When the NRA started making compromises with the anti-gunners, Neal fought this.
He fought EVERY anti-gun movement on both national and state/local levels, while the NRA was attempting to gain membership, instead of looking out for their members.
Neal had some tough battles with the powers at NRA, and found himself on the outside looking in. A couple of years after he was "ejected" from the NRA, Neal and a good group of around 8 other members attempted to regain their power. At the next annual meeting all were elected by a very disgruntled NRA membership.
Lots of internal fighting took place...and Neal started his Firearms Coalition, and while the NRA was still making phone calls soliciting money and membership (since the NRA had managed to really aggrivate their long-standing members, and new members were not easily found), Neal and his group were in court, at meetings, and at government hearings, fighting for the rights of the American gun owner.
I have been a Life Member of the NRA since 1968. It was good then. It was almost all we had. But whyen the started kissing up to the anti-gunners, I also became upset. What upset me even more were the 5 mailings per week I was receiving asking me if I wanted to renew my membership (to me "life" means "life"), or begging for donations, or making the NRA the beneficiary of my life insurance!
I used to make every annual NRA convention, when it was held at the NRA headquarters in D.C., but when the NRA, without approval of the membership, bought a multi-million dollar headquarters in an anti-gun state, and when they started moving the convention to anti-gun cities, I quit going!
While the anti-gunners have been fighting bare-fisted, the NRA has been wearing 24-ounce gloves. But Neal, his sons, and several other pro-gun organizations have ALWAYS fought back bare-fisted and bare-knuckled.
Sure, Neal caused trouble in the NRA, but is was needed.
In addition to this Neal also ran Handloader Magazine and Rifle Magazine as well as several other publications.
Neal was also a championship marksman, something NONE of the latest group of NRA "officials" can make claim to.
Most of the anti-gun legislation in recent years passed because the NRA "sucked-up" and compromised. Meanwhile Neal fought, to his dying day, to either block or end such legislation.
