MARK KARLIN, EDITOR OF BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT

Caricature of Wayne LaPierre, CEO and executive vice president of the NRA. (Image:DonkeyHotey)

In a March 8 news release, the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) charges the NRA with flouting IRS requirements to fully reveal political spending:

The National Rifle Association (NRA) failed to disclose more than $1 million in contributions to major Democratic and Republican leadership groups, bringing their total undisclosed political spending to nearly $60 million since 2008, according to a supplemental complaint filed today by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). This is the third complaint CREW has filed regarding the NRA’s political spending scandal.Between 2008 and 2014, five 527 political organizations reported receiving more than $1 million from the NRA which the gun advocacy group failed to note. These groups were the Democratic and Republican Governors Associations, the Democratic and Republican Attorneys General Associations and the Republican State Leadership Committee, with the vast majority of the funding going to the Republican organizations. These donations increased as time went on, from nearly $55,000 in 2008 to more than $225,000 in 2014....

CREW’s initial complaint found that the NRA appeared to have violated federal law by failing to disclose to the IRS $33.5 million in political spending between 2008 and 2013. CREW then supplemented this complaint after finding an additional $25 million the NRA failed to disclose in 2014. While the NRA admits its tax records are incorrect, it appears to have done nothing to correct them.

An article on the CREW website points out that the implications of the NRA's politcal spending extend beyond the federal level and into the states:

By one measure at least, the NRA is significantly upping its focus on state politics. In 2015, the organization contributed increased amounts to political groups focused on electing officials at the state level, giving a combined $441,510 to the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA - $103,860), the Republican Governors Association (RGA - $192,650), and the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC - $145,000). The sum is almost double what the NRA contributed to the three groups in 2014.

Many of the most gun-friendly laws passed in the United States are enacted at the state level. In recent years, the NRA has been particularly active in ensuring the "right" to carry a concealed handgun - with varying levels of restrictions - in every state in the union. The group has aggressively pushed for "stand your ground" laws. These are just two examples of the NRA's pro-gun legislation. In the meantime, it has been generally successful at stopping the passage of any restrictions aimed at closing the "gun show loophole" or banning assault weapons, among other gun control measures.

In its report, CREW focuses on the national NRA organization (located just outside of DC) - which also has a PAC and legislative arm, the Institute for Legislative Action - because it is the national "mainstream" pro-gun organization. However, it is important to note that each state has a separately incorporated "affiliate" of the NRA, and they usually have separate state campaign contribution vehicles and lobbying efforts that carry a lot of weight in state capitols around the nation.

So these campaign contributions and lobbying expenditures by state pro-gun groups and their PACs are in addition to NRA (and its affiliated national political funding and lobbying arms) expenditures.

As a result, the gun lobby has an extensive network of both DC and state capitol campaign contribution and lobbying influence.

A 2015 article in the Guardian US confirms that the NRA is a major player in the post-Citizens United climate:

The NRA ranks among the top political spenders in the nation, having spent more than $3m on lobbying in 2014 and more than $28m on “outside spending” – the kind of political spending that is not technically coordinated with candidates’ committees. Candidates receive contributions from the NRA’s Pacs that are more than 76 times larger than contributions from individuals, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

It is also important to remember that the NRA has played a central role in the conservative political movement in DC for more than three decades. It is not just a pro-gun group; it is an active member of the right-wing political consortium. One only need look at the homepage of the organization as of March 9 to see evidence of the NRA's position at the heart of the conservative movement. There, you can watch the NRA's CEO and Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre deliver a townhall speech entitled "Thank Goodness for Guns in America" to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last week.

Campaign contributions (including soft money) and lobbying complement the NRA's alignment with the right wing, making it a seemingly indomitable financial, political and ideological force - one that can disregard accountability in spending to influence elections and legislation.

When President Obama recently issued some extremely modest gun control regulations by executive order - in reaction to ongoing mass shootings - the NRA reacted furiously. According to the conservative Daily Caller, Chris Cox, director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action, issued a withering response, including the declaration, "We will not allow law-abiding gun owners to become scapegoats for President Obama’s failed policies."

The CREW analysis of how the NRA fails to fully disclose its massive financial influence on the political process is evidence that the organization does not lead by example when it comes to being law abiding.

Not to be reposted without permission of Truthout.