WASHINGTON — Adolphus Busch IV, heir to the Busch family brewing fortune, resigned his lifetime membership in 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. “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.”
Busch has been a member of the NRA since 1975.
I know all sorts of people who belonged to the NRA. They were hunters and gun enthusiasts. Their interest in hunting and rifles is what brought them to the organization. My parents were members. They raised English setters. They did not think they were Rambo. They also didn’t believe they had totally unlimited rights to gun ownership.
Good for Adolphus Busch.
His own words explain better:
“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.
Busch told Keene, “It disturbs me greatly to see this rigid new direction of the NRA.” He singled out the gun lobby’s reversal of its 1999 position in favor of universal background checks, as well as its opposition to an assault weapons ban and a ban on high-capacity magazines. “I am simply unable to comprehend how assault weapons and large capacity magazines have a role in your vision,” he wrote.
Busch is telling it like it is.
Further REading: www.ksdk.com
The fact that he’s talking about non-existent weapons shows that he has no clue about the entire subject. There is no such thing as an assault weapon.
Furthermore, who cares? If he wants the NRA to stay a “hunting organization” then too bad. Times change. Modern sporting rifles are here to stay.
If a reasonable bill is written that absolutely prevents registration by anyone….and places criminal penalties on those that do it anyway…because you know that some politician or bureaucrat will do so….. then fine. But when there are politicians like Feinstein, Pelosi, and Schumer….like DeGette and McCarthy…that will use any tool to advance strict gun controls, including confiscation….. the only reasonable answer is “No.”
He’s just another (wealthy) democrat (from opensecrets.org)
BUSCH, ADOLPHUS
O FALLON,MO 63366 DUCKS UNLIMITED 12/6/07 $2,300 Clinton, Hillary (D)
BUSCH, ADOLPHUS
O FALLON,MO 63366 DUCKS UNLIMITED 12/6/07 $2,300 Clinton, Hillary (D)
BUSCH, ADOLPHUS
O FALLON,MO 63366 BELLEAU FARM 8/22/07 $2,300 Harkin, Tom (D)
BUSCH, ADOLPHUS
MARATHON,FL 33050 CONSULTANT 4/30/12 $1,000 Obama, Barack (D)
BUSCH, ADOLPHUS
MARATHON,FL 33050 CONSULTANT 5/9/12 $1,000 McCaskill, Claire (D)
BUSCH, ADOLPHUS
MARATHON,FL 33050 CONSULTANT 8/21/12 $1,000 McCaskill, Claire (D)
BUSCH, ADOLPHUS
MARATHON,FL 33050 CONSULTANT 9/5/12 $1,000 Obama, Barack (D)
BUSCH, ADOLPHUS
O FALLON,MO 63366 BELLEAU FARM 8/22/07 $200 Harkin, Tom (D)
BUSCH, ADOLPHUS
O FALLON,MO 63366 8/28/08 $-2,300 Clinton, Hillary (D)
BUSCH, ADOLPHUS A IV
O FALLON,MO 63366 RETIRED 7/1/11 $2,300 McCaskill, Claire (D)
BUSCH, ADOLPHUS A IV
O’FALLON,MD 63366 GREAT RIVERS HABITAT ALLIANCE 8/23/07 $2,300 Clay, William L Jr (D)
BUSCH, ADOLPHUS A IV
OFALLON,MO 63366 RETIRED 3/16/07 $2,300 McCaskill, Claire (D)
BUSCH, ADOLPHUS A IV
OFALLON,MO 63366 RETIRED 3/16/07 $2,300 McCaskill, Claire (D)
BUSCH, ADOLPHUS A IV
O FALLON,MO 63366 RETIRED 7/1/11 $200 McCaskill, Claire (D)
BUSCH, ADOLPHUS A IV
O FALLON,MD 63366 7/1/11 $-2,100 McCaskill, Claire (D)
Are you trying to tell me that Democrats don’t belong to the NRA? I beg to differ. I am related to one member who is a Democrat.
What difference does it make about political party?
I guess I don’t get it. Are you telling me that only Republicans are extremists?
I am just saying that his loyalty to Obama and his liberal causes is much stronger than his loyalty to the NRA. The NRA’s role in this defeat was probably more than he could bear.
Good for Mr. Busch. The NRA no longer represents its’ members’ views.
@Cargosquid
Saying it isn’t so doesn’t make it not so.
Many of us are quite comfortable saying “assault weapon.” We know what we mean.
i could say there is no such thing as ‘partial birth abortion.” I could say it is actually the D & X procedure. There are a whole lot of people out there who would beg to differ. That is what they call it. There’s safety in numbers.
If enough people call an event or thing by a name, eventually it will stick, rightly or wrongly.
@kelly_3406
But you don’t know that. A lifetime member of the NRA sounds like a pretty serious commitment to me. Presidents come and presidents go.
$2000.00 to a president from a multimillionaire doesn’t sound like a terribly strong commitment either. That lunch where Romney talked about the pond scum 47% (my words, not his) cost $50,000 a plate.
@Moon-howler
Teehee!!!
@Moon-howler
The reason that I bring it up is that people are trying to make the word stick, however inaccurate it is AND use it to make law. It was purposely invented by Josh Sugarmann of the VPC to purposely confuse people and scare people about the rifles he did not like. He admits this. The problem is that YOU may think of a rifle…but Feinstein’s definition will be something else…more inclusive of more weaponry. It is the definition of whatever weapon that gun banners don’t like.
So, for a supposed gun person… a life member of the NRA to use “gun control terminology” shows that he doesn’t even understand what is at stake.
The pro 2nd amendment side has gotten as far as we have because we use accurate information to fight the hyperbole and lies of the the VPC, CSGV, Bradys, and MAIG.
I don’t thinnk you will continue to do so much longer.
I will continue to call what we used to call ‘machine guns’ ‘assault weapons’ because anything that sprays bullets continually is used for assaulting human beings. They certainly aren’t used to hunt animals.
@Moon-howler
Lifetime membership can be had for, currently:
Life Membership – $300.00
Special Life Membership offer – $300 until 5/2/13. (Normally $1,000)
Not such a big deal.
What difference does it make how much a membership costs? You are attempting to discredit someone because you don’t like what they have to say.
He is a significant loss, especially if he puts his money against NRA pruposes.
The attitude is what has made people HATE the NRA, not gun owners.
I was commenting on the fact that life membership isn’t that big of a deal. It’s NOT such a serious commitment. If he wants to use his money against the NRA anymore than he has by financing the campaigns of all those pro gun control politicians….. who needs enemies when you have friends like him? Bloomberg spends as much as the NRA does…already.
I’m not trying to discredit him. I don’t care about him. I’ve said nothing TO discredit him.
As for terminology:
“Assault weapons” don’t spray bullets. Assault rifles…what the military uses….are machine guns. That is the confusion that the VPC wanted. “Assault weapons” are all semiauto rifles…..one trigger pull for each shot. Semi auto rifles have been used as hunting rifles for decades. Every hunting weapon must conform to hunting regulations. For example, even if an AR style rifle is used to hunt…it is still limited to the rounds allowed to hunt. Its just a very handy, lightweight rifle, found in a large number of calibers.
I have seen many a war movie. You want to pick apart what I have said based on the verbs I choose. Steady stream of bullets then…
I just want to make sure that I understood what you were talking about. You were talking about machine guns and seemed to be equating them with semi auto rifles and I didn’t want to misconstrue what you were saying.
Cargo, the reason so many of your statements go unchallenged is because they are twisted strawmen arguments. Its back to when did you stop beating your wife.
I site your comment about the Elvis ricin impersonator being a strong democratic activist which you changed to just being a demorat.
You don’t know that. He threatened both dems and repubs. I can’t prove he wasn’t a democrat and you can’t prove he is other than citing some right wing content that most of us wouldnt be caught dead reading.
When you do that, you weaken your veracity. I am having the same problem with your interpretation of what Manchin-Toomey says. Again, its when di you stop beting your wife logic. The Sheriff does it and Greg does it also. I don’t like it when any of you all do it. Is it a Republican thing?
@Moon-howler
Actually I do know that. There are pictures of him with is car celebrating Obama..etc. I was only pointing out why the “ricin letters” were in the list of “democrat” stuff. He was a Democrat. I didn’t write the comment about the ricin letters, I just posted the connection to the person that threatened people. Just because you don’t like the source does not mean its not valid.
But, please, if you see a straw argument, by all means, challenge me. Which would those be? I do not put out statements similar to your example. Show me ONE.
Not going to play that game. Let’s see the picture that proves he is a Democrat? It doesn’t really matter what he is or isn’t but We have now going from democrat activist to there are pictures…
Usually I don’t like sources because they rarely have accurate information. Sources aren’t like people who you can just plain old hate.
It was just an absurd comment to throw out….that the Elvis dude was a democratic activist…and yet here he is threatening Obama, a GOP rep. and a democratic judge, all awhile he is a known bi-polar patient. That is just gotcha politics. That is my point.
I agree with your point.
I was pointing out why SOMEONE ELSE was using him in their comment.