The NRA and the Gun Industry

When Did the NRA Become the Public Face of the Gun Industry?
1967: The NRA declares "it is not affiliated with any manufacturer of arms or ammunition."

1977: Hardliners oust NRA leadership for going soft on gun rights. New president Harlon Carter turns the group into a political powerhouse.

1982: Sturm, Ruger, Smith and Wesson and other gun companies help fund the NRA's $5 million drive to defeat California's :"handgun freeze" proposition.

1991: The NRA asks 16 gun makers for input on whether it should start a satellite TV channel to present "our truthful unbiased story." Manufacturers are enthusiastic.

1999: NRA president Charlton Heston tells gun manufacturers facing product liability lawsuits: "Your fight has become our fight. Your legal threat is our constitutional threat," even if "others are going to say we've become what they've always thought -- a shrill for the industry."

2000: The NRA organizes a boycott of Smith & Wesson after the gun maker works with the Clinton administration to make safer guns in exchange for legal immunity.

Taurus firearms offers a free NRA membership to all customers bringing in more than 40,000 members over the next 12 years.

2004: The NRA helps block renewal of the 1994 federal assault weapons ban. Rifle production jumps 75 percent in the next seven years.

2005: Congress passes the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which blocks product liability suits against gun makers and sellers -- a shield no other industry enjoys.

The NRA launches its Ring of Freedom campaign to enlist corporate partners, By 2011, about 50 gun companies sign up, raising as much as $38 million. Beretta USA and ammo maker MidwayUSA kick in more than $1 million each.:

2007: The NRA thanks Glock for signing up 10,000 of its customers as new members.

2008: Beretta pledges $1 million to the NRA over the next five years.

2011: Friends of NRA launches on the Outdoor Channel; episodes include visits to gun companies such as Winchester, Barrett, and Taurus.

Ruger promises the NRA $1 fro every weapon it sells in a year. It ends up donating $12 million.

Gun industry and other corporate donations to the NRA total more than $59 million.

2012: MidwayUSA donates $1 million to the NRA; Smith and Wesson donates more than $1 million.

2013: The CEO of the Freedom Group, maker of the AR-15 rifle, is nominated to run for the NRA board of directors.

The NRA's Eddie Eagle gun safety website declares the group is "not affiliated  with any firearms or ammunition manufacturer." (Source: Peter Stone, "Your Fight Has Become Our Fight," Mother Jones, May/June 2013.)