A lawsuit in New York may shake things up at the NRA

“WAYNE’S WORLD”NRANRANRA’sNRANRA is how Monica Connell, a lawyer with the New York state attorney-general’s office, described how the National Rifle Association, better known as the , operated for decades. On January 8th, during the opening statement of the state’s civil trial against the , Wayne LaPierre, who has headed the gun-rights organisation since 1991, and two other former and current top executives, Ms Connell said, “this case is about corruption”.The lawsuit filed by Letitia James, New York’s attorney-general, accuses the leadership of instituting a culture of mismanagement and negligence which benefited themselves, family, friends and certain vendors, and caused the organisation to lose more than $63m, much of it donated by gun-owners. The state alleges that Mr LaPierre and the others used money on luxury travel, including private jets, and did not declare expensive gifts, including African safaris and yacht trips. And, Ms Connell said, Mr LaPierre retaliated against anyone who questioned him. Oliver North, a former president pushed out in 2019, is expected to testify.