The New York Public Prosecutor’s Office has sued the American gun owners’ interest group, the NRA, for corruption. Leaders of the organization are said to have used millions of dollars for private pleasures and paid bribes to employees to keep their mouths shut. The Public Prosecution Service demands that the NRA be dissolved.
The lawsuit filed in a Manhattan court alleges that NRA leaders have used money from the organization, among other things, for family trips to the Bahamas on private planes. In three years, private spending costs would have risen to $64 million, pushing the NRA into the red.
The indictment names four NRA leaders, including Vice President Wayne La Pierre, who led the organization for decades.
Response NRA
As a countermeasure, the NRA has sued New York’s top prosecutor in federal court for allegedly violating the NRA’s right to freedom of expression. There would be a connection with the US presidential election in November.
New York’s top prosecutor, Letitia James, is a Democrat. The NRA has close ties to Republicans, including President Trump.
According to The Washington Post, the NRA plans to allocate tens of millions of dollars this fall to prevent Democrats from winning the election, as Democrats want to curb gun sales.
Millions of members
With 5 million members, the NRA is one of the most powerful political lobbies in the US. The group champions the right to carry firearms, which is enshrined in the US Constitution. The NRA fights against any curtailment of that right.
In recent years, the organization seems to be losing power. This is mainly due to high-profile shootings, such as the 2018 high school in Parkland, Florida. A 19-year-old former student shot and killed 17 students.
Under pressure from public opinion, airlines, car rental companies and hotel chains stopped offering discounts to NRA members. They also withdrew their advertisements on the NRA website. That same year, the NRA announced that financial problems could lead to its downfall.
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