Chuck Norris rose to fame in the 1970s and 1980s for his role in martial arts films and the TV drama “Walker, Texas Ranger.” Since that time, he has become a fixture in the Conservative movement. A prominent supporter of Republican Mike Huckabee’s presidential run in 2008, Norris has authored books and made numerous television appearances in support of various right wing causes. In 2010, the National Rifle Association Institute for Legal Action initiated a “Trigger the Vote” campaign featuring Norris as the honorary chairman. The goal of the campaign was to encourage voters to support candidates endorsed by the NRA. Norris is also the author of a column on the ultraconservative WorldNetDaily website.
Category Archives: NRA Leadership
Fernandez, Manny (Former Board Member)
Longtime gun rights lobbyist Manuel “Manny” Fernandez is a graduate of California State University, and once lived in Cuba. He is also the founder of the state organization, Californians Against Corruption (CAC), which came under fire for violations of campaign law during the 1990s. In 2008, Fernandez received $25,500 in compensation from the National Rifle Association.
Bambery, Carol (Board Member)
Carol Bambery is the founder of Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Ownership (MCRGO) and the creator of MCRGO’s foundation and political action committee. She served as MCGRO’s attorney during the organizations’ successful challenge to a ban on the carrying of concealed handguns in public buildings in Michigan. Bambery also advocates for gun rights through her seminar at Thomas M. Cooley Law School and involvement with Michigan United Conservation Clubs.
Norquist, Grover (Board Member)
Lawrence O’Donnell, host of “The Last Word” on MSNBC, has described Grover Norquist as, “the most powerful man in America who does not sleep in the White House” because of his ability to control Republican Party politics. Norquist, who was born in 1956 and grew up in Weston, Massachusetts, has been politically active from a young age. While a teenager, he volunteered for Richard Nixon’s 1968 presidential campaign before attending Harvard University. Since graduating from Harvard, Norquist has served in various roles as a small government advocate, although he has spent time on other issues, including working alongside fellow NRA board member Oliver North in aiding the Contra rebels.
His political beliefs were fundamentally defined by his declaration that his “goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.” Norquist also co-authored the Republican Party’s 1994 “Contract with America” with then-Minority Whip Newt Gingrich. Horace Cooper, counsel to then-GOP Majority Leader Dick Armey, called Norquist “our field marshal.” Norquist is widely credited with securing the Republican nomination for George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential elections.
Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), the organization Norquist founded in 1985, has been used as a clearinghouse for conservative ideas. It publishes the “Taxpayer Protection Pledge,” which calls on lawmakers to swear to never vote for any legislation that would raises taxes, no matter how modestly. The pledge—which counted over 95% of Republican House and Senate members as signatories in the 112th Congress—is considered “a sacred covenant for virtually anyone wishing to run as a Republican” by the New York Times. U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) said that Norquist “threaten[s] all these guys here for the first time by saying he’ll send mailers, press releases and make it known to their constituents that they aren’t conservative” if they refuse to sign the pledge. ATR has a number of “special projects,” including the Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF), an anti-labor group. While Norquist now refuses to disclose who funds ATR, in the past the organization has received money from the Koch Brothers, Phillip Morris, Pfizer and other corporate interests.
Norquist and his pledge played a prominent role in the 2011 debt ceiling crisis, with many commentators accusing him of preventing a bipartisan deal to resolve the crisis. Chis Cillizza of the Washington Post called Norquist “the most important person in the debt ceiling fight.” In July 2011, Republican signatories to the pledge met with Norquist and “begged” him to release them from their obligation in order to resolve the ongoing debt ceiling crisis. After the debt ceiling crisis was resolved, former Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY), co-chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, called Norquist “a good guy with a very bad idea.” “Grover Norquist should be examined into,” suggested Simpson. “Where does he get his money? … Who is he slave to? … How does he terrify people?”
Finally, Norquist is well known for chairing the Wednesday meetings, a weekly off-the-record, invitation-only meeting of GOP and conservative operatives (including NRA operatives), lobbyists, and reporters. During the Bush presidency, attendance at the meeting numbered in the hundreds.
Ermey, R. Lee (Board Member)
R. Lee Ermey parlayed a career as a drill instructor in the United States Marine Corps into a number of acting roles. He often plays authority figures and is most famous for his portrayal of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Stanley Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket.” Ermey currently hosts the weaponry and military history show “Mail Call” and appears in television commercials. He is a paid spokesperson for a number of products, including Glock firearms.
Bachhuber, Buster (Board Member)
Edwards, Cam (NRA News Radio Host)
Cam Edwards is originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he worked in morning drive-time radio. He grew up in a gun-free household (Edward’s mother was a Kennedy Democrat). Becoming a husband and a father in his mid-20s persuaded him to buy his first firearm for protection. When asked how many guns he owns, Edwards has joked, “Less than 42.” He is currently the host of the “Cam & Company” radio show at NRA News. He lives on a 40-acre farm with his family in Farmville, Virginia.
Bach, Scott (Board Member)
Scott Bach is the president of the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs. He decided to buy his first handgun “in the 1980’s, after an unprovoked assault on a wooded New Jersey trail by a drunken motorist.” In Bach’s words, “Every private citizen who has ever faced a violent criminal alone, and knows the feeling of an impending, untimely death at the hands of a merciless savage, understands the importance of being able to own and carry a firearm” “When predators can’t tell the difference between the wolves and the sheep, the whole flock is safer,” says Bach. He became involved in the gun rights movement “after a profoundly painful breakup of an extremely serious relationship with a woman who flat out refused to accept [his] interest in freedom, firearms, and the Second Amendment.”
Mills, Buz (Board Member)
Owen “Buz” Mills is the owner of Gunsite Academy, a weapons training facility for members of the armed forces, law enforcement and civilians. Instructors at the facility teach the “Combat Triad,” a firearms discipline focusing on marksmanship, gun handling, and mindset. Shooters who take a two-day class are given a complimentary NRA membership. Courses offered by Gunsite also include a five-day urban sniper course, a “battle rifle” course and a foreign weapons course. Mills is also a former political candidate. He spent $2.3 million as a Republican candidate for governor of Arizona in 2010, before dropping out prior to the primary.
D’Alauro, Richard (Field Staff Specialist)
From 2009 to present, Richard D’Alauro has worked as an NRA Field Specialist. From 1989 to 2009, he worked as a Senior NRA Field Representative in the New York tri-state area. D’Alauro served as a police officer in Glen Cove, NY from 1977 to 1988. He received a B.A. in Sociology from Queen’s College in 1972 and an M.S. in Education from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 2005.