The NRA By the Numbers and the Rise in Justifiable Homicides

I. NRA Numbers as of Early 2013
Who really calls the shots at the National Rifle Association and is its power as great as generally advertised? The NRA claims to have 4.2 million members and counting but the real numbers may be a lot less. It publishes 3.1 million free magazines for members annually, and in its sponsorship materials it claims its "most active and interested" members number 2 million. All in all, no more than 5% of gun owners belong to the NRA.

The NRA is headed by ten executives and a 76-member board of directors, but:
*Less than 10% of NRA members vote in board elections.
*87% of board ;members are men; and 93% are white.
*25% are or  were lawmakers or officials (mostly GOP).

Surveys taken three to four years ago showed that the organization's positions are not always in accord with its members nor with many gun owners:
*74% of NRA members say they support background checks for all gun buyers.
*67% of gun owners say they support background checks for ammunition buyers.
*55% of gun owners say they support a ban on high-capacity bullet clips.
*45% of gun owners say they support an assault weapons ban.
*30% of gun owners say hey have an unfavorable opinion of the NRA. (Source for the above: "Who really calls the shots at the NRA?," Mother Jones, March/April 2013.)

II. Stand Your Ground Laws Are Associated With Sharp Rise in Justifiable Homicides
Since 2005, justifiable homicides by civilians in Florida have nearly tripled;; they've also shot up in other states that adopted Stand Your Ground.

Justifiable homicides by civilians in Florida, 2000-11
Justifiable homicides by civilians in Florida remained constant at 12 in 2000, 2001 and 2002, they increased in 2003; dropped back in 2004; and in 2005 -- the year Stand Your Ground was enacted -- they equaled those in 2003. 2006 saw a reversion back to 12. The years 2007 through 2011 totaled at least 36 justifiable homicides every year, with 2011 showing a sharp rise to about 46. NOTE: The graph is divided into increments of 12, so these numbers shown above may be off by a homicide or two. (Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement.)

Justifiable homicides by civilians using firearms in US, 2000-10
A graph by the FBI shows that in every year from 2000 through 2005, 2000 was the only year in which justifiable homicides in states without Stand Your Ground (SYG) exceeded those in states with SYG.  From 2006 through 2010, justifiable homicides in states without SYG varied between 40 and 80  For the same years, justifiable homicides in states with SYG were all in the range of 80 to 160. In 2010, states with SYG had nearly 160 justifiable homicides and states without SYG had fewer than 80. NOTE: The FBI graph is in increments of 40.