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 more than $4.4 million supporting Senator Thom Tillis over the course of his career. In the wake of Thursday’s announcement, below are three questions reporters should consider asking:
- What is Senator Tillis’s reaction to the allegations against the NRA, including that it is “fraught with fraud and abuse”?
- Does Senator Tillis believe these allegations raise questions about the judgment or motivations of the people setting the NRA’s policy agenda?
- Does Senator Tillis believe the NRA’s extreme agenda represents the interests of most North Carolina gun owners — even amid polling showing that North Carolina voters broadly agree, by nearly a 2:1 margin, that it is possible to keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them while also protecting the rights of gun owners?
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.