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{{CZ:POL 214: US Political Parties and Interest Groups/EZnotice}}
{{subpages}}
{{subpages}}
{{Infobox Legal Person
| name            = National Rifle Association
| parent          =
| logo            = Nra logo.jpg
| website          = www.nra.org
| legal_status    = 501(c)(4)
| ownership_type  =
| stock_symbol    =
| foundation_date  = 1871
| founded_by      = [[Colonel William C. Church]] and [[General George Wingate]]
| location_street  = 11250 Waples Mill Road
| location_city    = Fairfax
| location_state  = Virginia
| location_country = United States
| industry        =
| product          =
}}


:''The initials '''NRA''' can also refer to the [[National Recovery Administration]], a depression-era government agency.''
{{TOC|right}}
 
The '''National Rifle Association of America''', or NRA, is a [[United States of America|U.S.]] non-profit interest group that since the 1990's has lobbied to prevent any and all forms of gun regulation in the [[United States of America|U.S.]]. It is known for "buying" politicians by providing them with so much financial support that they cannot avoid pursuing the group's interests, for running smear campaigns against politicians whose policies are not approved by the organization, and for being one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the U.S.  But as of 2024, amid frequent mass shootings in the U.S. and scandals among NRA leadership, the organization lost more than a million members, out of six million at its peak in 2018, and its revenue has dropped by more than 40 percent since 2016.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/12/briefing/nra-wayne-la-pierre.html The Decline of the N.R.A.] by German Lopez in the New York Times, Feb. 12, 2024</ref> The NRA advertises itself as a public service organization training hundreds of thousands of gun owners each year.
The '''National Rifle Association of America''', or NRA, is a non-partisan, non-profit American [[interest group]] created to “preserve and defend” the [[Second Amendment of the United States Constitution]]. Founded in 1871 by Col. [[William C. Church]] and Gen. [[George Wingate]], both Union veterans of the American Civil War, the group touts itself as America’s oldest civil rights organization.
 
Often referred to as one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the United States, the NRA boasts nearly four million members, according to the organization’s website.<ref>NRA "Brief History" Web page, accessed Aug. 30, 2009 from http://www.nra.org/aboutus.aspx</ref> The NRA trains approximately 750,000 gun owners each year, and promotes firearm safety with its training courses and educational programs.


==History==
==History==


===Founding===
The NRA was founded in 1871 by Col. William C. Church and Gen. George Wingate, both Union veterans of the American Civil War.  The NRA's stated purpose for being formed was to “preserve and defend” the Second Amendment to the [[U.S. Constitution]].  
 
The National Rifle Association was founded shortly after the end of the [[American Civil War]] (1861-1865), but several decades after [[Samuel Colt]] opened the first private gun manufacturing facility in 1836.
 
Civil War Gen. Ambrose Burnside, also a U.S. Senator and the former governor of Rhode Island, was the NRA's first president.
 
This subsection should provide some historical context for the founding of your group, explain the motivations behind it, and describe the steps taken and challenges faced by its founders to get the ball rolling.<ref>John Q. Sample, ''Why and How Interest Group X Was Founded''. City: Publisher, 2015.</ref>


===Early Years===
===Early Years===


By the end of the nineteenth century, factories were producing weapons at affordable prices, creating widespread individual ownership of guns <ref>Anonymous, "Guns in America: Arms and the man." ''The Economist'' (1999) Vol. 352, Iss. 8126, Pgs. 17-20</ref>. The NRA trained many of these new gun owners, often men in the army, with its rifle ranges.
By the end of the nineteenth century, the NRA was offering training for gun owners at its rifle ranges. At this point in time, the organization was not concerned with public policy; it did very little lobbying, and was more concerned with developing gun safety classes. The group’s first rifle range, located on Long Island, was paid for by the New York stage legislature. In 1903, Congress set up the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice, now known as the Civilian Marksmanship Program. The NRA helped to run this board, and Congress eventually gave surplus guns to NRA-sponsored rifle clubs, allowing the organization to expand westward. The group constructed a new facility near Lake Erie, 45 miles east of Toledo, Ohio.
 
The group’s first rifle range, located on Long Island, was paid for by the New York stage legislature. In 1903 Congress set up the [[National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice]], now known as the [[Civilian Marksmanship Program]]. The NRA helped to run this board, and Congress eventually gave surplus guns to NRA-sponsored rifle clubs, allowing the organization to expand westward<ref>Anonymous, "Guns in America: Arms and the man." ''The Economist'' (1999) Vol. 352, Iss. 8126, Pgs. 17-20</ref>.
 
Due to an overwhelming interest in the NRA’s shooting programs, the group expanded by constructing a new facility near Lake Erie, 45 miles east of Toledo, Ohio.  


===WWII Era===
===WWII Era===


In 1934 the NRA formed its Legislative Affairs Division to take up the cause of defending the Second Amendment. While the NRA was not involved in lobbying at this time, it did mail out legislative facts and summaries to members, who could take subsequent action.   
In 1934 the NRA formed its Legislative Affairs Division concerned with preserving the right of people to own guns. While the NRA was not involved in lobbying at this time, it did mail out legislative facts and summaries to members, who could take subsequent action.  The NRA offered its ranges to the government during World War II. The association developed training materials for industrial security and helped gather more than 7,000 firearms for Britain’s defense against a possible invasion from Germany.
 
The NRA offered its ranges to the government during World War II, and even encouraged its members to serve as guard members throughout the war. The association developed training materials for industrial security, and helped gather more than 7,000 firearms for Britain’s defense against a possible invasion from Germany.  


