Remember what I said about GeorgiaCarry.org: They went without paid staff for 3 or 4 years.
As long as the paid staffer (again, we're talking years) has the same values in terms of pushing for things that the organization does, and doesn't "sell out" to perpetuate itself, I don't see the problem as long as the players on the board of directors and who is hired is well-known, and can show some form of forward progress in the Legislature. People can choose to support it or not with donations. If they're ineffective, their money dries up, but that applies whether or not paid staff exists.
This isn't a matter of being paid to be an activist, it's a matter of someone being able to 100 percent focus on the task at hand rather than being pulled apart by real life needs such as keeping a roof over their head.
When I did what I did here in Washington, I was able to do it for nearly 2 years, and then real life caught up with me because I had to pay bills and keep a roof over my head, significantly reducing my role on the local open carry scene here. Would it have been different if I was part of an organized grassroots group as a paid staffer? Probably because I could have focused on the job at hand for years and did more, but we'll never know. I have a good career at my job, which pays me quite well, and I wouldn't give it up for the vow of poverty that doing unpaid activist lobbying can do. I do what I can with the time I have.
I realize that this group may be a dirty word around here, but SAF wouldn't be as effective as they are without paid staff. Same with the Citizens Committee. SAF fought for some of the best legal victories on guns that we have. Not bad for a paid staff org.....just sayin.
