NRA’s Tax Report Is In – Membership Numbers Hit Devastating Lows

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The American people have had their fill of gunmen walking into our schools, churches, and synagogues, or pointing out a hotel window at a concert, before blasting the life out of people. The mass shooters do not just kill person after person with their bullets, they inflict a wound upon those who love the fallen, and those wounds never heal. Look what has happened to the National Rifle Association (NRA).

It appeared that the NRA’s income plummeted $55 million in just the last year, according to a report by The Daily Beast. What was more puzzling was that this followed a blockbuster year in 2016. That was when it donated its own record-breaking $30 million to the Donald Trump presidential campaign.

In 2017, the NRA took in $98 million, so its drop in income was breathtaking. In 2016, it collected $125 million. Almost 20 percent of the NRA’s money came from “a single anonymous donor,” $19 million.

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Clearly, the organization’s nonprofit arm received money that cannot be traced, and that was the source of the Trump donation.

Not only was the NRA’s receivables way down, so was the membership. Last year, the NRA took in $128 million from membership dues. That was far less than the $163 million the previous year.

The group may have fueled itself on opposition to the Barack Obama presidency. Even though, Trump has been a rabid NRA fan, when Obama left, that may have blown a hole into the organization’s motivation.

It probably did not help that the FBI found an attractive gun-wielding Russian spy in the midst of this reddest red-white-blue organization. In an earlier report, The Daily Beast wrote:

‘Maria Butina, whose years-long mission to build ties between Russia, the National Rifle Association and the Republican Party led to her arrest this week, has ties to Russian intelligence, federal prosecutors alleged on Wednesday. Among documents uncovered in Butina’s apartment after her arrest on Sunday was a “hand-written” note asking, “How to respond to FSB offer of employment?” the Justice Department said in a court filing. The FSB is the successor to the Soviet-era KGB.

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‘…Prosecutors issued the filing to argue that Butina ought to be locked up ahead of her trial for allegedly being an “undeclared agent of the Russian Federation,” owing to what they contend is a substantial risk she will flee the country.’

The NRA has a political advocacy arm, the Institute for Legislative Action. It spent $27 million in 2017, but in 2016, it shelled out over $76 million. The Daily Beat reported:

‘The NRA did pass along large sums to another key political organization, donating $775,000 to the Republican Attorneys General Association, a coalition of states’ top law-enforcement officers, up from $110,000 in 2016. The bulk of the NRA’s contributions to RAGA last year came just weeks after the largest mass shooting in U.S. history at a Las Vegas country-music concert. A month later, 24 of the 27 attorneys general who belonged to RAGA teamed up to push concealed-carry legislation, a top NRA priority.

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The Daily Beast added this caveat:

‘Both parties insisted the financial contributions were unrelated to the push.’

Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.