Just wanted you to know that there’s been an unexpected change -again- at the NRA HQ,” the caller said, “since you’re in the news business, you might want to let people know.”

The caller then proceeded to tell me that Joseph DeBergalia, a former BoD member and - until Tuesday afternoon - the Executive Director of NRA General Operations second in command of the National Rifle Association, had been summarily dismissed on Tuesday afternoon.

In the latest twist in the ongoing NRA saga, it seems Executive Director of General Operations Joe DeBergalis (left) was summarily dismissed by Wayne LaPierre. His replacement? Longtime NRA employee Andrew Arulanandam (below right). Board members tell us the change came as a “complete surprise” to them as well.

Apparently, Wayne LaPierre, the embattled frontman for the nation’s oldest civil rights organization simply walked in the office and summarily dismissed DeBergalis, naming longtime NRA employee Andrew Arulanandam the interim replacement.

Here’s the way it was explained to employees in LaPierre’s internal email:

“Effective immediately, I have appointed Andrew Arulanandam as interim executive director of NRA general operations, replacing Joe DeDebergalis. We wish Joe and his family all the best.”

Speaking with a current NRA board members, it seems there was no conversation -at least with them- regarding the abrupt decision. DeBergalis, a retired former New York police official, is a former Board member and longtime NRA supporter.

We’ve reached out to him -and others- and have gotten no response as of this writing. If/when we get any insight, we’ll share it with you.

Yesterday, I spent a bit of time visiting with longtime Guntalk Radio host and friend, Tom Gresham about the year that we’re rapidly winding down- and the year we’re headed into. We were talking about the top items we see from the past year -and stories we’re likely going to be covering in ’24.

As you can imagine, the NRA is one of those ongoing stories. But the NRA is actually a two-part story. First to mind for most is the question that gets the most attention: “What’s going to happen when/if the court case in New York actually goes to trial?”

That’s not a question it will take most of next year to answer.

The case is set to begin in New York City in early January. At that point, barring an eleventh-hour deal, a jury will be convened, evidence will be presented and questions that have been tossed about since the initial charges were filed against the organization will be answered in public and under oath. That’s the point when all the he said/she said sniping back-and-forth will become moot. Fibs in public are somewhat more serious in court. In fact, telling fibs under oath is commission of perjury -and that should stop a lot of the back-and-forth.

That’s the soap opera portion of the two-part NRA story for 2024. It’s the most entertaining, but it’s not the story that should really be of concern to everyone who wants to protect their rights -particularly when it comes to the Second Amendment.

Ongoing legal expenses and shrinking revenues have put a huge dent in the work that the NRA and the NRA-ILA have historically done: lobbying and supporting political campaigns. Buying politicians’ favor, er, supporting like-minded candidates, takes money- lots of it.

The NRA once spread large amounts of supporters’ funds to help pro 2A candidates in crucial races. Today, despite protestations to the contrary, those funds simply aren’t there.

Recognizing that shortfall, the NSSF established a super PAC - a political action committee that supports issues rather than candidates to help in the 2A fight. But funding isn’t at former NRA levels -primarily because there aren’t millions of members to make small contributions that amount to significant war chests.

There are other 2A organizations that are carrying a majority of the efforts forward in the courts, and they’ve scored major wins across the judicial landscape this year.

But the absence of funds to help undecided voters make better informed decisions at the ballot box in November could pose a significant threat to all our rights - but specifically the right enumerated in the Second Amendment.

That’s the story that will play out over the course of 2024. Whether it is one of overcoming adversity or being witness to a slow-motion train wreck is one that meets the qualification for the ultimate reporter’s copout answer: “What will happen? Only time will tell.”

Throughout the process, we’ll keep you posted.

— Jim Shepherd