On Thursday morning, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed suit against the National Rifle Association and current and former executives for violating New York charities law, following an investigation that began in April 2019. In addition to seven figure financial payments from former executives named as defendants, the complaint also seeks dissolution, meaning that if the suit is successful, the NRA could be disbanded by the State of New York — a process that would make it very difficult for the organization to rebuild, even in another state.
According to opensecrets.org, the NRA has spent $3,890,233 supporting Sen. Cory Gardner over the course of his career. In the wake of Thursday’s announcement, below are three questions reporters should consider asking:
- What is Sen. Gardner’s reaction to the allegations against the NRA, including that it is “fraught with fraud and abuse”?
- Does Sen. Gardner believe these allegations raise questions about the judgment or motivations of the people setting the NRA’s policy agenda?
- Does Sen. Gardner believe the NRA’s extreme agenda represents the interests of most Colorado gun owners – even despite polling that demonstrates the surging intensity of Americans’ support for common-sense gun safety measures during the coronavirus pandemic?
A detailed history of the AG’s investigation and the NRA’s other litigation can be found here on NRAWatch.org.
Responses to Thursday’s announcement from Everytown and from Moms Demand Action are available here. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to request an interview.
