You’ve probably heard the noise about the NRA’s new Carry Guard program.

The roll-out of this program has been controversial, starting a couple months ago when USCCA was suddenly uninvited from the NRA Annual Meeting.

In fact, it’s rather odd when you consider the NRA has long had a training division (see here and here) but that division is sorely absent from their new product. In fact, it appears their new product is a direct competitor with their long-standing product. Huh???

Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.

Marty Hayes of the Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network has written an Open Letter to the NRA about this incident.

I agree with Marty.

(Disclosure: I am a member of ACLDN, and have made use of their services; but I am not on their payroll, I receive no compensation or anything from ACLDN other than the services I get by being a paying member).

Marty has also updated his comparison guide, that compares various post-incident suport plans, to include Carry Guard. While the guide certainly promotes ACLDN, I do think it’s a fair and even assessment of the various programs out there because he’s just presenting the simple facts of the programs in a side-by-side comparison article. I think the promotion of ACLDN comes from the fact it’s a top-notch program (which is why I’m a member).

The point here is not to stir up more drama than the NRA has already created, but rather to point out the odd nature of what the NRA is doing. Give Marty’s open letter a read.