Another story came out this week about gun owners letting their NRA memberships lapse.
My gun-owning family — admittedly more my husband than me — falls into that middle ground. He chose to drop his NRA affiliation and his favored gun range when its mandatory NRA membership tipped from practical tips into political advocacy.
Apparently, he is not alone.
The National Rifle Association of America reported $98 million in contributions in 2017, down from nearly $125 million in 2016, according to The Daily Beast, even though it has in President Donald Trump a champion it helped elect. The NRA's more than $128 million in dues last year was a drop from the $163 million it took in the year before, the report said.
Moreover, there's growing dismay at the decadent lifestyles of NRA leaders amid belt-tightening and layoffs.
The National Rifle Association paid more than $100,000 in personal expenses for an official who is now leading an austerity campaign within the organization, new tax filings show.
The official, Josh Powell, is the NRA's executive director for general operations. The Trace and Mother Jones reported two weeks ago that Powell, along with the NRA's new treasurer, Craig Spray, is seeking to impose steep cuts to the gun group's budget. The effort is so stringent that the NRA did away with free coffee and water coolers in its Fairfax headquarters, causing consternation among NRA staffers.
Even conservative gun owners are getting tired of the NRA's political bullshit and lavish expenses, all paid for on their dime. Most people know when they're being grifted.
