What You Need to Know Ahead of NRA’s Trial in New York

Latest Tax Filings Show “Ghost Ship” Organization at “Rock Bottom”

Next Monday, January 8, marks the start of the Attorney General of The State of New York v. NRA trial, which centers on allegations by New York Attorney General Letitia James that NRA leaders, including CEO Wayne LaPierre, improperly diverted millions of dollars from the non-profit to benefit NRA executives — including private charter flights and multi-million dollar retirement packages. The trial is beginning as NRA membership continues to wane amid financial woes and the organization’s declining influence.

Here’s what you need to know about the state of the NRA ahead of the trial:

• NPR: “Corruption Trial Could Lead to the End of NRA Leader Wayne LaPierre’s Career”

• The Trace: The trial “could lead to CEO Wayne LaPierre’s removal and additional oversight of the NRA”
  
• According to the New York Times, NRA insiders say “the organization may be reaching a point where a legitimate bankruptcy filing is necessary.”
  
• Courthouse News Service: “This is, on a lot of levels, very existential for the NRA… If they lose this case, it’s going to be very difficult for the same people to reestablish a new organization,” said Seth Pearlman, an attorney specializing in nonprofit law. “There are other gun rights organizations out there that will probably step in to fill the void, but the NRA has been a 500-pound gorilla amongst these groups, so it’s certainly going to hurt the cause.”

• The Daily Beast recently reported that the NRA’s latest tax returns show the organization at “rock bottom,” with political spending crashing and legal expenses at an all-time high.

• Despite previous claims that they were on track to reach ten million members, NRA membership reportedly “has shrunk to less than half that” and revenue has dropped by more than 50% since 2016. The drop in revenue is driven in large part by a drop in revenue from membership dues to its lowest rate since at least 2010.

• This downward spiral has seen the NRA become a liability for candidates and legislators in swing states — it’s become so toxic that many are viewing their once prized ‘A’ rating as a scarlet letter.

• The New York Times: “The organization, long a lobbying juggernaut, is a kind of ghost ship.”
  
• In the 2023 Virginia elections, Everytown alone outspent the NRA nearly 10 to 1 in their home state. Our gun sense candidates and Moms Demand Action volunteers won key victories up and down the ballot, flipping the House of Delegates and ensuring a gun sense majority in the Virginia legislature. Moms Demand Action volunteers now make up nearly 20% of the Virginia House Democratic caucus.

• In 2022, the first federal gun safety bill in 30 years was passed with bipartisan support — despite NRA objections. Senator John Cornyn, the lead Republican negotiator for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, dismissed their opposition, saying “In the end I think they simply — they have a membership and a business model that will not allow them to support any legislation. And so I understand where they’re coming from, but I think most people will not allow any outside group to veto good public policy.”
  

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