This article concerns the National Rifle Association of the USA. For the UK organisation, see National Rifle Association, UK
The National Rifle Association, or NRA, is a 501(c)(4) group for the protection of gun rights in the United States, established in New York in 1871 as the American Rifle Association. It sponsors firearm safety training courses, as well as shooting skills and sports. The NRA is sometimes said to be the most powerful single non-profit organization in the United States. It describes itself as the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the U.S., considering gun ownership a civil right protected by the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights.
Political lobby
Many consider the NRA to be one of the most influential, and sometimes controversial, political lobbies in the U.S. because of its ability to consistently deliver large numbers of votes in elections, as well as its record of campaign contributions and activities in lobbying for gun and hunting rights. Political lobbying is an activity permitted under its 501(c)(4) tax status.
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 a reelection since 1860). Bill Clinton wrote in his autobiography, My Life:
- "The NRA had a great night. They beat both Speaker Tom Foley and Jack Brooks, two of the ablest members of Congress, who had warned me this would happen. Foley was the first Speaker to be defeated in more than a century. Jack Brooks had supported the NRA for years and had led the fight against the assault weapons ban in the House, but as chairman of the Judiciary Committee he had voted for the overall crime bill even after the ban was put into it. The NRA was an unforgiving master: one strike and you're out. The gun lobby claimed to have defeated nineteen of the twenty-four members on its hit list. They did at least that much damage and could rightly claim to have made Gingrich the House Speaker." (629–30)
Many gun-control laws have been passed throughout the country, which the NRA and its supporters always fight vigorously. These laws range from the near-total ban on gun ownership in Washington, D.C., to the outlawing of entire classes of firearms in many states as well as at the federal level, to the licensing of firearms owners in some jurisdictions.
The NRA opposes new gun-control legislation in favor of stricter enforcement of existing laws prohibiting convicted felons and violent criminals from possessing firearms, increased sentences for gun-related crime, and "right-to-carry" laws expediting the process in many states of receiving a concealed handgun license. The NRA also takes positions on non-firearm hunting issues, such as supporting wildlife management programs that allow hunting and opposing restrictions on devices like crossbows and leg-hold traps.
One example of the NRA's legislative effectiveness is that over 37 U.S. states have mandatory issuance of permits to carry concealed weapons upon the applicant demonstrating completion of a training requirement or other basic criteria.
The NRA is officially nonpartisan and has endorsed both Democrats and Republicans; however, more Republicans tend to agree with its views than Democrats, and this is reflected in the number of endorsements. The NRA's policy is that it will endorse any incumbent who supports its positions, even if the challenger supports them as well.
Second Amendment
In its lobbying for gun rights, the NRA asserts that the Second Amendment guarantees the right of individuals to own and use guns. This strong contemporary interpretation of the second amendment, which is favored by the NRA, increases the emphasis on "the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed", and decreases the emphasis on "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State". It is probably fair to say that those who oppose unlimited individual gun rights have generally tended to adopt an interpretation of the Second Amendment that decreases its contemporary effect. The NRA typically opposes measures which it asserts would conflict with the Second Amendment and/or the right to privacy enjoyed by law-abiding gun owners. The NRA asserts that any attempt to regulate arms conflicts with the second clause of the amendment; the "right to keep and bear arms." The NRA has supported gun rights on other grounds as well—they opposed the Brady Bill in the courts on Tenth Amendment grounds, not Second Amendment.
Current campaigns
Lawsuit protection
As of September 2003, the NRA's focus at the federal level is on a bill to protect manufacturers from certain types of lawsuits. The "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act" (S.659/S.1806) is also supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, and opposed by many gun-control groups. The Senate amended the bill to extend the assault weapons ban and close the so-called "gun-show loophole", whereupon the NRA withdrew its support; the bill was defeated on March 2, 2004.
A new "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act" (S.397) passed the Senate (65–31) in late July 2005, passed the House (283–144) on October 20, and was signed by the President on October 26, 2005. The bill carried two amendments: requiring the purchase of a trigger lock with any handgun purchase; and authorizing the Department of Justice to study the penetration characteristics of ammunition and make a determination if the ammunition fits the category of "armor piercing". These amendments were rejected by other pro-gun organizations that think these concessions will lead to more restrictions and impetus for lawsuits for those that do not use trigger locks.
"Assault weapons"
In 2004 the NRA successfully opposed renewal of the federal assault weapons ban of 1994, which banned many features of certain semiautomatic rifles and certain types of removable magazines, against a campaign to make the ban permanent and/or expand it. The ban expired at midnight, September 13, 2004.
Confiscations in New Orleans
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, multiple reports of confiscations of civilian weapons by law enforcement began coming out of New Orleans. Warrantless weapon searches of evacuees were carried out prior to allowing them into evacuation centers [1], house-to-house weapon confiscations were reported [2] [3], and the superintendent of police was quoted as saying "Only law enforcement are allowed to have weapons" and "We are going to take all of the weapons" [4].
On September 12, 2005, National Rifle Association executive vice-president Wayne LaPierre spoke out against these confiscations. "What we’ve seen in Louisiana—the breakdown of law and order in the aftermath of disaster—is exactly the kind of situation where the Second Amendment was intended to allow citizens to protect themselves," LaPierre said. The NRA filed suit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District in Louisiana.
On September 23, two weeks after seizures began, NRA and SAF 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. (See Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.)
