"But not exactly secret -- and not for pay."
That's not the point.
The fact that she had a continuing relationship with NRA, and then wrote a column supporting NRA, can be seen to be a conflict of interest that calls her objectivity into question.
When I was working as a reporter I had a significant number of rules and restrictions placed on me as a means of avoiding even the appearance of a conflict of interest.
I'm really finding it hard to fault the newspaper here. The timing may be questionable, but the action I don't think is.