From Defending Sport to Guarding Rights: The Evolution of the NRA's Influence
Last year, the organization attempted to file for bankruptcy in response to a New York state lawsuit that investigated alleged financial wrongdoings. However, a federal judge denied the request, citing it as a dishonest attempt to protect itself from lawsuits. The NRA, in response, declared its intention to move its headquarters from Virginia to Texas.
Despite these developments, the NRA pressed on with its plans, including hosting its annual conference in Houston, despite protests and musician cancellations in the wake of recent mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York. The event saw sparse appearances from high-profile figures like former President Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz.
For supporters of gun control, the NRA's waning influence might seem like a opportunity for change. However, even if the organization were to dissolve tomorrow, American gun policy would not fundamentally change. The NRA has shaped the Republican Party, gun laws, and conservative political identity in ways that will persist long after the organization disappears.
The radicalization of the NRA, from its origins as a hunting and shooting organization, to its push for a conspiratorial message supporting widespread gun deregulation, is well-documented. A right-wing takeover of the organization in the 1970s evolved into a comprehensive push to transform the Republican Party into an anti-gun control organization in the 1990s.
This transformation was no small task. As extensive documentation and repeated mass shootings show, both Republicans and apathy played a role in the early 1990s advocating for gun control.
Even late-career Ronald Reagan, who largely retired from public life, took an active stance for the Brady Act of 1993, which enacted background checks and a five-day waiting period for individuals without permits buying firearms, banned assault weapons, and prohibited magazines with high capacities.
Initially, the NRA directed its funds towards Republican candidates and used its support to aid candidates who opposing gun control. As time went on, the NRA's rhetoric became increasingly apocalyptic, mirroring the growing militia movement driven by anti-government sentiments and paranoia.
In 1995, two men affiliated with militia groups bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Despite this, the NRA continued its pro-gun rhetoric, with Wayne LaPierre of the NRA initially dismissing the act as a "warning shot" against "government hit-men." The incident prompted George H. W. Bush to resign his NRA membership, with reports of half a million members following suit.
However, the NRA soon realized that its initial instinct - never waver, never apologize - was a politically viable stance. When a massacre occured at Columbine High School only days before the NRA's annual conference, LaPierre dismissed any calls for gun regulation, stating that any expression of regret would be interpreted as a confession of guilt.
The NRA would repeat these mistakes and continue to exert its influence on a generation of politicians and judges. Their greatest triumph came in the form of the Supreme Court's radically expanded interpretation of the Second Amendment in the Heller case of 2008.
GOP candidates began making gun deregulation a litmus test for presidency, and state legislatures started easing gun control regulations in response to mass shootings. In the 1990s, this trend was initiated by the NRA, but it was not their only goal. The NRA's ultimate objective was to reinforce the idea that the right to bear arms is the most fundamental American right.
While the NRA continues to funnel large sums of money towards politicians who share their views, it is no longer a necessary force in American gun politics. Instead, one of the NRA's greatest current challenges is the rise of more extreme gun groups.
For those seeking stricter gun control, focusing solely on the NRA is not enough. Instead, efforts should be made to strengthen and expand the infrastructure of gun safety and regulation organizations, support legal challenges to the radically expanded interpretation of the Second Amendment by the Supreme Court, and make it clear that the radicalization of gun rights extends beyond the NRA to a deeply held commitment to extreme gun ideology in American history.
![Esmeralda Bravo holds a photo of her granddaughter Nevaeh Bravo during a memorial in Uvalde, Texas, USA, May 25, 2022. Fotographer: Matthew Busch/CN]