San Francisco's Proposition H
In November 2005, 58% of voters in San Francisco, California, approved "Proposition H" banning the sale, manufacture and distribution of firearms and ammunition, as well as possession of handguns, within city limits effective January 1, 2006. (The last gun dealer in the city had closed several years earlier because of a special tax.) San Francisco thereby became the third major city in the United States with a handgun ban, after Chicago and Washington, D.C.
The day after the election, the National Rifle Association and other gun advocates filed a lawsuit challenging the ban, saying it oversteps local government authority and intrudes into an area regulated by the state. (A previous handgun ban, adopted in 1984, was successfully challenged on similar grounds.) That battle continues in court.
Current leadership and policies
The NRA organization is governed by a large (typically 75 member) board of directors. The directors choose the president, the leading spokesman for the organization, from among their members. Although traditionally this position changed annually, for several years it was consecutively held by Charlton Heston, who was a compelling promoter of the NRA agenda. Heston became afflicted with Alzheimer's disease and stepped down in April 2003. Sandra S. Froman is now president.
Charlton Heston, "They'll have to pry it from my
Cold!...
Dead!...
Hands!"
The organization also has an Executive Vice President, who is not a director but functions as Chief Executive Officer, appointed at the pleasure of the directors. Wayne LaPierre has held this position since 1991. [5]
2000 Presidential Election
Some people credit the NRA's heavy campaigning in Arkansas and Tennessee in the weeks before the 2000 Presidential Election with taking votes from Al Gore and causing him to lose both states. Had Gore won either state, he would have won the presidency. Bill Clinton won both states in 1992 and 1996, and Clinton has even remarked in interviews since 2000 that the only reason Arkansas voted for George W. Bush was because of the NRA's extremely heavy campaigning on the theme that Gore would "take their guns".
NRA history
The NRA was founded on November 17, 1871, by two Union Army officers, Col. William C. Church and Gen. George Wingate, with the stated goal of "providing firearms training and encouraging interest in the shooting sports" among the general population. The first NRA president was Ambrose E. Burnside, a commander of the Army of the Potomac. Former President Ulysses S. Grant was elected president of the National Rifle Association in 1883. The NRA actively opposed attempts by the Ku Klux Klan to disarm southern blacks. Many southern NRA chapters consisted entirely of freedmen.
The NRA has functioned in a variety of roles over its existence. Besides its political function described above, it has been at various times and in various degrees an organizer of shooting competitions, a general promoter of marksmanship and firearms safety, an advocate for gun owners, collectors and sportsman, and an umbrella body for the many local and regional clubs involved in the various firearms related hobbies.
NRA firearms safety programs
The NRA sponsors a range of safety programs to educate and encourage the safe use of firearms.
NRA hunting safety courses are offered all across the U.S. for both children and adults. In recent years gun safety classes oriented more towards self-defense, particularly for women, have become popular.
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. The NRA has claimed that studies prove the "Eddie Eagle" program reduces the likelihood of firearms accidents in the home, and the program is used in many elementary schools nationwide. Opponents of firearm ownership generally reject these claims and condemn the video as an attempt to indoctrinate children into a "gun culture".
Shooting sports
Historically, the NRA has governed and advanced the shooting sports in the United States. In recent years, however, its role in the shooting sports has become somewhat less direct.
In 1992 the NRA ceased to be the National Governing Body for shooting (USA Shooting is now the NGB), and in 2000 the NRA chose not to be a member of the National Three-Position Air Rifle Council. The NRA is not directly involved in the practical pistol competitions conducted by the International Practical Shooting Confederation and International Defensive Pistol Association, or in cowboy action shooting; both of these types of events have grown dramatically in recent years.
However, the National Rifle and Pistol Matches at Camp Perry are sponsored by the NRA, which most consider the "World Series of competitive shooting".
The NRA functions as a general promoter of the shooting sports. The NRA house magazine, American Rifleman, covers major shooting competitions and related topics, and the NRA offers a publication dedicated to competitive shooting, Shooting Sports USA. Most competitive shooters are NRA members.
The current NRA competitions division publishes its own rulebooks, maintains a registry of marksmanship classifications, and sanctions matches.
Grass Roots Shooting Support
Through the NRA Foundation and Friends of NRA, the NRA also raises funds and distributes grants to local clubs. In addition to competitive marksmanship and gun safety, local programs supported by the NRA include instructor/coach training, gun collector programs, hunting programs, and programs for law enforcement officers.
Criticisms
Due to its stature as the most prominent pro-gun group in the U.S., the NRA has received a good deal of criticism from gun control groups such as the Brady Campaign and Americans for Gun Safety. A variety of newspaper editorial boards, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today, frequently disagree with the NRA's policies, such as in September of 2004, when they called for the extension of the assault weapons ban; in general, support for the NRA is higher in rural areas than urban areas. These groups tend to point to instances of gun violence, claiming that they could have been prevented through legislation that the NRA opposes. They also view the NRA as an extremist group, and attack it for encouraging a "culture of death". The NRA denies these claims, insisting that its work is more effective at preventing crime and violence than the efforts of its opponents; for example, it regularly notes everyday armed citizens preventing crime through gun ownership.
On the other hand, while the NRA generally opposes new restrictions, it has been criticized for doing too little to get existing restrictions repealed (instead routinely advocating vigorous enforcement of them), and sometimes helping to draft restrictive legislation rather than risk letting the process be dominated by its opponents. Because the NRA's membership consists largely of hunters and other sport shooters with little interest in the use of firearms for personal defense, its positions tend to be more moderate than those of Gun Owners of America or Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership.
Libertarians claim that the NRA routinely endorses Republican candidates, regardless of their actual position on gun rights, against strongly pro-gun Libertarians.
See also
External links
