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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A new arts event, "Art of Democracy: Resiliency Impacted," is showcasing regional artists' work on democracy as the presidential election nears. The exhibition series highlights reproductive freedom, gun violence, and artists' roles in advocating for change. The show has partnered with CeaseFirePA.
Josh Fleitman, campaign director for CeaseFirePA, explains his organization focuses on state-level gun-violence prevention, while also supporting grassroots efforts to amplify citizens' voices.
"We work with a lot of community violence-intervention organizations, groups that do violence interruptions, street outreach work, hospital-based violence intervention work, groups that do work on the ground to prevent gun violence," he said. "We work with a lot of gun-violence survivors, and that's the event we're doing this week, is lifting up their stories."
Pennsylvania saw a 16% drop in homicides, compared with 13% nationally, with 29 of the state's 67 counties reporting declines. In September, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order re-establishing the Pennsylvania Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the state's Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
Rebecca Susman, communications and development director with Keystone Progress Education Fund, said the Art of Democracy exhibition series will explore what a healthy democracy looks like, encouraging broader discussions on the topic, in collaboration with Casey Droege Cultural Productions.
At the Resiliency Impacted event, she explained, Pennsylvanians will have the opportunity to register to vote before the deadline next Monday.
"The idea is both to bring awareness to issues and also to connect that with the importance of voting, and so at the shows, we have voter registration," Susman explained. "We have voter plan cards that people can fill out in order to ensure that you know whether they're voting in person. You know that they know where their polling location is."
Jillian Daniels, independent curator of the Resiliency Impacted exhibition, said it highlights the widespread effects of gun violence in Pennsylvania, including the city of Indiana. Her goal is to convey that lives lost to gun violence are preventable, regardless of political views. The exhibition centers on understanding the lives affected and the broader context of gun culture today.
"Come visit 'Resiliency Impacted' and really sit with the artwork and the calculable yet immeasurable loss of life, and how we can take proactive steps to demanding better from the folks that we have tasked in this electoral system with our safety and our notions of protection," she said.
Today from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. is the screening and discussion for "The Art of Democracy: Resiliency Impacted" at The Fox Clark Gallery in Indiana, Penn. The monthlong exhibition will be on display through Sunday. Another Art of Democracy exhibition is currently open at Brew House Arts in Pittsburgh through Nov. 2.
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Wyoming lawmakers are discussing gun legislation, after Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed a bill which would have repealed "gun free zones" this spring.
The bill would have made concealed weapons legal in more places, including the Capitol, universities and grade school campuses, where school districts currently make the rules.
Annie Griffin, superintendent of Washakie County School District #2, where teachers have been allowed concealed carry for seven years, told the Joint Judiciary Committee the rule creates challenges with hiring, permit-pulling and enforcement with adults from outside the district, at sporting events, for example.
"Unfortunately, I can tell you of many events of verbal abuse, of violence from children in the classroom," Griffin testified. "I don't think people fully understand the volatility that can go on in schools."
After the bill passed both chambers, Gov. Gordon vetoed it, saying he is a "fervent supporter" of the Second Amendment but the bill lacked "sufficient review and debate." Its sponsor, Rep. Jeremy Haroldson, R-Wheatland, said he will introduce a similar bill next session.
Sen. Wendy Schuler, R-Evanston, said the decision on what is allowed should be left to school districts but noted the districts have not been included in the discussion.
"We talk a lot about local control and we talk about how important that is," Schuler pointed out. "And I don't think we've really brought our educational folks to the table throughout this whole process."
The University of Wyoming's Board of Trustees will discuss how the university will approach concealed carry at a meeting this week.
Proponents of repealing gun-free zones said such zones are more vulnerable to violent crime. But a new study showed gun-free zones may "be protective against active shootings."
When a citizen cited the research during public comment, Rep. Mark Jennings, R-Sheridan, said the right to bear arms is "God-given."
"As I think about studies, I think, boy, how important it is that we don't do our governing by studies," Jennings asserted.
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A new initiative for single mothers and their sons is helping to combat crime and empower vulnerable community members in Jackson.
The nonprofit Operation Good, made up of people who used to be in prison, said it has helped to significantly lower crime rates in the areas it serves. In one neighborhood, the rate dropped from 87% to 14%.
Fredrick Womack, founder and executive director of Operation Good, said the goal is to find the root causes of violence in Jackson. They are doing family interventions and collaborating with single moms and high-risk youth to prevent violent crimes.
"To change the mindset of the high-risk participant and also give them in a better place in life, get the mothers in a better place in life," Womack explained. "Data here show that over 52% of the children are born into unwed families; 77% of those are single moms."
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety aims to reduce violent crime by 5% using federal grants. However, Womack pointed out Mississippi received American Rescue Plan Act funds and 20% of the money was supposed to be allocated to community organizations for public safety and violence prevention. He noted Mississippi used the money instead to create a Capitol Police Department.
For Operation Good, community engagement also includes providing food, educational and mentoring resources to families. They host monthly events. The most recent was a block party and the next will be a community symposium on Sept. 26, where victims of violent crime will discuss prevention.
"We're doing a gun violence event with the hospitals and researchers and talk dealing with those who have been a victim of gun violence, you know, who have been shot," Womack outlined. "We're having a symposium with them, to try to let them know there are resources available."
According to the Marshall Project, Jackson has a curfew restricting young people from being out past 10 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends. The ordinance is set to expire in January 2025. In the meantime, city officials hope engagement centers also offer a safe haven for children.
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