NRA Has Lost More Than a Million Members Since Corruption Allegations, Per Report
Aaron M. Sprecher via AP
The National Rifle Association is losing members and losing members fast. According to a new report, the organization has lost over a million members since 2019.
Partially behind this downturn are 2019 reports alleging donations to the group were being misspent and used to enrich top members. The Reload’s Stephen Gutowski reported on Friday that the organization today is made up of 4.3 million members, a fairly steep cut since the allegations.
Citing sources and a recent financial statement package from the NRA, Gutowski reported the organization has experienced financial trouble too as membership dwindles. A presentation made by the company was also obtained describing 2022 as a “soft” year for the group.
From The Reload:
The financial statement shows the NRA added 282,950 new members through the first eleven months of 2022, a shortfall of over 175,000 members from what the group had projected. That left the group with a $14 million hole in their budget. The story only gets worse when looking at membership renewals, where the NRA converted nearly 165,000 fewer than expected, leading to a $17.7 million deficit. Overall, the group brought in $32.4 million less than anticipated from member dues during that time.
The NRA’s declining membership is a trend that’s been going for some time now. Membership in 2021 stood at “under 4.9 million,” according to NRA CEO Wayne LePierre. This was after the group grew to six million members in 2018 and LePierre predicted they’d 10 million shortly before that. When CBS reported this claim, the NRA pushed back by declaring they had approximately five million members.
