A significant data point on the subject of unethical behavior by WLP and NRA is found in the recent (2020) book by Tim Schmidt, founder of US Concealed Carry Association. The story begins in Chapter 11, The NRA Wanted Us to Disappear.
Briefly, in 2016 a senior NRA assistant to WLP contacted Schmidt to discuss partnering USCCA and NRA. Schmidt assumed the idea was to partner and complement the two organizations' training programs. That person then came to USCCA and during a long discussion gathered a deep amount of information on how USCCA set up their member protection program for post-shooting event support. Then in 2017 two weeks before the annual NRA meeting, NRA notified USCCA that their booth area was no longer approved, and USCCA could not exhibit or recruit at the conference. What a surprise when the big reveal at the 2017 NRA meeting was announcement of the new Carry Guard insurance program (now defunct).
You can read the entire story for free on the web page or by downloading the book as PDF, epub, or mobi (Kindle) at
If It Is to Be, It’s Up to Me
Notably, you do not have to give them an email to get the book, just scroll down on the page or download it from there.
The book is a quick and easy read, an interview of Schmidt on how he came to found and build USCCA. I recommend it.
Personal note: I wrote off USCCA many years ago based on their annoyingly aggressive email marketing campaign, inundating me with daily emails once they had my address. I am not a member, and when I researched post event protection programs did not consider theirs as right for me.
Briefly, in 2016 a senior NRA assistant to WLP contacted Schmidt to discuss partnering USCCA and NRA. Schmidt assumed the idea was to partner and complement the two organizations' training programs. That person then came to USCCA and during a long discussion gathered a deep amount of information on how USCCA set up their member protection program for post-shooting event support. Then in 2017 two weeks before the annual NRA meeting, NRA notified USCCA that their booth area was no longer approved, and USCCA could not exhibit or recruit at the conference. What a surprise when the big reveal at the 2017 NRA meeting was announcement of the new Carry Guard insurance program (now defunct).
You can read the entire story for free on the web page or by downloading the book as PDF, epub, or mobi (Kindle) at
If It Is to Be, It’s Up to Me
Notably, you do not have to give them an email to get the book, just scroll down on the page or download it from there.
The book is a quick and easy read, an interview of Schmidt on how he came to found and build USCCA. I recommend it.
Personal note: I wrote off USCCA many years ago based on their annoyingly aggressive email marketing campaign, inundating me with daily emails once they had my address. I am not a member, and when I researched post event protection programs did not consider theirs as right for me.
Last edited: