What the NRA doesn't want the public (or its members) to know...

The NRA - voted the most powerful lobbying organization in Washington DC

Forget the NRA's historic origins focusing on marksmanship and gun safety - today the NRA is primarily a lobby focused on promoting gun sales. A Fortune magazine poll of our lawmakers and staffers identified the NRA as the most powerful lobby in Washington DC.

The NRA has significantly increased gun sales in the US; paralleling the rise is gun deaths and mass shooting incidents

5.6 Million guns were manufactured and sold by U.S. companies in 1980; 16.6 Million in 2023.

There was one mass shooting in 1980; 659 in 2023.

Firearms violence is a public health emergency, says the American College of Physicians.

After previous denials, on April 10th, 2018 the NRA confirmed it has in fact received 23 contributions from Russian individuals and entities. Alexander Torshin, Russian banker, associate of President Putin of Russia, and NRA life member, in 2015 welcomed an N.R.A. delegation to Moscow that included NRA President David Keene and Joe Gregory (head of the NRA “Ring of Freedom” top donors program). They met with Dmitry Rogozin, until recently the Deputy Prime Minister for Russia’s defense industry, and Sergei Rudov, head of the Saint Basil the Great Charitable Foundation.

The NRA receives money from Russians

The NRA announced financial difficulties, and their most recent financial filing confirms it

2016 thru 2018 NRA financial filings reveals a number of red flags: significant deferred revenues compared to cash balances, high allowances for uncollectable accounts, a negative balance for unrestricted usable net assets, $43M in short term debt, and pension obligations liabilities of $40M. The NRA has run a deficit - higher spending than income - for the last three years.

NRA 2018 Financial Reports show a 19% decrease from 2017 to 2018 for member fire arm safety and other training spending; total spending on such programs being only 7.5% of the total $423M annual expenses of the organization - a total collapse in funding for the founding purpose of the organization.
All the while doubling political spending and lining the pockets of elected officials, to $54.4M from 2012 to 2016...
All the while spending $31M for Trump's Presidential campaign - triple the NRA money channeled to Romney's 2012 campaign...
All the while giving LaPierre an NRA funded $3.7M retirement plan payment, in addition to an average $1M in NRA annual compensation - contributing to his NRA created $10M net worth...

NRA disfunction - falling membership

From 5M members to 3.8M in the past three years. More than 90 percent of gun owners do not belong to the NRA, nor do they agree with its public policy actions.

The NRA is using annoying telemarketing to solicit donations and memberships. Actual quote: We have been receiving numerous unsolicited phone calls (3-5 calls per day) from the NRA. I was a former member of the NRA however I choose not to renew my membership. I have emailed NRA to stop harassing us with all of their phone calls . Our efforts have been unsuccessful as we continue to receive numerous phone calls from the NRA on a daily basis.

NRA financial records and public information indicates some contracted telemarketing organizations are being paid at levels that equal fees received for new memberships. Essentially, NRA memberships are being 'given away', subsidized by legacy NRA members, in a desperate attempt to sustain membership levels.