Who donates to the NRA? Here's a few answers

[grumpyduck]

Granted this is a few years old, but I just found it, a piece in HuffPost about gun companies that donate to the NRA. No surprise there, but at least it puts some names and numbers on the table.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-sugarmann/nra-receives-millions-fro_b_848727.html

And another piece, this one from Business Insider:

http://www.businessinsider.com/gun-industry-funds-nra-2013-1

[guillaumeb]

1. Recommended.

From the article:

The bulk of the group's money now comes in the form of contributions, grants, royalty income, and advertising, much of it originating from gun industry sources.

Making the NRA a business lobbying group masquerading as a citizens' group.

[Fred Sanders]

4. Article is dated since dark money is now a major component.

[FakeNoose]

5. Citizens' United ruling changed everything

Dark money is everything to the GOP now. The NRA is just one of the useful pawns that feeds them the dark money.

[Phoenix61]

2. I just don't get how they can be a

tax-free non-profit "social welfare" agency. Maybe when Mueller gets done digging through their books they'll lose that status.

[handmade34]

3. my first thought

need to start movement to take away tax-exempt status...

[Hav]

6. No surprise there because the actions speak for themselves

The major part of income comes from the gun industry. Is it then surprising that the NRA fights any kind of gun control, even those proposals that are supported by a majority of the population and possibly by a majority of actual NRA members? The NRA's priority isn't about gun safety or recreation anymore, it is to do what is best for the gun industry. That is why common ground could potentially be found with the sane NRA members (hopefully the majority) but not with the NRA leadership. They are lobbying not on behalf of the 2nd Amendment but on behalf of the weapon industry.

[sl8]

8. Where are you seeing that the major part of their income comes from the gun industry?

Looking at their most recent form 990, it looks like a little over half of their income is from membership dues & program fees:

https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/download-filing?path=2017_02_EO%2F53-0116130_990O_201512.pdf

[grumpyduck]

10. Thank you for the link

I read somewhere that Form 990s aren't available to the general public. Now I know otherwise.

[sl8]

7. More current breakdowns (up to 2015) and Form 990 links

https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/530116130

[samir.g]

9. Lois Lerner should have gutted their tax status

When she had the chance.