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.


get more stories like this via email

More than 1,300 Arizonans died by gun violence in 2021 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While mass shootings get widespread media attention, shootings can take place in many locations, including inside homes. A new study looks at the impacts children and adolescent survivors of gun violence face after being shot. The study found a year after being shot, younger survivors experienced higher rates of pain disorders, psychiatric disorders and an almost 150% increase in substance use disorders.

Kelly Drane, research director at the Giffords Law Center, said gun violence can have devastating effects on children and their families.

"One study found that they actually earn less money as adults if they've experienced gun violence as a child," Drane pointed out. "Because they kind of make choices and have a harder time learning in school and it impacts the kinds of careers that they have later in life."

Drane argued it is important to note the toll gun violence has on children does not stop with the bullet, but continues on and can last for generations. Studies and experts recommended enacting extreme risk laws to block those who pose a danger to themselves or others from obtaining a firearm. Additionally, secure storage laws would require people to store guns safely and prevent unsupervised access.

Drane recognized gun rights can be a very polarizing topic across the United States, but added there is consensus no one should feel afraid to go to the grocery store or fear their child might hurt themselves in a home where a firearm is present. She added people want safe communities and a majority support what she calls "common sense gun safety policies." Drane hopes things will improve.

"We are at a really interesting inflection point in our country," Drane observed. "Gun violence is at this really severe crisis point, but we also are seeing more states than ever really step up and pass the kind of laws that are necessary to combat this crisis. That is not to say that we don't need more, or that we are doing enough, but I think we are definitely seeing signs of progress."

Drane added as elections approach, she encouraged voters to get educated on where candidates stand on the issue and suggested Arizonans build what she calls a "safer culture," around firearms while preserving the Second Amendment right by using secure firearm storage practices.

New Mexico wants to curb gun violence by getting firearms off the street, and while recent gun buyback events drew lots of attendees, some experts say they haven't been found to reduce gun violence.

The New Mexico State Police hosted events in three cities, offering participants gift cards worth $200 for handguns and $300 for long guns.

Mark Anderson, professor of economics at Montana State University, helped prepare a 2021 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research. He said it found "no evidence" gun buyback programs reduce gun crime.

"We tried to collect data on as many gun buyback programs as we could identify in cities that also have firearm-related crime data available," Anderson recounted. "It was the largest-scale analysis of gun buyback programs in the United States."

Anderson believes other measures, such as safe-storage ordinances requiring firearms in the home be kept in a locked container or secured with a locking device, could be more effective than gun buybacks. He speculated people who voluntarily turn over firearms are not those who pose the greatest threat to society.

The events allowed any participant turning in a firearm to remain anonymous in exchange for a gift card. But after some turned in as many as 60 guns, the gift cards were gone quickly, and some went home without.

Anderson stressed while well-meaning, such programs may not be the solution.

"I think about the opportunity costs and the resources that are used to implement them," Anderson emphasized. "Could they be used elsewhere more effectively? And I think the answer to that is probably, yes, so I think about it as not an all-or-nothing type thing I think about it as more of a, 'maybe we should pivot and do something else.'"

In September, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared gun violence a public health emergency after an 11-year-old boy was shot to death in Albuquerque while returning home from a basketball game.

Georgia lawmakers are proposing a bill that would facilitate teachers carrying guns in schools.

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, and Republican Sens. Clint Dixon and Max Burns, introduced the Georgia School Safety Initiative that would provide state-funded firearms training and include a $10,000 stipend to teachers who choose to carry. It is an extra layer of protection they say would improve the safety and well-being of students, but some teachers don't agree.

Lisa Morgan, a kindergarten teacher and president of the Georgia Association of Educators, said the proposal could make schools more dangerous.

"We do not enhance the safety of our children by introducing more weapons into the school setting. I think about what happens if the teacher is attacked and their weapon is taken away from them, and then other educators, other students are then harmed, " Morgan said.

She added this is a community-wide problem and doesn't believe gun violence can be solved in the school alone. Morgan suggests lawmakers should consider investing in resources like mental health services and social workers that can address issues comprehensively.

Backers of the initiative say it was modeled after Texas's recent proposal to offer teachers $25,000 to complete mental health and firearms training to carry weapons on campus.

Morgan noted another side to this issue is that there are problems hiring and keeping teachers in their profession. She added that, based on feedback from educators, many feel burned out or express that their plate is overflowing.

"More responsibilities are added all the time, and nothing is ever taken away. And now we want to add the responsibility of being security and being armed," she continued. "That is not how we retain our current educators and that's certainly not how we recruit new educators to our profession."

The proposed bill - which would allow teachers to opt out - is set to be introduced in the 2024 legislative session. House Bill 60, also known as the Guns Everywhere Bill, already allows school boards to decide who can carry concealed weapons on school property, but only three out of 180 districts have allowed it.


get more stories like this via email