The NRA Convention: What They’re Saying

The Washington Post: “Is the NRA losing its footing?”

“As Trump addresses the NRA’s annual convention Friday for the third straight year, it’s possible we are witnessing a shift in the balance of power between the 150-year-old organization and the relatively new gun-control groups trying to defeat it. ‘I’ve been working on gun safety for 15 years,’ said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun-control group backed by Michael Bloomberg, ‘and I’ve never seen the NRA this weak.’”

Associated Press: “NRA beset by infighting over whether it has strayed too far”

“The National Rifle Association is used to battling forces that criticize its fiery and unbending efforts to protect gun rights. But as the group gathers for its annual convention this week, the NRA may be facing its toughest foe in decades: its own members. NRA insiders and longtime observers describe an organization at war with itself over a central question: Has it strayed too far from its original mission of gun safety and outdoor shooting sports and become too political?”

The Guardian: “Donald Trump to address NRA with gun lobby in disarray”

“The world’s most powerful gun lobby is in disarray. It is still reeling from disclosures that Russian operatives tried to use contacts in the NRA to influence US elections. Its leaders have been accused of straying from the association’s original mission of gun safety and shooting sports by wading into politics and “culture wars”. And, plagued by financial troubles, the NRA is suing its longtime PR firm over its refusal to hand over financial records to account for bills worth millions of dollars.”

Associated Press: “Trump to Speak to a Weakened National Rifle Association”

“The nation’s largest gun rights organization was pivotal to Trump’s victory in 2016. But three years later, the group is limping toward the next election divided and diminished. It’s a reversal that has stunned longtime observers and gun control advocates and raises questions about the one-time kingmaker’s clout heading into 2020 as Trump and Vice President Mike Pence headline the group’s annual convention in Indianapolis on Friday.”

The Wall Street Journal: “Trump Heads to NRA Convention as Disagreements Over His Gun Policies Simmer”

“The NRA’s annual meeting also comes as it is dealing with a battle against the ad agency that helped craft the group’s hard-line image for decades. The NRA recently filed a lawsuit accusing the agency, Ackerman McQueen Inc., of refusing to comply with demands to justify its billings. Ackerman McQueen has disputed the allegations. The dispute has highlighted how the NRA is coping with lean financial times. It ran a deficit in the two most recent reported years.”