National Rifle Association: mission, leadership and finances

What it does

The National Rifle Association of America is a nonprofit that advocates for gun ownership rights, offers firearms training and safety programs, certifies instructors and sponsors shooting competitions. It lobbies through its Institute for Legislative Action.

National Rifle Association is listed here in the category "Advocacy". A listing on 4conservative.com describes an organization; it is not an endorsement of it or of its positions.

History

It was founded in 1871 in New York by Union Army veterans Church and Wingate to promote marksmanship. It became a major political force in the late twentieth century. It has been involved in a legal and governance dispute in New York after 2020 and a leadership change.

National Rifle Association is a advocacy organization. It is headquartered in Fairfax, VA. Its IRS tax status is 501(c)(4). Like other organizations in this collection, it is described here from its own published material and from public records, and the facts on this page are limited to what those sources state.

Leadership and funding

The NRA is a 501(c)(4); its Form 990 is shown here. Its finances and governance have been the subject of litigation by the New York attorney general.

The IRS figures on this page come from the latest Form 990 filing that ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer lists for the organization, for tax year 2023: total revenue of $175.7 million, total expenses of $208.8 million and total assets of $168.1 million at year end. ProPublica lists the filer as National Rifle Association Of America. The figures describe a single tax year and can differ sharply from year to year; check the filing itself and the organization's own site for the current picture.

Where it stands

The NRA supports the individual right to keep and bear arms and opposes new gun-control laws.

These summaries reflect the organization's own stated mission and publicly known activities as of the date below; they are neutral descriptions, not evaluations. Related organizations on this site include Gun Owners of America, Second Amendment Foundation, National Shooting Sports Foundation.