The NRA

The NRA

Cited Sources:

Website Title: Mother Jones

Article Title: Washington voters just passed the gun law Congress couldn't-and the NRA is freaked out

Date Accessed: January 01, 2015

Website Title: Opensecrets RSS

Article Title: National Rifle Assn

Date Accessed: January 02, 2015

Website Title: YouTube

Article Title: A Brief History of the NRA

Publisher: YouTube

Date Accessed: January 02, 2015

Support

Website Title: GuideStar Exchange Reports for NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF[…]

Article Title: NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA Organization Name prov[…]

Date Accessed: January 01, 2015

Past Leadership

A Brief History

In the past, the NRA has had influential members such as former Presidents and Congressmen such as Teddy Roosevelt, President Eisenhower, and Ted Nugent to name a few.

Purpose of Interest Groups

Successes

Grade

With all the information that has been compiled and reviewed I would give the NRA between a B+ and A+ for their overall grade. Although they have a large base of members, most of the members that actually participate in the NRA policy making and actions have passion for the group which is well funded. The NRA is able to accomplish its goals as well, limiting the legislation that gets passed to restrict or infringe the 2nd Amendment.

Although in the American government the people are supposed to be the voice of decision , it is rarely so. Large, well funded organizations such as the National Rifle Association influence policy more than the people through lobbying and use of large sums of funds to "convince" Congressmen to support them.

As stated before, the NRA spends huge sums of money to influence policy and elections. In the 2014 election cycle, more than 47 million dollars was spent to re-elect or elect mainly Republican candidates to Congress. Most of the funds that the NRA receives are from wealthy contributors through their PAC, the Political Victory Fund, and from the NRA foundation, a 501 (c) (3) organization that collects funds to support ad campaigns and support for the group.

The NRA has, over the years, endorsed thousands of Congressional and State legislatures and of these, 84% were elected to office, one of which is Rick Santorum and the NRA also helped President Reagan fund his campaign. The NRA also has 4.3 million members and over 1,000 firearms safety class instructors and many forms of gun legislation are opposed by the NRA and do not succeed.

History and Leaders

Issues

Purpose of the NRA

The NRA today is involved in any gun legislation that seeks to limit the rights of gun owners to keep and bear arms. In recent activities, the NRA has displayed strong opposition to gun regulation legislation proposed in Washington state, which was passed and now requires universal background checks. Also, the NRA is preparing to face legislation in Nevada, Maine, Arizona and Oregon which are making more pushes for gun legislation. The NRA also has killed proposed bills that would add background checks as an Amendment.

In 1871, the NRA was founded by Col. William Church and Gen. George Wingate of the Union army. Both were concerned with the lack of marksmanship shown during the Civil War and sought to teach young men and others how to shoot. The first President of the NRA was Union Gen. Ambrose Burnside. Today, the NRA makes decisions through a board of directors formed by 76 members. The Board is led by a President and Vice President and the lobbying branch and charitable/fundraiser branch is led by directors.

The main purpose of the NRA is to promote the purchase and safety of firearms and the protection of the Second Amendment. This goal is accomplished through advertisements, classes that are taught by the group on gun safety and hunting, and other means including lobbying and allowing membership when firearms are purchased. The NRA is a single issue group, so they are able to accomplish much and the ones who support them most have passion for the group and create success.

Continued Support Methods

The NRA also supports its interests by holding fundraisers and shooting events. These events raise awareness for the group and also raise funds through participant donations. When an individual purchases a firearm, they are given the choice to sign up for an NRA membership.

Membership

Membership in the NRA provides an individual with the following material and purposeful incentives:

1: Membership ID card and optional American Hunter and American Riflemen magazine subscriptions

2: Annual members receive $5000 of Accidental Death or Dismemberment Coverage and life members receive $10000 worth of coverage.

3: A chance to show patriotism and protect the 2nd Amendment.