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National Rifle Association, The (NRA)


Self Description

October 2002: "Union veterans Col. William C. Church and Gen. George Wingate formed the National Rifle Association in 1871. The primary goal of the association would be to 'promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis,'...In civilian training, the NRA continues to be the leader in firearms education. Over 50,000 Certified Instructors now train about 750,000 gun owners a year.... While widely recognized today as a major political force and as America's foremost defender of Second Amendment rights, the NRA has, since its inception, been the premier firearms education organization in the world....nearly three million members have given to champion Second Amendment rights and support NRA programs."
https://www.nrahq.org/history.asp

Third-Party Descriptions

December 2012: 'Even the National Rifle Association had come out to squash conspiracies over DHS’ ammunition purchases, saying that the suggestion that Obama was “preparing for a war with the American people” displays “a lack of understanding of the law enforcement functions carried about by officers in small federal agencies.” But cyberspace accepts all kinds: This convoluted rant has found a home, being forwarded by those whose motivations we can’t begin to understand.'

http://factcheck.org/2012/12/viral-spiral-2012/

March 2012: 'But in 2005, the bill's chief NRA lobbyist, Marion Hammer, told CNN that having to retreat in the face of danger "defies common sense."'

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/20/us/florida-teen-shooting-law/index.html

July 2011: 'The gun lobby secured a broad provision in the legislation. The new law made money available to states to help improve their record sharing, but the provision pushed by the N.R.A. made it a prerequisite for states to establish a “relief from disability” program for people with histories of mental health issues to apply for the restoration of gun rights. The Veterans Affairs Department and other federal agencies were required to do the same.'

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/us/03guns.html

February 2011: "California’s system came about through a 2002 law that was even supported by the National Rifle Association, in part because it was billed as a way to protect members of law enforcement. It finally got under way in earnest in 2007. But though gun control advocates consider it a model, it still has serious gaps."

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/us/06guns.html

July 2008: "But initiatives toward a more comprehensive and binding agreement have been vehemently opposed by gun-owner organizations. The National Rifle Association, America’s largest gun lobby, has labeled the process a thinly masked effort to undermine lawful civilian gun ownership and urged the United States to resist the measures."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/19/world/europe/19guns.html

June 2008: 'The National Rifle Association and other supporters of rights to have firearms are sure to use the decision as a launch pad for lawsuits. The N.R.A. said it would file suits in San Francisco, Chicago and several Chicago suburbs challenging handgun restrictions there. “I consider this the opening salvo in a step-by-step process of providing relief for law-abiding Americans everywhere that have been deprived of this freedom,” Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the N.R.A., told The Associated Press.'

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/washington/27scotuscnd.html

October 2007: A previous assault weapons ban expired in 2004, and proposals to reinstate it have been bitterly opposed by the gun lobby, including the National Rifle Association.

http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomNation-TopStories/~3/169958569/2007-10-14-copshoot_N.htm

October 2007: 'Hunting should not be a sport for the rich and famous, as it was during feudal times,' said NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam. State Rep. Pedro Nava (D), who sponsored the bill, noted that the NRA supports 'Project Gutpile,' a hunting movement formed to 'get the lead out,' and that it awarded a 'Golden Bullseye' this year to a maker of copper bullets. His bill aims to make those rounds more affordable through a voucher system funded by private donors.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/11/AR2007101102131.html

October 2007: The bill, which has passed the House on a voice vote, has bipartisan backing and the National Rifle Association's support. It is designed to improve the federal system for checking gun buyers' mental health history in order to block purchases by those diagnosed as mentally ill.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/02/AR2007100202171.html

April 2005: Such dueling rhetoric marked the debate over a measure that Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) could sign as early as Tuesday. The legislation passed so emphatically that National Rifle Association backers plan to take it to statehouses across the nation, including Virginia's, over the next year. The law will let Floridians "meet force with force," erasing the "duty to retreat" when they fear for their lives outside of their homes, in their cars or businesses, or on the street.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/25/AR2005042501553.html

