The Wall Street Journal first reported this afternoon that Ackerman McQueen Inc, the marketing firm that produces NRATV, is taking steps to end its contracts with the gun lobby.
While Ackerman McQueen has been a partner of the NRA for almost 40 years, allegations of financial wrongdoing on both sides have soured their shady relationship.
For their part, Ackerman McQueen has issued a public statement accusing the NRA not carrying out the NRA's mission.
Over the last very difficult year, the NRA's chaos led us to lose faith in the organization's willingness to act on behalf of the NRA's mission. We implored everyone involved to stay true to NRA membership. In return, we were attacked in frivolous lawsuits and defamed with made-up stories that were then cowardly peddled to the media. Our employees' right to privacy were challenged by a determination to drag false allegations into the public with leaks and innuendo. The intent was to make us afraid. We will never fear the truth.
Whether or not the NRA has carried out the NRA's mission may depend on who you ask and what they believe their mission is.
I am not going to defend the NRA under any circumstances, but Ackerman McQueen used NRATV to steer the NRA away from its original mission and toward becoming a domestic terrorist organization.
It's not as if the NRA's mission was ever entirely wholesome or necessarily in the best interests of the public, but NRATV gave InfoWars a run for its money in peddling the most unhinged commentary and conspiracy theories they could legally get away with. NRATV is batshit crazy and, unlike InfoWars, it's actually broadcast to a significant number of American households.
Ackerman McQueen transformed the NRA from a business lobby into a right wing media company engaged in a culture war with modern society.
I don't know if terminating the relationship between Ackerman and the NRA will moderate the insanity of the latter, but it couldn't hurt.