On November 17, 1871 the National Rifle Association was officially chartered in the state of New York. The founders, Col. William C. Church and Gen. George Wingate, formed the organization to promote marksmanship among the people of the United States as a result of the abysmal shooting abilities shown by the troops under their command during the American Civil War. According to a magazine written by Co. Church, they wanted to “promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis,” and to that end they established a shooting range on Long Island named Creedmoor (after the name of the farm they purchased for the range) where the first annual matches (now the National Matches at Camp Perry) were held. Today the NRA is the largest gun rights lobbying group in the United States and claims a membership of 4.3 Million Americans.

I wonder if there will be cake at the NRA Range tonight…

[NRA History via NRA Blog]