Gun Owners of America has been accomplishing a lot with a little

Gun Owners of America (GOA) has recently won gun-rights victories that once seemed unimaginable for the National Rifle Association (NRA) at the height of its influence. Despite raking in a fraction of the NRA’s revenue and attention, GOA’s unique strategy has cemented it as an important player in the modern gun-rights movement.

NRA background

The National Rifle Association’s modern political influence can be traced to its 1977 annual meeting in Cincinnati. After creating the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) in 1975, the group faced internal debate over whether to focus on political advocacy or remain centered on firearms safety and competition shooting. In 1977, roughly 1,100 voting members ousted several executives and replaced them with leaders who pushed the NRA toward a stronger focus on Second Amendment advocacy.

From there, the NRA’s legislative victories and defeats defined gun ownership in the United States from the 1980s to the 2000s.

Arguably the most relevant of these was the 1986 Firearms Owners’ Protection Act (FOPA). FOPA served as a compromise that overturned significant portions of the Gun Control Act of 1968. FOPA narrowed the definition of a firearms dealer, eased interstate sale of rifles and shotguns under certain conditions, and provided protection for people transporting firearms through states where they could otherwise face restrictions.

In 1994, an assault weapons ban narrowly passed the U.S. House by a vote of 216–214, then it passed the Senate, and was signed into law by then-President Clinton. This was a major defeat for the NRA, which had lobbied extensively against the proposal.

But the assault weapons ban language included an expiration date of September 2004. When the ban expired, the NRA successfully lobbied against its renewal, aided in part by the George W. Bush administration’s lack of interest in extending it. What had initially been a major defeat became a victory for the NRA, demonstrating its ability to remain politically influential over the long haul.

While not always so triumphant, the NRA’s frequent and important victories since the 1980s earned it an iconic reputation as the nation’s premier defender of gun ownership rights. But in recent years that reputation has tarnished a bit, and the NRA’s influence has arguably been eclipsed by the work of the smaller, yet scrappier Gun Owners of America.

Doing a lot with a little

Gun Owners of America and the National Rifle Association have employed different methods in defeating firearms restrictions. As noted above, the NRA focused on building a huge membership that would send money and write to Congress; rating and endorsing candidates; and thus influencing legislation.

The GOA formed around the same time that the NRA began to pivot toward gun rights advocacy, but aimed its focus on litigation. Instead of trying to convince lawmakers not to enact gun control, the GOA takes them to court when they do. (GOA does engage in lobbying and even outspent the NRA in lobbying in 2022.)

The GOA model has become influential in the modern era of politics, particularly following the 2008 Supreme Court case D.C. v. Heller. The Heller decision strengthened the use of the Second Amendment’s language, especially the “shall not be infringed” portion, as a tool in constitutional litigation. While the case was not initiated by GOA lawyers, Heller paved the way for their future victories.

One the GOA’s biggest wins came from New York State Rifle and Pistol Association (NYSRPA) v. Bruen in 2022. An amicus brief filed by the GOA urged the U.S. Supreme Court to establish a “text, history, and tradition” test for evaluating gun-control laws and to recognize that the Second Amendment conferred a right to carry a firearm for self-defense. The court adopted a similar framework in its decision, allowing GOA to successfully challenge concealed-carry restrictions in New York.

Earlier this year, GOA, the Silencer Shop Foundation, and other plaintiffs challenged the National Firearms Act’s (NFA) registration and approval requirements after Congress reduced the NFA’s making and transfer taxes on suppressors and certain other weapons to zero (the previous fee was $200). GOA argued that after Congress eliminated the tax, the NFA regulations designed to facilitate its collection could no longer be constitutionally enforced.

On August 5, U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, finding the regulations could no longer be enforced after the underlying taxes were eliminated. He permanently blocked enforcement against the plaintiffs and, where applicable, their members and customers.

Fifteen states joined the litigation. GOA subsequently announced that the ruling allowed suppressor transfers without NFA registration and approval. Firearms activist Brandon Herrera and Texas state Rep. Wes Virdell became the first purchasers to receive suppressors through such transfers since the NFA’s enactment in 1934.

Decline of the NRA

Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association has fallen out of favor with many of today’s gun owners. This is in part due to their tendency to compromise on issues, separating them from the GOA’s “no compromises” approach. As an example, while the NRA eventually supported the previously mentioned Heller case, they initially declined to participate when the named plaintiff, Dick Anthony Heller, asked the NRA for help.

But more recent scandals have also made the NRA appear less capable of using its revenue effectively.

In August 2020, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued to dissolve the NRA, accusing its leadership of using millions of dollars in NRA funds for personal expenses and improperly benefiting friends and family members. These allegations suggested that the group had lost more than $64 million because of these practices over a three-year period.

The bankruptcy proceedings that followed raised even more questions about how the NRA was spending its money, including allegations involving private jets, luxury travel, and other personal expenses. Wayne LaPierre, the longtime leader of the firearms group, later admitted to receiving undisclosed benefits and resigned as CEO in January 2024. A New York jury eventually found him responsible for corruption and financial misconduct involving $5.4 million in NRA funds. LaPierre was later barred from serving as an NRA officer or director for ten years and ordered to repay roughly $4.3 million.

Gun Owners of America reported revenue of $7.6 million in 2024, a small fraction of the NRA’s $173 million that year. However, the NRA has significantly declined in revenue. In 2020, just four years earlier, the NRA reported $282 million in revenue. The NRA has also seen a decline in annual membership dues since 2018, with revenue from annual membership consistently coming in at less than $100 million since 2021.

While GOA’s influence has grown stronger because of the overall decline of the NRA’s political effectiveness, revenue, and validity in leadership, most of GOA’s new status was earned through the success of GOA’s lawyers.

After D.C. v. Heller and the established jurisprudence of the Second Amendment’s language, GOA’s model for blocking and reversing gun-control initiatives in court has produced the most impressive recent wins for American gun owners.

The NRA won’t be going away any time soon. They are still sitting on a massive pile of money and have millions of dedicated members across the country. But it is also true that the Gun Owners of America has emerged as at least NRA’s equal in the contemporary gun-rights movement. And dollar for dollar, the GOA has been hitting a lot harder than their caliber size would suggest.

Source: https://capitalresearch.org/article/gun-owners-of-america-has-been-accomplishing-a-lot-with-a-little/