The NRA is showing signs of serious decline as tax documents show that their income dropped by $55 million last year.
The Daily Beast reported on the NRA‘s tax documents:
More noteworthy than its drop in contributions, though, was its decline in membership dues. The NRA took in more than $128 million in dues last year—a significant sum, but down considerably from the $163 million it took in the year prior. That decline, more than the drop in direct contributions, appears to indicate a dwindling, if still formidable, base of public support. Asked for comment on the decline, an NRA spokesperson pointed to reporting showing that the organization’s magazine subscriptions have shot up this year, interpreted as an indicator of an accompanying membership surge.
Nonetheless, 2017 did not see a financial windfall for the group. In all, the NRA reported just under $312 million in total income, down from nearly $367 million the year before.
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Twenty percent of the group’s contributions came from a single donor who gave $19 million.
In politics, money is power. If the NRA doesn’t have as much money to spend on ads and donations to candidates, it is only a matter of time before their power drops to an equivalent degree.
Trump has not been good for the NRA
The NRA prospered during the Obama years by scaring their membership with constant warnings that the black man in the White House was coming to take away all of their guns, but with Trump in office, the scare tactics no longer work. The NRA lost their primary source for ginning up donations, and it is hitting them hard in the wallet.
The Parkland Kids Showed How To Beat The NRA
The Parkland students have mobilized an effective and emotional campaign that the NRA could not counter. All of the old NRA tricks that they have used for decades to demonize those who call for common sense gun reform didn’t work against a group of grieving teenage school shooting victims. Public opinion was on the side of the students, who have taken on the NRA and scored crucial public opinion victories against the gun lobby.
The NRA is still strong with Republicans in Congress, but they no longer inspire fear. The group’s funds and membership is decreasing. Just as the era of Fox News cable news dominance came to an end, the NRA is looking like a giant in decline.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
