The National Rifle Association and the Institute for Legislative Action

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The National Rifle Association and the Institute for Legislative Action

The National Rifle Association created the Institute for Legislative Action in 1975 as a means to lobby. Their mission statement entails preserving and protecting the Second Amendment, which guarantees the ability of law-abiding citizens to own and use firearms for legal and acceptable purposes. The Institute is not directly associated with any specific ammunition or gun makers. It receives financial support from member dues and other contributions for the Institute's legislative activity. The National Rifle Association has headquarters in Fairfax, VA, Washington DC, and Sacramento, CA. The Institute is able to employ seven full-time lobbyists on Capitol Hill and over 70 other employees elsewhere. The National Rifle Association has more than 2.8 million members nationwide. This number has doubled since 1978. The main reason that the NRA is able to fight restrictions on gun control is due to the fact that their membership is so large. Whenever a bill or other form of legislation is proposed, the NRA supporters begin to write and contact their representatives.

In 1986, the Firearms Owner's Protection Act was enacted as law. This reformed a prior act that limited gun control. More recently, grassroots campaigns by the NRA and its members have brought about pro-gun legislation in many different states.

The institute also educates the public by distributing brochures and articles on ownership, self-defense, and safety of firearms. Additionally, the institute informs the public on the constitutionality of firearm ownership and other means of crime fighting measures.

The institute generally has an extremely high success rate when it supports candidates during elections. The NRA ranks political candidates not based on party affiliation, but rather voting records, public statements, and responses to a questionnaire. Examples of their success rate include the Senate and House of Representatives elections in 1998. Out of 310 campaigns they supported, 247 of them won. On a state level, also in 1998, out of 2750 campaigns there were approximately 83% victorious.

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