About

We Keep Us Safe

The Socialist Rifle Association is a not-for-profit organization, incorporated in Wichita Kansas and filing as a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization federally. We are an organization dedicated to educating on and advocating for all aspects of self and community defense. Article Two of our Bylaws states our purpose clearly:

...We recognize all aspects of self and community defense to include topics such as firearms, disaster relief, medicine, logistics, agriculture, general survival skills, and other pursuits necessary to unify and strengthen communities against the hardships of life under capitalism. We seek, advocate for, and advance an inclusive, safe, and healthy firearms culture in America to combat the toxic, right-wing, and exclusionary firearm culture in place today. We work to create a platform, environment, and community of members and like-minded individuals that are free of reactionary influences and prejudices, such as racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and other discriminatory ideologies. We maintain the necessity of and work towards the implementation of an anti-capitalist platform for protecting and promoting the inherent human right to defend oneself and one’s community.”

How Did We Get Here?

Various communities, on and offline, have for years rallied around the idea of inclusive, left-oriented firearm use and mutual aid activities. Chapters organizing under the name “Socialist Rifle Association” came together in late 2017 to begin discussing an alliance with each other, to better spread their mission.

This culminated in March 2018, when the SRA incorporated in its first form as a nonprofit LLC in New Mexico. This initial band of organizers worked hard to begin growing the organization, and garnered the attention of a few hundred members in those early days.

The first major mutual aid action took place in September of the same year: the North Georgia chapter responded to the arrival of Hurricane Florence, delivering supplies to shelters before and after portions of the storm hit South Carolina. This set the trend for one of the most significant aspects of the SRA today, its dedication to responding to natural and manmade disasters.

Shortly thereafter in October 2018 the SRA reincorporated into its current form, a not-for-profit corporation in Kansas. The organization obtained its tax exempt status shortly there after, even as membership began to surge from greater notoriety stemming from the SRA’s mutual aid efforts.

Since then, the SRA has continued to grow and expand. We now count nearly six thousand members and over sixty ratified chapters nationwide with members in every state & Puerto Rico. We are training firearms instructors to provide services to our members and to the public, and our chapters engage in regular mutual aid activities, most recently in response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

What Do We Do Now?

The chapters of the SRA perform a wide variety of activities under our expansive mission statement. Range days, social get togethers, mutual aid, community gardens, instruction, and more are just some of the things our chapters have organized. Ultimately, the goal of all of these events is to foster a supportive and inclusive community that can work together to achieve its common goals and rebuff against reactionary right wing firearms culture.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Are you a militia?

We are not a militia. As a social welfare organization, we work to educate and advocate. While the organization and its chapters do at times sanction presence at protests, we forbid armed protests under the SRA banner, as this is not the goal of the SRA. We encourage members who wish to participate in armed demonstrations to investigate organizations that have been established for that purpose. Opposing fascism and reactionary ideologies is a multifront struggle, and we fulfill the education portion of that struggle.

So who owns the SRA?

As a not-for-profit corporation registered under the 501(c)(4) section of the tax code, the SRA is “owned” by no one. We are ultimately answerable to our members, and our governing bodies have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the organization.

How can I join?

Head over to our membership page here!

Do I have to use my legal name to sign up?

Nope! You may use any preferred or chosen name. We do not need to know your deadname if that’s your situation.

What if there’s no chapter near me?

You’re welcome to join and begin the interviewing process to start your own! No chapter simply springs into existence, so we’re always eager to get more folks onboard to help us expand as an organization.

What does the organization spend its money on?

A variety of expenses: administrative costs to operate the organization, mutual aid efforts, payroll for staff who help coordinate actions and projects, member packages, and more. A breakdown of our expenses is regularly provided to our members to help ensure financial transparency.

Can I deduct donations to the SRA?

Unfortunately, no. As a 501(c)(4) contributions to the SRA are not tax deductible.

Do you keep my credit card secure?

The SRA does not see your financial information at any point in the membership process. All financial transactions are handled by Stripe, a commercial online payment processor. Your credit card information is sent to Stripe using an encrypted tokenized system, and the only information visible to us is the last 4 digits of your credit card number. If you're still concerned, you can pay using a one-time-use prepaid debit card.

Do you have a warrant canary?

Yes! We have one located here.