Inside the NRA

Cross the NRA at your peril, that’s the message and it works. Now, as the controversial organisation takes on the UN, this report goes inside Washington to reveal the full extent of their political power.

“They use bully tactics to get their way. They know that everyone is afraid of them.” It’s a familiar line on the NRA, but this time it’s coming from a lifetime member and Republican politican, Debra Maggart. She was turned on and targeted with an aggressive attack costing $155,000, all because she opposed a bill that would have allowed Tennesseans to keep guns locked in their cars. Richard Feldman, a former senior strategist for the NRA, left because of his anger at their “scare tactics”. He explains that their attitude is: “if you mess with gun owners, we’re going to mess with you.” In the wake of Sandy Hook, fearing it might prove a turning point, the NRA went on the offensive, savaging the Obama administration’s gun control proposals and shifting the blame onto “violent or deranged criminals”, even claiming the legislation was an attack on American’s rights. As Debra Maggart explains, they’ve become expert at controlling the political dialogue. “The gun lobby is so powerful in America that they dictate how the discussion goes.”