• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, August 14, 2019

You’ve probably read recent reports that the NRA paid its then ad agency Ackerman McQueen about $70,000 last year for consulting services related to the search and acquisition of a big mansion in the Dallas area for NRA head Wayne La Pierre to move into.

It seems a bit outside the scope of an agency’s purview, but then again, agencies these days are expanding their offerings in ways unimaginable just a short time ago. Some are actually making products, so they can learn firsthand what clients go through when they launch a new brand.

So why not real estate?

The sketchiest part, per reports, seems to be that the NRA was also planning to pay for most of the cost of the mansion, although no deal ever happened. The agency and the NRA weren’t exactly transparent about the nature of the fees paid to the agency for services related to the house hunt.

It does seem pretty far removed from the gun-rights group’s core mission. It’s already dealing with one lawsuit from a member who alleges the group lied in marketing/fund-raising materials about how it allocates funds raised.

The irony of these latest revelations is that LaPierre wanted bigger, safer digs because he was afraid of getting shot in the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida mass shooting last year.

That’s right, old Wayne thought some citizen — outraged that just about any crackpot in this country can buy a gun with no more difficulty than buying a pack of gum — was going to come gunning for him.

That would be outrageous if it were true. As is the sorry state of our gun laws.