INTERVIEW – JOHN LOTT – President, Crime Prevention Research Center and author of “The War on Guns”

• Oliver North is forced to step down as NRA president. Retired U.S. Marine Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North on Saturday announced that he will step down as president of the National Rifle Association. (Daily Mail) — The former military officer who took over as NRA president in May of 2018 said he was being forced out of the role due to his allegations that NRA leaders engaged in financial improprieties. In a letter read by an NRA board member during the gun rights group’s annual meeting in Indianapolis, North, a conservative commentator best known for his central role in the 1980s Iran-Contra affair, said he had hoped to stand for re-election when his term ends on Monday. ‘I am now informed that will not happen,’ North said in the letter. His pending departure comes a day after NRA Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre accused North of trying to oust him from his leadership role.
• JOHN LOTT: NRA turmoil is not a threat to Second Amendment but THIS could do real harm. (Fox News) — The announcement Saturday that Oliver North is stepping down as president of the National Rifle Association – following news that the New York attorney general is investigating the group’s tax-exempt status – has sparked overwrought media speculation that the NRA is in danger of shutting down. It’s not. Try as they might, those on the left cannot wish the Second Amendment out of existence. But if they can silence the NRA they will deprive the amendment – and every American – of an important defender of our freedom. Anti-gun groups regularly try to win the approval of legislation that violates our Second Amendment rights, but the NRA has gone to court and talked with elected officials to block unconstitutional restrictions on gun rights. North’s resignation was announced at the NRA Convention in Indianapolis, which I am attending. A letter from North was read in the convention hall saying he was stepping down because he was told he would not be nominated by the NRA Board for another term as president. In his resignation letter, North said the NRA faces “a clear crisis” that it should deal with “immediately and responsibly.” He said he had recently created a committee to investigate allegations of improper financial actions at the organization. What happened to force North out? It turns out that North and longtime NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre got into a power struggle. LaPierre came out on top. But don’t expect any real changes. That’s because the presidency of the NRA – the post North held – is part-time position and the president is largely a figurehead. LaPierre has run the NRA full-time for almost 30 years, and will continue to do so. The fight between North and LaPierre may be getting more attention because both men are well-known public figures. The conflict has also turned personal. LaPierre claims North extorted him by threatening to release “damaging” information if he did not resign. North’s supporters say that North was merely offering LaPierre a way out that wouldn’t require a messy battle about his handling of NRA finances.