The NRA’s Bankruptcy Plan Backfires in New York

The National Rifle Association’s NRA plan to bankrupt its way out of New York backfired when the group ran out of money on day 15 of its boycott. In April, the NRA began urging members to stop doing business with all companies that supported gun control advocacy groups in New York and elsewhere; it was the first boycott since the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting in December 2012 that took the lives of 20 children and six teachers.

A Brief Introduction

After the recent high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, the NRA has increased its pressure on politicians. This was done through threats of legal action and boycotts. The NRA began to retaliate against companies that it perceives to be supportive of new gun control measures.

One example is Delta Airlines, which it accused of restricting law-abiding gun owners from transporting their weapons with them in the company’s passenger cabins and services. This led to the Georgia Senate unanimously passing a bill last week authorizing Delta tax exemptions and other programs which were seen as punishment for taking this stance.

The Background and History of the NRA

NRA, the National Rifle Association of America, is an American non-profit organization founded in 1871 that advocates for gun rights. The organization has lobbied against many common-sense gun reform laws. In May 2018, they announced a proposal to move their headquarters from Fairfax County,

Virginia to Colorado Springs. In a statement published on their website, the group claimed this was because it has become very clear that local officials in northern Virginia are trying to discourage the association’s operation.

NRA’s decision caused widespread concern among staff members who would need to move with the company and eventually be faced with finding new jobs. There were also questions as to whether this was just a PR stunt or not since they didn’t intend on leaving.

How We Got Here

The pro-gun lobby, known as the National Rifle Association, was founded at a public meeting on November 17th, 1871 by two former Union Army Civil War generals and Republican Party politicians; Nathan Dudley and William R. Church. General George W. Wingate served as chairman of the meeting.

The stated purpose of the association is to promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis, and more broadly to educate members of Congress about gun rights issues while protecting the right to keep and bear arms. In other words, their goal was to make guns an unquestioned fixture in society.

What Does This Mean?

New York was just the start of the gun advocacy organization’s bankruptcy plan to get around legislative issues. The National Rifle Association (NRA) has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which it hopes will expedite its plan to bypass new legislation that limits its power. Even with this move, though,

the group might not be able to get out of the mess it created for itself. The organization currently owes plaintiffs nearly $1 million in lawsuits—on top of a barrage of other litigation that is slated to take place as early as next week—and is facing pressure from various sources at home and abroad. Some gun manufacturers have also pulled their partnership with the NRA or have announced a pause on future advertising or sponsorship deals, contributing further to their liquidity problems.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Now, you might be thinking that the purpose of this plan was to get out of New York. However, this has backfired. After recent reports of unsafe firearms, Governor Cuomo is pushing legislation to increase protections against guns and give the attorney general power to prosecute any violators.

It is unclear whether or not Cuomo will be successful with his proposal but the one thing we do know is that he will do everything in his power to keep these weapons out of the hands of people who are most likely going to use them for violent means.

5 Takeaways from this Article

1. The NRA considered suing New York for restricting the use of guns but dropped that idea

.2. The group backed out of a plan to shift its headquarters to Atlanta by 2020 because of the recent gun control laws being enacted there.

3. The NRA had a plan to increase revenue through opening a chain of restaurants but has stopped following backlash from critics who say that the increased revenue would be used to help lobby against the new legislation.
4. A member of the board said that these initiatives have not been completed due to political pressure and media scrutiny.
5. Supporters see this as an effort to take away money and power from the NRA and argue that it is still valuable as a lobbying group.

Summary Points from the Article

The National Rifle Association wants nothing more than to bankrupt its way out of New York. But the proposal they put forth may have backfired. The gun advocacy group has reportedly lost half a million dollars from three years of campaigning against pro-gun safety politicians who, as it turns out,

ended up winning elections and keeping them from making gains in Albany. Their efforts were spent on doing business with marketing firms to run digital ads and TV commercials against lawmakers who were supported by gun control advocates.

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