NRA Could 'Be Forced to Shut Down Forever,' Says Executive Vice President

By Ibn Safir, The Root

31 March 19

RA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre hit group members with a four-page letter. In it, he blamed the group’s financial woes on Andrew Cuomo, who ordered state regulators to encourage insurance companies, state-chartered banks and financial services companies to review their relationships with the NRA.

According to The Daily Beast, LaPierre believes the threat is imminent.

Banks are backing out of business with the gun owner’s group that remains silent when black gun owners are killed by police. Mounting pressure could cripple the group, LaPierre said.

“Right now we’re facing an attack that’s unprecedented not just in the history of the NRA, but in the entire history of our country. And if this attack succeeds, NRA will be forced to shut down forever,” LaPierre wrote.

While a suit by the NRA alleging Cuomo violated First Amendment rights is moving forward after a November court decision, the suit claims the association has suffered millions in damages as a result of Cuomo’s directive, warning it “could be forced to shutter its multimillion-dollar television network, NRA TV, or a number of its print publications.”

Beyond the Empire State’s stumbling block, Donald Trump’s pro-gun presidency may have proved the biggest blow to the NRA, as income took a $55 million hit in 2018, the third year of double-digit losses. While the group comes under scrutiny for its ties to Russian officials and its possible illegal coordination with the Trump campaign, its midterm contributions last year were a third of its output during the 2014 election cycle.

With an electorate tiring of guns, the financial faucet running dry and banking institutions heading for the hills, Donald Trump’s presidency may yet prove successful. It might help us leave the NRA in the past.