Under Fire

New York AG tries to dismantle powerful NRA

The NRA has a reputation as one of the most powerful special interest groups in America. It wields a lot of influence in Washington, where elected officials are loathe to risk displeasing its membership of gun owners and Second Amendment advocates — many of whom never miss a chance to got to the polls.

But that may change. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday that her office is seeking to dissolve the NRA after failing a lawsuit against the organization, its well-known CEO and Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and other top NRA officials.

The NRA brings in a lot of money from membership fees, contributions and the like every year. James alleges LaPierre and the others have been misusing those funds for years.

The complaint NRA officials engaged in self-dealing that enriched themselves, family members and friends and lived lavish lifestyles using the organization’s funds — to the tune of about $63 million over the past three years alone.

Further, the allegations include false filings with the state and the IRA.

“The NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse, which is why, today, we seek to dissolve the NRA, because no organization is above the law,” James said in a prepared statement.

NRA President Carolyn Meadows said the lawsuit was politically motivated and an attack not just on the organization, but the Second Amendment. The NRA promptly filed a countersuit against James.

Not telling how this will play out in court — if it makes it that far. There’s a lot of money and power at stake. Though the group has vowed to fight New York’s AG to the end, we wonder if the NRA might decide LaPierre and the rest are expendable, throw them to the wolves and settle.