Film and television star Tom Selleck, 73, has stepped down after 13 years as a member of the board of directors of the National Rifle Association, citing his work schedule
Movie and television star Tom Selleck has quit the board of directors for the National Rifle Association (NRA) during his fifth term ‘due to his work schedule.’
His abrupt departure was announced by his publicist Annette Wolf in a statement to The Trace, published on Wednesday.
While emphasizing the minimal role Selleck, 73, has played within the organization, Wolf noted he remains a member.
‘He has nothing to do with policy,’ Wolf said. ‘He’s never been active on the board or anything the NRA engages in. He’s almost always been a silent board member.’
The Three Men and a Baby star first joined the NRA as a junior member when he was just eight years old, and has served on the board since 2005.
Selleck’s involvement with the NRA was famously called in to question by Rosie O’Donnell in 1999, shortly after the Columbine shooting took place
Selleck was re-elected to his fifth, three-year term on the 76-person board in 2017, amassing 110,812 votes, which was more than any other candidate on the ballot.
The avid gun collector has supported the organization in others way, as well, including donating guns from his many movie and TV sets to the NRA’s National Firearms Museum.
His involvement with the gun rights advocacy group was famously called in to question by Rosie O’Donnell in 1999, shortly after the Columbine shooting took place on April 20 of that year.
Selleck had come on her show to promote his latest film at the time, ‘The Love Letter,’ but had also recently appeared in an advertisement for the NRA.
Sources close to the NRA confirmed to The Trace that Selleck was rarely present at board meetings; Selleck is sen here in 1990’s ‘Quigley Down Under’
Selleck had come on her show to promote his latest film at the time, ‘The Love Letter,’ but had also recently appeared in an advertisement for the NRA (shown), which came out shortly before the Columbine shooting occurred on April 20, 1999
In the print ad campaign, Selleck was featured on a full page along with the slogan, ‘I’m The NRA’ and his quote, saying, ‘Shooting teaches young people good things. Because all good rules for shooting are good rules for life.’
About one month after the ad came out, the Columbine shooting happened, killing 15 including the two gunmen who opened fire on their high school in Colorado, and injuring 24 more.
At the time, Magnum, PI leading man took issue with being called a spokesperson for the NRA, and disagreed with O’Donnell’s views about the need for more stringent gun control, though he did so with tact and decorum.
In the print ad campaign, Selleck was featured on a full page along with the slogan, ‘I’m The NRA’ and his quote, saying, ‘Shooting teaches young people good things. Because all good rules for shooting are good rules for life’
The avid gun collector has supported the organization in others way, as well, including donating guns from his many movie and TV sets to the NRA’s National Firearms Museum; Selleck is shown at left in 1980 on the set of ‘Magnum, PI’ with a gun in hand
More than a decade after the somewhat heated debate, Selleck reflected on watching O’Donnell discuss controversial topics with her co-hosts on The View, and whether his personal feelings had been impacted by the exchange.
‘I still like Rosie,’ Selleck told the Today Show in 2010. ‘I think she needs to take a deep breath and stop thinking everybody who disagrees with her is evil.’
The NRA has not commented publicly on Selleck’s departure from the position, but sources close to the group confirmed to The Trace that Selleck was rarely present at board meetings while holding the role, from 2005 to now.
Recently, however, the Blue Bloods star headlined the NRA’s 2017 Women’s Leadership Forum, along with White House advisor Kellyanne Conway.
When asked whether Selleck supported the NRA’s politics, policies, messaging, and mission as they stand today, Wolf declined to comment.
Wolf did not mention what projects Selleck is currently working on, that may have made his schedule less amenable to his limited role on the NRA’s board.
Wolf did not mention what projects Selleck is currently working on, that may have made his schedule less amenable to his limited role on the NRA’s board; Selleck is seen here at Build Studios in New York City on September 29, 2017