Relationships

RoleNameTypeLast Updated
Director/Trustee/Overseer (past or present) Rep. Robert "Bob" L. Barr Jr. ,Esq. Person Jul 15, 2008
Advised by (past or present) Paul D. Clement Esq., MS Person Mar 3, 2010
Director/Trustee/Overseer (past or present) Rep. John D. Dingell Person Jul 12, 2011
Organization Head/Leader (past or present) Wayne LaPierre Person Sep 27, 2004
Cooperation (past or present) Rep. Raúl R. Labrador Esq. Person Jul 12, 2011
Opponent (past or present) Abner J. Mikva Esq. Person Dec 12, 2008
Director/Trustee/Overseer (past or present) Sen. H.L. "Bill" Richardson Person Apr 2, 2008

Articles and Resources

38 Articles and Resources. Go to:  [Next 18]

Date Fairness.com Resource Read it at:
Dec 27, 2012 Viral Spiral 2012: The constant battle against crackpot claims, paranoid conspiracy theories and malicious lies.

QUOTE: old viral emails, unfortunately, never die — and new ones spread like a highly contagious disease. These overwhelmingly anonymous messages are, by and large, bogus. Many not only twist the facts but also peddle pure fabrications, urging recipients to forward these “shocking” revelations to all their friends. And despite all good common sense, people do pass along these malicious attempts to deceive, often in the same amount of time it would take to check their tenuous hold on veracity.

 FactCheck.org
Dec 18, 2012 When is social-media use a crime?

QUOTE: Despite the disturbing nature of some social-media messages about the shootings, several legal experts contacted by CNN questioned whether Connecticut authorities could successfully bring charges against whoever posted them.

 CNN (Cable News Network)
Mar 20, 2012 Florida shooting renews debate over 'stand your ground' laws

QUOTE: Florida's 2005 "stand-your-ground" law...allows people to use deadly force away from their homes -- where such force has long been allowed -- if they have reasonable fear an assailant could seriously harm them or someone else. It also eliminated a longstanding "duty to retreat" in the face of imminent harm...

 CNN (Cable News Network)
Jul 02, 2011 Some With Histories of Mental Illness Petition to Get Their Gun Rights Back

QUOTE: law passed by Congress after the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech that was actually meant to make it harder for people with mental illness to get guns. As a condition of its support for the measure, the National Rifle Association extracted a concession: the inclusion of a mechanism for restoring firearms rights to those who lost them for mental health reasons.

 New York Times
Feb 05, 2011 States Struggle to Disarm People Who've Lost Right to Own Guns

QUOTE: Tens of thousands of gun owners, like Mr. Perez, bought their weapons legally but under the law should no longer have them because of subsequent mental health or criminal issues.

 New York Times
Jun 24, 2010 House Approves Legislation That Mandates the Disclosure of Political Spending

QUOTE: The House on Thursday approved legislation to curtail the ability of corporations and other special interest groups to influence elections by requiring greater disclosure of their role in paying for campaign advertising. The bill is intended to counter a Supreme Court ruling in January that the federal government may not ban political spending by corporations and other advocacy groups, like labor unions.

 New York Times
Mar 03, 2010 Supreme Court does more wrangling with gun laws

QUOTE: The same members of the Supreme Court who ruled two years ago that the Second Amendment provides an individual right to own a firearm seemed ready Tuesday to ensure that state and local gun-control laws do not interfere with it. But a majority also indicated that the states may have "broader interests" in restricting gun ownership than the federal government.

 Washington Post
Oct 07, 2009 Investigators Document Repeat Illegal Sales at Gun Shows

QUOTE: Undercover investigators working on behalf of the New York City mayor's office repeatedly bought guns from unlicensed dealers at gun shows even though they disclosed they probably couldn't pass a background check.

 Washington Post
Aug 19, 2009 When Protesters Bear Arms Against Health-Care Reform

QUOTE: The fact that protesters at President Obama's political events have begun showing up bearing arms may be disquieting, but it's perfectly legal...

