NRA(National Rifle Association)

By Jack Johnson

History

• Civil War veterans led by Army and Navy Journal editor William Conant Church organized the NRA in New York in 1871, with General Ambrose Burnside as President and George Wood Wingate as secretary.

• Wingate traveled to Europe and observed European armies' marksmanship training programs.

• With plans provided by Wingate, the New York legislature funded the construction of a modern range at Creedmore, Long Island, for long-range shooting competitions. Wingate then wrote a marksmanship manual

Aims

• Promote safety when using a firearm - Intended for school-age children, the NRA's "Eddie Eagle" program encourages the viewer to "Stop! Don't touch! Leave the area! Tell an adult!" if the child ever sees a firearm lying around.

• To embrace the 2nd Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

• To support the sport of shooting.

Finances

• Annual revenues for the NRA were around: - $150 million in 1994

- up from $66 million in 1986. • The NRA's CEO, Wayne LaPierre, received a

yearly salary of $895,897 in 2004. • NRA's total income in 2004 was $205,402,491

and had expenses of $206,886,970. • Total NRA assets at the end of 2004 were

$222,841,128.

Political Activity

• Members of Congress have ranked the NRA as the most powerful lobbying organization in the country several years in a row. Opponents of the organization accuse it of unduly influencing political appointments.

• Eight U.S. Presidents have been NRA members.- Ulysses S. Grant (R)- Theodore Roosevelt (R)- William Howard Taft (R)- Dwight D. Eisenhower (R)- John F. Kennedy (D)- Richard M. Nixon (R)- Ronald Reagan (R)- George H. W. Bush (R)

The Current Presidency

• During the 2008 presidential campaign, the NRA spent $10 million.15 In 2011, the organization refused an offer to discuss gun control with U.S. President Barack Obama.

• In response to the invitation, NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre said:

- "Why should I or the N.R.A. go sit down with a group of people that have spent a lifetime trying to destroy the Second Amendment in the United States?“

- In his statement, LaPierre named Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder (both Democrats) as examples of the "people" he referred to.

Grass Roots Activity

• Friends of NRA is a grassroots fund-raising program that fosters community involvement, raises money, and gives 100 percent of the net proceeds to qualified local, state, and national programs.

• Working with the NRA’s field staff, thousands of volunteers nationwide participate in the program by organizing committees and planning events in their communities.

Media View

• The NRA is criticized by gun control groups such as the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Brady Campaign, Million Mom March, and Americans for Gun Safety.

• The NRA has been criticized by other gun rights groups for doing too little to get existing restrictions repealed, and sometimes helping to draft restrictive legislation.

Elections

• 1980 Presidential Election- Three days before the November 4 voting the NRA

endorsed a presidential candidate for the first time in its history, backing Ronald Reagan over Jimmy Carter.

• 1994 Presidential Election- In the 1994 election the NRA is often credited with

defeating Congressmen Jack Brooks and Tom Foley (the first Speaker of the House to lose reelection since 1862).

Past Campaigns

• In 2004 the NRA opposed renewal of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994.

- Which banned many features of certain semiautomatic rifles and certain types of removable magazines - gun control advocates wanted to make the ban permanent and expand it.

- The NRA succeeded, and the ban expired at midnight on September 13, 2004.

Current Campaigns

• Confiscation in New Orleans- On September 23, two weeks after seizures began, NRA and the

Second Amendment Foundation filed for a temporary restraining order.

- On September 24, 2005 U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana issued a temporary restraining order barring any further gun confiscations and ordering the return of lawfully owned firearms to their owners.

- On March 1, 2006, the NRA filed a motion for contempt against the city of New Orleans, its mayor, and the chief of police for failure to comply with the restraining order.

- On March 15, 2006, lawyers from both sides reached an agreement in the case of NRA v. Mayor Ray Nagin, which is pending before a federal court.