Service on the NRA Board of Directors
During the time that I have served on the NRA Board of Directors, I have been asked a lot of questions about serving on the Board. I am going to use this article and perhaps the next one to present and respond to several questions which are most frequently asked – “Herb’s FAQs”.
QUESTION: If I decide to run for the NRA Board of Directors and am successfully nominated, does that mean that I will win a seat on the Board?
RESPONSE: No. Nomination provides an opportunity to be elected. However, there is no guarantee of being nominated by either the Nominating Committee or the petition process, and there is equally no guarantee that a nominee will be elected by the NRA voting members to the Board. There are always more individuals seeking nomination than there are those who are successfully nominated, and there are always more nominees on the ballot than there are Board seats to be filled.
For example, I have been nominated for re-election and will be on the 2012 ballot which will appear in the February ballot issue of the NRA magazines (Rifleman, Hunter, and America’s First Freedom). However, I have absolutely no guarantee of being re-elected.
QUESTION: How many Directors are elected to represent each state on the NRA Board of Directors?
RESPONSE: Every member of the NRA Board of Directors is elected in national, at-large, by-mail balloting. There are not any Board seats apportioned or reserved for individual states, regions, areas of interest or the like.
QUESTION: What is it like to serve as a member of the NRA Board of Directors?
RESPONSE: Board service is a privilege granted by one’s fellow NRA members for a term of three years. It is a great honor and a great responsibility. The NRA has a working Board supported by working committees – stress “working”. Service becomes ever more demanding as one gains experience and is re-elected to the Board. For example, I currently serve as chairman of the Clubs & Associations Committee, as vice chairman of the Audit Committee, as a member of the Membership Committee, the Ways & Means Committee, the Ethics Committee, and the Hearings Committee, and have previously served as a member of the Nominating Committee (including chairing it), the Elections Committee, and the Education & Training Committee, and as a member of the Board of Trustees of The NRA Foundation (for two consecutive three-year terms, the maximum permitted by the Foundation’s bylaws).
QUESTION: How did you (Herb) become a member of the NRA Board of Directors?
RESPONSE: I attended an NRA regional state association workshop (SC. NC and GA) in 1984 as an officer of our SC NRA-affiliated state association to make a presentation on legislative and political action. The audience included a very senior and influential NRA Board Member, Harry Reeves, the legendary competitive pistol shooter from Andrews, NC. Following my presentation (and unknown to me), Harry told the NRA Nominating Committee that “Herb Lanford needs to be on this Board!” I was honored – and startled – to learn that my name had been submitted to the Nominating Committee. I submitted the required information, and expected nothing to come of it. I was then again honored – and surprised – to be nominated as a candidate for the NRA Board. Recognizing that very few candidates are elected to the Board the first time they are nominated, and that election is particularly difficult for those candidates from smaller states, I certainly did not anticipate being elected. You can imagine my great and pleasant surprise when I received the telegram informing me that I had been elected by my fellow NRA members to a full three-year term on the NRA Board of Directors!
QUESTION: How much are members of the NRA Board of Directors paid?
RESPONSE: Nothing, nada, zero, zip, etc. Members of the NRA Board of Directors are all volunteers who have been elected by their fellow NRA members. Board Members are reimbursed for the normal and reasonable expense (travel, lodging, meals and the like) for carrying out official Association business (like attending committee and Board meetings) However, Board Members do NOT receive a salary, a stipend or the like for serving on the Board.
Herb Lanford
Member, NRA Board of Directors
Past President, Gun Owners of South Carolina