Court bans New York NRA official from having guns after domestic abuse charges

Just what you want to see in the hands of your abusive husband. The NRA has an appropriate representative working in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut: a man temporarily barred from having guns after he pled guilty to harassment stemming from what his now-former wife describes as domestic violence. Richard D'Alauro was initially charged with misdemeanor assault and endangering the welfare of a child as well as noncriminal harassment.

The NRA official pleaded guilty Oct. 3 to the harassment charge, admitting to Suffolk County Court Judge Toni Bean that he intended to 'harass, annoy or alarm' his wife 'by subjecting her to physical contact,' a transcript of the proceedings show.

The judge continued an order of protection against D'Alauro for one year, banning him from owning or purchasing firearms until Oct. 3, 2013. At that time, D'Alauro, who is 62, will be allowed to rearm, and the police will be required to return his guns'a prospect his former wife says she finds terrifying.

Maureen D'Alauro says that assault "is an accurate description" of the incident that led to her then-husband's arrest and the confiscation of his 39 or more guns; she experienced "years of domestic violence," she says, and:

She called her ex-husband a 'bully' who acted at home with the same confrontational behavior that NRA leaders use in politics.

'They are cut from the same cloth,' she said.

The NRA isn't commenting on the fact that its employee is legally barred from owning guns for domestic violence. But this could be an opportunity for the gun lobby group: "The NRA: America's abusive husband" is a slogan that might well appeal to many of its members.