Adolphus A. Busch IV, an heir to the beer-making fortune, resigned from the NRA Thursday in protest of the gun-lobbying group's "rigid new direction" and "distorted values." In his letter of resignation (obtained by KSDK) he wrote that he was disturbed that the group had abandoned its earlier support for background checks and, by opposing the bill before the Senate this week, disregarded "the overwhelming will of its members who see background checks as reasonable." His fortune, he implied, would no longer be at the group's disposal.
"I have historically been a staunch defender of the NRA," he wrote. "I have personally devoted countless financial resources and time to nurture an intelligent environmental policy that provided for the proud tradition of personal hunting for generations to come.... [But] the NRA I see today has undermined the values upon which it was established. Your current strategic focus places a priority on the needs of gun and ammunition manufacturers while disregarding the opinions of your 4 million individual members."
He demanded that his name be removed from the membership lists.