NRA stunned by Oliver North resignation, New York probe

INDIANAPOLIS — The National Rifle Association, which began its annual meeting last week with optimism and enthusiasm, leaves Indianapolis amid unprecedented chaos, with President Oliver North[1] announcing his abrupt departure and new legal scrutiny of the group’s finances and inner workings. Mr. North[2] was decrying the “disarm America” movement to an adoring crowd on Friday, but on Saturday he was announcing — by proxy — that he would no longer be the group’s president after tensions with Wayne LaPierre[3], the group’s executive vice president, boiled over. Even board members were left talking in apocalyptic tones. “Every day has been a surprise, OK?” said Joel Friedman, an NRA board member from Nevada. “What’s absolute today may not be absolute tomorrow…the only thing that’s guaranteed in life is we’ll all die one day.” The NRA’s board of directors is slated to meet on Monday to discuss next steps, and rank-and-file members said they want answers after Mr. North[4] said he was concerned that alleged financial improprieties by top NRA officials could endanger the group’s coveted non-profit status. That fear was further fueled when New York Attorney General Letitia James launched an investigation into the group in the middle of the four-day convention. “There is seemingly some infighting, and as a member I just want to get to the truth of what are the issues, what is the financial misfeasance and what conflicts exist, and then I think we can internally address them to the extent there are any,” said Joshua Prince, an attorney from Pennsylvania. First Vice President Richard Childress stunned members at their annual meeting over the weekend when he read a letter from Mr. North[5] in which the retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel announced he was effectively stepping away from his position. In the letter, Mr. North[6] cited a

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