MONSTROUS

NRA Head Wayne LaPierre and Wife Worked to Secretly Turn Elephant They Shot Into Stools: Report

The New Yorker reports the gun-rights pariah and his wife begged a taxidermist to “not use our names anywhere if at all possible” when making umbrella stands and a trash can.

The head of the National Rifle Association and his wife went to great lengths to ship parts of the elephant they killed in Botswana back home—and to keep their names far removed from it. According to The New Yorker, Wayne LaPierre and his wife, Susan, had elephant feet repurposed for stools, umbrella stands, and a trash can, all while trying to make sure the shipment couldn’t be traced back to them. A 2013 email from Susan LaPierre to a manager asked that the shipment to be sent to a taxidermist and for the company to “not use our names anywhere if at all possible.” Aside from explicitly violating NRA rules on contractor gifts greater than $250, the two were afraid of a backlash over their hunt after seeing the pushback from an episode of hunting show Under Wild Skies, in which the host shot and killed an elephant. New York’s Attorney General’s Office, which has sought to disband the gun-rights organization over corruption claims, said the gifts were worth thousands of dollars and “in excess of authorized amounts pursuant to NRA policy to LaPierre and his wife.” An NRA spokesperson told the outlet the hunting trip was perfectly legal and that the NRA donated some of the other animal prizes from that trip.

Years later, the taxidermist who conducted the work for Susan LaPierre emailed her, hoping she would connect him with a boat seller in exchange for the work—and the secrecy provided, The New Yorker writes. She did not return his email.