===Post WWII===
===Post WWII===
Line 53: Line 20:
The tenor of the organization changed after World World II, as the NRA began to accommodate the recreational sportsman, even putting together an Olympic rifle team.  
The tenor of the organization changed after World World II, as the NRA began to accommodate the recreational sportsman, even putting together an Olympic rifle team.  


In 1973 the organization released a new magazine, ''The American Hunter''. To further its protection of gun rights, the NRA eventually formed the Institute for Legislative Action, or ILA, in 1975.
The NRA came out in support of the Gun Control Act of 1968, which forbade selling guns by mail. In 1980 the group endorsed a presidential candidate, Ronald Reagan, for the first time.
 
In 1997 the NRA began publication of ''The American Guardian'' to appeal to a more mainstream audience and focus less on the technical aspect of firearms. The magazine was renamed ''America’s 1st Freedom'' in 2000.
 
This NRA's current shooting range, Camp Perry, is now the home of the annual National Matches, an NRA marksmanship competition with more than 6,000 people competing each year.
 
==Current objectives and activities==
 
While the National Rifle Association has not strayed from its initial mission of firearms training and education, its interests have expanded to the political arena. Though not a political machine in itself, the NRA is a powerful lobbying group, and often comes out in support of conservative Republican candidates.
 
 
This section should discuss the group's current initiatives and tactics for influencing political outcomes (which may or may not be very different from its original goals and modus operandi).<ref>"The Things We Do and How We Do Them," Interest Group X. 2006. Retrieved July 21, 2009 from [http://www.interestgroupx.org/things_we_do.html http://www.interestgroupx.org/things_we_do.html]</ref>
 
==Organizational structure==
 
The National Rifle Association is governed by a board of directors, usually numbering about 75. The board is responsible for selecting the president, who acts as the organization’s spokesperson, from among their members.
 
Among the group’s most notable leaders was actor and activist [[Charlton Heston]], who stepped down in April 2003 after developing [[Alzheimer’s disease]].
 
==Achievements==


This section should recount the group's major achievements, including but not limited to legislative and/or legal victories.<ref>"Major Success for Interest Group X," ''Anytown Daily News'', January 1, 2015, p. A6.</ref>
This NRA's current shooting range, Camp Perry, is now the home of the annual National Matches, an NRA marksmanship competition with thousands of people competing each year.


==Public perception and controversies==
Despite the very high number of gun deaths from mass shootings in the U.S., the NRA vehemently (and successfully) lobbied against the renewal of the country's 1990s ban on assault-style rifles.


In developing this final section, be especially careful about maintaining a [[CZ:Neutrality Policy|neutral]] stance and tone. Your aim should be to document the public's perception of your group and/or any controversies in which it is or has been embroiled ''without weighing in with your own opinion'' about them.
==Notes==
<references />


==References==
[[Category:Reviewed Passed]]
<references/>

Latest revision as of 11:47, 19 March 2024

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The National Rifle Association of America, or NRA, is a U.S. non-profit interest group that since the 1990's has lobbied to prevent any and all forms of gun regulation in the U.S.. It is known for "buying" politicians by providing them with so much financial support that they cannot avoid pursuing the group's interests, for running smear campaigns against politicians whose policies are not approved by the organization, and for being one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the U.S. But as of 2024, amid frequent mass shootings in the U.S. and scandals among NRA leadership, the organization lost more than a million members, out of six million at its peak in 2018, and its revenue has dropped by more than 40 percent since 2016.[1] The NRA advertises itself as a public service organization training hundreds of thousands of gun owners each year.

History

The NRA was founded in 1871 by Col. William C. Church and Gen. George Wingate, both Union veterans of the American Civil War. The NRA's stated purpose for being formed was to “preserve and defend” the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Early Years

By the end of the nineteenth century, the NRA was offering training for gun owners at its rifle ranges. At this point in time, the organization was not concerned with public policy; it did very little lobbying, and was more concerned with developing gun safety classes. The group’s first rifle range, located on Long Island, was paid for by the New York stage legislature. In 1903, Congress set up the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice, now known as the Civilian Marksmanship Program. The NRA helped to run this board, and Congress eventually gave surplus guns to NRA-sponsored rifle clubs, allowing the organization to expand westward. The group constructed a new facility near Lake Erie, 45 miles east of Toledo, Ohio.

WWII Era

In 1934 the NRA formed its Legislative Affairs Division concerned with preserving the right of people to own guns. While the NRA was not involved in lobbying at this time, it did mail out legislative facts and summaries to members, who could take subsequent action. The NRA offered its ranges to the government during World War II. The association developed training materials for industrial security and helped gather more than 7,000 firearms for Britain’s defense against a possible invasion from Germany.

Post WWII

The tenor of the organization changed after World World II, as the NRA began to accommodate the recreational sportsman, even putting together an Olympic rifle team.

The NRA came out in support of the Gun Control Act of 1968, which forbade selling guns by mail. In 1980 the group endorsed a presidential candidate, Ronald Reagan, for the first time.

This NRA's current shooting range, Camp Perry, is now the home of the annual National Matches, an NRA marksmanship competition with thousands of people competing each year.

Despite the very high number of gun deaths from mass shootings in the U.S., the NRA vehemently (and successfully) lobbied against the renewal of the country's 1990s ban on assault-style rifles.

Notes

  1. ↑ The Decline of the N.R.A. by German Lopez in the New York Times, Feb. 12, 2024
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