The corporations calling the shots

The NRA used to tout its independence from gun manufacturers—branding itself as the century-old voice of average-joe hunters and sport shooters. Today, though, the organization bolsters its funds with million-dollar donations from 22 different gun makers, including Smith & Wesson and Beretta USA. The NRA received up to $52.6 million in industry donations between 2005 and 2013, according to one report—and from some gun and ammo companies, it makes $1 from every purchase. The gun manufacturers’ influence is clear: Today, the NRA’s answer to every mass shooting is more firearms—even in schools and churches. “Today’s NRA is a virtual subsidiary of the gun industry,” said Josh Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center, a guncontrol organization. “While the NRA portrays itself as protecting the freedom of individual gun owners, it’s actually working to protect the freedom of the gun industry to manufacture and sell virtually any weapon or accessory.”