Category:Social issuesPaper Title:nrsText:The National Rifle AssociationUnion veterans Col. William C. Church and Gen.
George Wingate formed theNational Rifle Association (NRA) in 1871. The primary goal of the associationwas to “promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis,”according to a magazine editorial written by Church. After being granted a charter by the state of New York on November 17, 1871,the NRA was founded. Civil War Gen. Ambrose Burnside, who was also the formergovernor of Rhode Island and a U. S.
Senator, became the NRA’s first president. The NRA’s interest in promoting the shooting sports among America’s youthbegan in 1903 when NRA Secretary Albert S. Jones urged the establishment ofrifle clubs at all major colleges, universities and military academies. By 1906,NRA’s youth program was in full swing with more than 200 boys competing inmatches at Sea Girt that summer. Today, youth programs are still a cornerstoneof the NRA, with more than one million youth participating in NRA shootingsports events and affiliated programs with groups such as 4-H, the Boy Scouts ofAmerica, the American Legion, U. S.
Jaycees and others. In 1956, NRA became the only national trainer of law enforcement officerswith the introduction of its NRA Police Firearms instructor certificationprogram in 1960. Today, there are more than 10,000 NRA-certified police andsecurity firearms instructors. Additionally, top law enforcement shooterscompete each year in eight different pistol and shotgun matches at the NationalPolice Shooting Championships held in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1990, the NRA made a dramatic move to ensure that the financial supportfor firearms-related activities would be available now and for futuregenerations.
Establishing the NRA Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) tax-exemptorganization, provided a means to raise millions of dollars to fund gun safetyand educational projects of benefit to the general public. Contributions to theFoundation are tax-deductible and benefit a variety of American constituencies,including youths, women, hunters, competitive shooters, gun collectors, lawenforcement agents and persons with physical disabilities. While widely recognized today as a major political force and as America’sforemost defender of Second Amendment rights, the NRA has, since its inception,been the premier firearms education organization in the world. But our successeswould not be possible without the tireless efforts and countless hours ofservice our nearly three million members have given to champion Second Amendmentrights and support NRA programs.Social Issues