 Time Magazine
Jun 20, 2009 Cities' gun restrictions begin to topple: After big D.C. case in '08, San Francisco and Philadelphia have seen setbacks for local gun controls. More laws are expected to come under fire.

QUOTE: Since last June, when the US Supreme Court struck down key parts of the District of Columbia's gun-control ordinance, cities have seen the 20,000 local gun regulations enacted over the years begin to slip from their grip, one by one.

 Christian Science Monitor
Apr 14, 2009 U.S. Stymied as Guns Flow to Mexican Cartels (War Without Borders: A Paradoxical Struggle)

QUOTE: The federal system for tracking gun sales, crafted over the years to avoid infringements on Second Amendment rights, makes it difficult to spot suspicious trends quickly and to identify people buying for smugglers, law enforcement officials say.

 New York Times
Jul 19, 2008 U.S. Position Complicates Global Effort to Curb Illicit Arms

QUOTE: Diplomats from the world’s governments met throughout this week on agreements to cut the global illicit trade in small arms, but their work was curtailed in part by the near-boycott of the meetings by the United States.

 New York Times
Jun 26, 2008 Justices Rule for Individual Gun Rights

QUOTE: Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for the majority in the landmark 5-to-4 decision, said the Constitution does not allow “the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home.” In so declaring, the majority found that a gun-control law in the nation’s capital went too far by making it nearly impossible to own a handgun.

 New York Times
Oct 15, 2007 As slayings of cops rise, a new brutality surfaces

QUOTE: The escalating brutality has driven many police agencies, including Miami and the Orange County, Fla., sheriff's department, to provide more powerful guns to patrol officers, including military-style assault weapons. Others are moving toward updated communications systems to offer more information about potential suspects. The nation's largest association of police chiefs is urging Congress to enact a new ban on assault weapons such as some types of AK-47s.

 USA TODAY
Oct 12, 2007 Lead From Carrion Killing Off Calif. Condors

QUOTE: The measure awaits the signature of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), who hasn't indicated whether he will sign it. Schwarzenegger put a picture of the condor on new quarters that symbolize California. But he also fired a member of the state Fish and Game Commission who irked the gun lobby by appearing to promote the ban.

 Washington Post
Oct 03, 2007 Oklahoma Senator Blocks Widely Accepted Gun Bill

QUOTE: The lawmaker who put the hold on the bill, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), contends that the bill would create "a pathway by which individuals can lose their Second Amendment rights but no pathway through which they can gain them back if they're stable."

 Washington Post
Jul 17, 2007 D.C. Wants High Court To Consider Gun Law: City Defending Restrictive Law

QUOTE: The District will ask the Supreme Court to uphold its strict 30-year handgun ban, setting up what legal experts said could be a test of the Second Amendment with broad ramifications.

 Washington Post
Jun 26, 2007 5-4 Supreme Court Weakens Curbs on Pre-Election TV Ads: Ruling on McCain-Feingold Law Opens Door for Interest Groups in '08

QUOTE: The Supreme Court yesterday substantially weakened restrictions on the kinds of television ads that corporations and unions can finance in the days before an election, providing special interest groups with the opportunity for a far more expansive role in the 2008 elections.

 Washington Post
Jun 14, 2007 Confusion Over Laws Impedes Aid For Mentally Ill: U.S. Panel Reports on Va. Tech; House Passes Gun-Control Bill

QUOTE: Because school administrators, doctors and police officials rarely share information about students and others who have mental illnesses, troubled people don't get the counseling they need, and authorities are often unable to prevent them from buying handguns, the report says.

 Washington Post
Mar 10, 2007 Court Rejects Strict Gun Law as Unconstitutional

QUOTE: Interpreting the Second Amendment broadly, a federal appeals court in Washington yesterday struck down a gun control law in the District of Columbia that bars residents from keeping handguns in their homes...The decision was the first from a federal appeals court to hold a gun control law unconstitutional on the ground that the Second Amendment protects the rights of individuals, as opposed to the collective rights of state militias. Nine other federal appeals courts around the nation have rejected that interpretation.

 New York Times

38 Articles and Resources. Go to:  [Next 18]