acres of farmland from a Mr Creed for long-distance rifle shooting and the holding of shooting competitions.

As usual, Population Density being the Death Of Freedom, as the area got populated, objections to the range finally resulted in its closure.

(FWIW, I used to work at the Creedmoor State Hospital.)

Terry

PS.  That's "Creedmoor," not "Creedmore."  Thanks.

(https://2ahawaii.com/Smileys/extended/stopjack.gif)


Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Hawkmoon on May 11, 2021, 10:55:07 PM
BREAKING: Bankruptcy Court Dismisses NRA’s Chapter 11 Petition, Rules It Was Filed in Bad Faith
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/breaking-bankruptcy-court-dismisses-nras-chapter-11-filing-as-filed-in-bad-faith/

(https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/x383/WLJohnson1/.highres/08e30db2-ac3e-4475-9a0c-e77d7ef87c59.gif?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds)

Yes, they could re-file, but ...

Quote
The Court is not dismissing this case with prejudice, but should the NRA file a new bankruptcy case, this Court would immediately take up some of its concerns about disclosure, transparency, secrecy, conflicts of interest of officers and litigation counsel, and the unusual involvement of litigation counsel in the affairs of the NRA, which could cause the appointment of a trustee out of a concern that the NRA could not fulfill the fiduciary duty required by the Bankruptcy Code for a debtor in possession.

I haven't read the full decision but this sounds to me like the judge saying, "Go ahead -- I double dog dare you to re-file."
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: WLJ on May 11, 2021, 10:57:32 PM
Judge has the same concerns most of us do
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Hawkmoon on May 11, 2021, 11:47:45 PM
WOW!

So the board of directors (actually, just Carolyn Meadows) formed a "Special Litigation Committee" to handle the pending litigation without involving Wayne LaPierre because he is a co-defendant in the lawsuit, but (from the decision):

Quote
  Mr. LaPierre consulted the three members of the Special Litigation Committee about the decision to file bankruptcy before it was made, so their knowledge of the decision-making process is also relevant.  The only other person within the NRA who appears to have known about the decision to file bankruptcy prior to the actual filing was the NRA spokesman, ...

So the committee that was created for the purpose of handling the litigation without involving LaPierre were the only three people aside from the NRA spokescritter with whom LaPierre discussed the bankruptcy that was intended to get them out of the litigation.

Nope, there's nothing wrong here.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: MechAg94 on May 11, 2021, 11:51:07 PM
WOW!

So the board of directors (actually, just Carolyn Meadows) formed a "Special Litigation Committee" to handle the pending litigation without involving Wayne LaPierre because he is a co-defendant in the lawsuit, but (from the decision):

So the committee that was created for the purpose of handling the litigation without involving LaPierre were the only three people aside from the NRA spokescritter with whom LaPierre discussed the bankruptcy that was intended to get them out of the litigation.

Nope, there's nothing wrong here.
The NRA's lawyers seem to be worth all that money they are paying them don't they?  Of course, they appear to be smarter than their clients.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Hawkmoon on May 12, 2021, 12:14:53 AM
The NRA's lawyers seem to be worth all that money they are paying them don't they?  Of course, they appear to be smarter than their clients.

That's another issue. The Brewer law firm handled this boondoggle. IIRC, Brewer charges his own time at a couple of thousand dollars per hour, and no attorney goes into a trial like this without assistants. The trial lasted a month. I don't know if the court was in session all day, every day, but let's assume that was the case. So basically 20 days times 8 hours is 160 hours. At $2,500 / hour, Brewer alone would have racked up $400,000 in fees for the trial. Figure a similar amount for the rest of the team, and this boondoggle cost the NRA (which is to say US -- the members) about a million dollars.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Ben on May 12, 2021, 07:53:46 AM
On a side note, I have been watching a lot more Youtube, including the gun channels. It was of note to me that none of the popular channels (e.g., Garand Thumb, Mrgunsngear, Warrior Poet Society), when discussing gun rights and supporting gun organizations, ever mention the NRA.

They will say, "Support gun rights organizations like...", then go on to mention just about everyone except the NRA. These are all younger guys (relative to me anyways) with large followings that are influencing gun owners. One can't help but think that the NRA may be losing its relevance. At least unless it gets its *expletive deleted*it together.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Hawkmoon on May 12, 2021, 06:29:46 PM
One can't help but think that the NRA may be losing its relevance. At least unless it gets its *expletive deleted*it together.

At this point, I don't think the NRA has any relevance left to lose. And that's not going to change unless/until LaPierre and most of the current board of directors are gone.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: WLJ on May 12, 2021, 06:36:10 PM
At this point, I don't think the NRA has any relevance left to lose. And that's not going to change unless/until LaPierre and most of the current board of directors are gone.

+1
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: Jim147 on May 12, 2021, 07:31:39 PM
I left the NRA years ago. I will never leave the RTBA community ever.
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: MechAg94 on May 12, 2021, 09:21:15 PM
I haven't left the NRA, but my membership is paid up through 2045 or further.  I just stopped sending them money.

I think they still have relevance in the industry and with politicians.  At the NRA show in 2019, there were still a lot of people there and lots of tables with manufacturers.  I have heard one or two people mention coming to Houston for the NRA show in Houston that is supposed to be in September.  That is close to me so I plan to go.  IMO, the NRA can still recover, but only if the current leadership is kicked out (assuming New York is not successful in abolishing it)
Title: Re: NRA files for bankruptcy protection
Post by: JTHunter on May 12, 2021, 09:39:22 PM
I haven't left the NRA, but my membership is paid up through 2045 or further.  I just stopped sending them money.

I think they still have relevance in the industry and with politicians.  At the NRA show in 2019, there were still a lot of people there and lots of tables with manufacturers.  I have heard one or two people mention coming to Houston for the NRA show in Houston that is supposed to be in September.  That is close to me so I plan to go.  IMO, the NRA can still recover, but only if the current leadership is kicked out (assuming New York is not successful in abolishing it)

As an "endowment" member and retired senior, I haven't sent any organization money in years, but that membership is "life".
When times were better, I went to the two conventions they had in St. Louis in 2007 and 2012.  Enjoyed both except for the public transit train ride through East St. Louis as I didn't want to mess with parking.  I haven't ridden MetroLink since then either.