Following NRA’s Bankruptcy Filing, Brady Reiterates Call for Accountability for the Organization’s Corruption

Washington, D.C., January 15, 2021 - Following the National Rifle Association’s announcement it has filed for bankruptcy in New York and will restructure as a Texas non-profit, Brady reiterates the call for investigation into the NRA’s well-documented corruption and malpractice, such as the lawsuits brought by the Attorneys General of New York and Washington, D.C.

The NRA cannot be allowed to escape accountability.

Brady President Kris Brown shared:

“The NRA has abused its non-profit status for decades, as Attorney General Tish James well documents in her complaint against the NRA detailing years of excess and lavish spending by NRA President Wayne LaPierre. The purpose of a bankruptcy filing is to determine claims against a debtor and appropriate disposition. The resolution of General James’ litigation is a necessary requirement of any bankruptcy process initiated by the NRA, and the only appropriate resolution to General James’ lawsuit is the full liquidation of the NRA. For too long, the NRA has peddled lies and mistruths to sell guns while claiming that they are “Freedom’s Safest Place.” Their rhetoric, lies, and mistruths have fomented the kind of extremism in the United States behind the deadly assault on the Capitol January 6. They have used similar lies and disinformation to fuel lavish lifestyles while claiming non-profit status, and Americans pay for this every day directly and indirectly.

The NRA cannot be allowed to declare bankruptcy to try to escape potential criminal and civil accountability in New York. The NRA can run, but they can’t hide, and their days are numbered.

No organization is above the law.”

The majority of Americans support stronger gun laws that are proven to prevent gun violence. But the NRA has stopped such life-saving legislation from passing in Congress and in state legislatures across the country. In 2019, they spent $1.6 million lobbying Congress against passing gun safety legislation. They spent $30 million to elect Donald Trump in 2016. To date, Mitch McConnell has pocketed $1.2 million in NRA campaign contributions. All the while, 100 people die of gun violence in America every day. It is not hyperbole to say that these executives are padding their pockets while Americans die.

Visit DissolveTheNRA.org.

About Corruption at the NRA:

For years, there have been clear signs and explicit statements by former NRA employees indicating that NRA leadership has abused their positions and their authority as fiscal stewards of the organization in violation of its 501c3 tax-exempt status. These include in-depth statements made by Joshua L. Powell this fall. Powell previously served as chief of staff to LaPierre and detailed that LaPierre routinely abused his position and misused NRA funds for his personal benefit and comfort. In October 2019 Brady filed a complaint with the IRS seeking an examination into, and ultimately a revocation of, the NRA’s tax-exempt status. To date, this petitionhas received over 150,000 signatures.

About Lawsuits Against the NRA:

On August 6, 2020, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a complaint in the Supreme Court of New York that includes 18 causes of action against the National Rifle Association (NRA) and four of its senior officers, current and former, for fraud, malfeasance, false filings and abuse of the NRA’s tax-exempt status, among other charges. AG James’ action seeks to dissolve the organization in its entirety, following its rampant and wanton misfilings and false reporting. On the same day, Washington, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine filed suit against the NRA Foundation and the NRA for misusing donations to benefit the NRA’s executives. That suit seeks a return of misused funds and court-mandated alterations to the NRA Foundation to ensure it operates in compliance with its charitable purpose.

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Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.


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