CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The National Rifle Association's leadership is in turmoil, it's in serious financial trouble and is suing an important, long-time vendor for allegedly overcharging the organization.

The nation's leading gun-rights group has also been an important political force for decades. But its president, Oliver North, just announced he won't serve another term after an ugly public split with its long-time chief executive.

Anna Massoglia, a researcher with the Center for Responsive Politics, a political-spending watchdog, said its most recent tax returns show the NRA is badly in the red.

"We saw a $55 million decline in income since the prior year, and the NRA spending into an $18 million deficit - a deficit that they have for now the second straight year,” Massoglia said. “And so, we're seeing the NRA pretty consistently now spending more than they're actually taking in."

The NRA is suing the company that runs its troubled broadcast arm, NRATV. And an article in the New Yorker magazine alleged a culture of huge salaries and extravagant spending among NRA officers and vendors. A lawyer for the group said the article was written by paid staff of an "anti-gun magazine."

According to the article, executives at the company named in the lawsuit - public relations firm Ackerman McQueen - have all but run the NRA for their own benefit for decades. A lawyer for the firm also said the New Yorker article is entirely untrue.

Massoglia said she can't judge the merits of the lawsuit. But she said the NRA's tax documents show that a different vendor - a fundraising company - made millions off its work for the gun-rights group.

"They kept over half of the money they had fund-raised - they had made about $10 million and kept over $5 million of that,” she said. “And so, you are seeing a variety of different vendors potentially profiting off of the NRA."

Speeches and public statements at the annual NRA convention largely avoided the lawsuit. The group continues to take a combative stance against long-time foes in the gun-control movement and the political left. Its charitable status is under investigation in New York, and its board is expected to address the leadership issue this week.


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The U.S. Supreme Court took a step to limit states' abilities to pass gun-control legislation Tuesday, a move which likely will not directly impact Indiana's gun policies.

The decision struck down a century-old New York law requiring people to demonstrate a self-defense need when applying for a concealed-carry permit. Legal scholars say the decision will have ripple effects on gun-control policies nationwide.

Pierre Atlas, senior lecturer in the Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI, said Hoosiers are unlikely to directly feel those effects.

"I would say, though, that the logic of the ruling, and what they say about the Second Amendment in general, could have an effect in Indiana in terms of any other current gun laws or any gun laws that might be put on the books in the future," Atlas emphasized.

Atlas pointed out the court's ruling essentially reinforces Indiana's approach to gun permitting and gun control. Indiana's current policies are known as "shall-issue" laws, where the burden of proof to deny a gun license is on the state. New York's now-defunct law was a "may-issue" policy, which shifts the burden onto the citizen to prove they need the firearm.

For as many gun-control doors as it closes, Atlas argued the court's majority decision also opens a few paths. Penned by conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, the decision noted there were laws in the mid-19th century dictating "individuals could not carry deadly weapons in a manner likely to terrorize others."

"Imagine today maybe somebody coming up with a law saying you're not allowed to carry a firearm openly in a way that terrorizes others," Atlas posed. "That might be used perhaps to reduce open-carry of AR-15s, which you could say could be used to terrorize others."

Indiana is poised to enact a new law Friday to eliminate the need for a handgun permit, which Atlas observed will trade out the state's current "shall-issue" approach to handguns for an even looser gun control policy.

The law has been criticized by law enforcement and gun-safety groups, who contended it removes an important safety barrier to keep firearms away from people who shouldn't have them.

Congress continues to debate possible changes to the nation's gun laws after the recent school shooting in Texas. In the meantime, efforts move forward in Minnesota to establish safer environments in schools and surrounding communities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says gun violence is now the leading cause of death for all children and teens.

Ayolanda Evans Mack - director of community response and education for the group Protect Minnesota - said it goes beyond school grounds, pointing to incidents in places such as North Minneapolis, where young children have been victims of gunfire in their neighborhoods.

She said it doesn't mean these areas are inherently violent, but adds they need help in reducing shootings.

"We call it a public health emergency," said Evans Mack, "and there is a disparity in the ways in which we actually talk about gun safety in Black communities."

She said she feels there's not enough education provided about things such as trigger locks, safe storage or the consequences of straw gun purchases. Instead, she said these communities are simply told to end the violence on their own.

Protect Minnesota has worked to provide some prevention tools in underserved areas. Elsewhere, Ramsey County has expanded its free gun-lock initiative.

As for schools, Stephanie Burrage - deputy commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education - said even smaller-scale incidents on campus can have major effects.

She recalled her own experience while working in the Robbinsdale School District, and the response went well beyond helping students. Burrage had to provide emotional support for a teacher when the school reopened.

"And just to be able to take each step," said Burrage, "and I remember walking with her and I told her and I said 'I'm gonna walk this with you.' Because we do have to be here for the kids."

She said the department is focused on hearing what districts might need in terms of us support, including guidance on safety plans.

Meanwhile, the Children's Defense Fund urges policymakers to rid these environments of opportunities for shootings by adopting common-sense gun reforms.

While the U.S. Senate is discussing a bipartisan package, broader partisan divides remain.

National law enforcement groups are joining the chorus of Kentuckians calling on the U.S. Senate to pass meaningful gun-safety measures. A bipartisan group of senators is working on specific legislation after announcing an agreement to support "red flag" laws, boost background checks and increase mental health resources.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the Minority Leader, said Tuesday he would support a bill which follows the agreement.

Kym Craven, executive director of the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, said her group has been advocating for measures to prevent people with a history of violence or domestic abuse from getting firearms.

"We have a lot of research at our fingertips that we can reflect on and come together," Craven contended. "And create programs and strategies to reduce the number of gun deaths that are occurring across our nation."

Last week, U.S. House lawmakers passed the Protecting Our Kids Act, to raise the age to buy semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, and create federal laws against gun trafficking, amid other reforms. Only one Kentucky member of the chamber, Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Louisville, voted to approve the bill. In 2020, the Commonwealth had the 13th-highest gun-death rate in the country, according to the Giffords Law Center.

Craven pointed out several states have struck a balance between responsible gun ownership and policies like implementing universal background checks and closing private-sale loopholes.

"If we look at some of the states that have the strictest gun laws, and when they combine that with programming, they are among the lowest states that are having gun violence," Craven reported.

Fredrick Thomas, president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, said for those who chose to serve their communities by becoming a police officer, it is a moral issue.

"I can't ignore the underserved communities, who see loved ones transform into victims in the blink of an eye," Thomas emphasized. "I can't ignore the fact that federal inactions have led us to this horrific inflection point."

Mass shootings have occurred every day in June except one, across Kentucky and more than a dozen other states, according to the Gun Violence Archive.