National Pro-Gun Organizations2006 |
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Citizens` Committee For The Right To Keep And Bear Arms Headquarters: U.S. Capitol Office: Executive Director: Paul Williams Membership: 550,000 The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) originated as an ad hoc committee of the Young Americans for Freedom. It has been in independent operation since 1971. CCRKBA believes "in the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution upholding the right of the people to keep and bear arms; that firearms registration does not and cannot solve the problems ofrising crime in our streets, and that registration leads to the eventual confiscation of firearms; that a mandatory sentence on conviction of a felony involving the use of a firearm is a deterrent to crime"; and "that the disarming of individual law-abiding citizens will result in the loss of individual freedoms." CCRKBA employs one full-time lobbyist in Washington, D.C. The Citizens Committee has a political action committee--Right to Keep and Bear Arms Political Victory Fund--which supports state and federal pro-gun candidates. Unlike the NRA, CCRKBA also involves itself in other issues besides firearms-related issues. Congress of Racial Equality Headquarters: Chairman: Roy Innis The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) is a group which began in Brooklyn as a civil rights organization to promote the rights of blacks including their right to keep and bear arms. CORE currently has five regional groups, 39 state groups, and 116 local groups and maintains its headquarters in New York City. The organization is active in several anti-crime programs on the grassroots level and emphasizes individual participation in crime prevention. Gun Owners of America Headquarters: Executive Director: Larry Pratt Gun Owners of America (GOA) was founded in 1975. It is a nonprofit lobbying organization formed to preserve the rights ofgun owners. GOA lobbies Congress and state legislatures and is active in electoral politics. GOA operates a California office and has a federal political action committee, Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund (GOAPVF). Also associated with GOA is the Gun Owners Foundation. GOF is the tax-deductible research and education arm of GOA. National Rifle Association of America Headquarters: Executive Vice President: Wayne
LaPierre Widely recognized today as a major political force and as America's foremost defender of Second Amendment rights, the NRA has, since its inception, also been the premier firearms education organization in the world. Their successes would not be possible without the tireless efforts and countless hours of service their nearly four million members have given to champion Second Amendment rights and support NRA programs. As former Clinton spokesman George Stephanopoulos said, "Let me make one small vote for the NRA. They're good citizens. They call their Congressmen. They write. They vote. They contribute. And they get what they want over time." International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Headquarters: Executive Vice President: John Baughman The International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (IAFWA) is comprised of 68 state and provincial fish and wildlife agencies and 382 officials. Founded in 1902 as the International Association of Game, Fish, and Conservation Commissioners, the IAFWA has organized to educate people on the "importance of conserving natural resources and managing wildlife properly as a source of recreation and bard supply." It maintains several committees including Hunter Education, Migratory Wildlife, and Wildlife Habitat Protection. Izaak Walton League Headquarters:
The Izaak Walton League has 21 state groups and 300 local groups. The League works to educate the public on conservation, soil restoration, forest, water, and other natural projects. It promotes the recreational use of lands and has a pro-hunting policy. The League has several environmental programs including the Wetlands Watch and Outdoor Ethics Information Center, as well as a weekly television program, "Make Peace With Nature." It also has several workshop programs for various interests. The Izaak Walton League maintains the Izaak Walton League Endowment which is a program to purchase land for eventual sale to the U.S. Forest Service. The Endowment also provides funding for youth camps and education. Jews For The Preservation of Firearms Ownership Headquarters:
Founded in 1989, Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JPFO) does research to find new ideas and methods to discredit gun control. JPFO uses print and electronic media to accomplish this goal. JPFO is a non-partisan group which seeks to destroy the concept of gun control and of all gun control laws that target the law abiding citizen. They believe in a constitutional right allowing law abiding citizens to be armed. JPFO considers gun control to be moral perversion because it equates the criminal to the law-abiding citizen. Law Enforcement Alliance of America Headquarters: Executive Director: Jim Fotis The Law Enforcement Alliance of America (LEAA), founded in 1990, is a non-profit advocacy group that takes a tough stand on law and order issues. LEAA`s 50,000+ members consist of law enforcement professionals, citizens, and victims of crime who are fighting for street-smart, common sense solutions to America`s crime problem, such as: mandatory sentencing for violent criminals and repeat offenders; life without parole for certain violent crimes; capital punishment for heinous crimes of murder and aggravated rape; and legislation to protect the victims of crime. LEAA also defends the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, including the Second Amendment. LEAA represents tens of thousands of police officers across the country who do not believe that law-abiding firearms owners should be blamed or punished for America`s crime problem. Rank-and-file cops disapprove of politically-appointed bureaucrats claiming to represent them while supporting unconstitutional restrictions on the rights of citizens to own firearms for self-defense and other lawful purposes. LEAA believes that any law requiring the registration of firearms or a waiting period for the purchase of firearms benefits the criminal, not the law abiding citizen. National Shooting Sports Foundation Headquarters: President/Exec. Director Doug Painter The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) employs 13 at their Connecticut headquarters and is not a lobbying organization. The NSSF was chartered in 1961, "to foster a better understanding and a more active participation in the shooting sports." The NSSF maintains a tax-exempt educational fund, in addition to its regular organization. The NSSF serves as a spokesman for the firearms industry and the legitimate sportsman through press releases, pamphlets and brochures, and sponsors factual research into gun ownership and the "Hunters Pay for Conservation" educational program. Safari Club International Headquarters:
The Safari Club has 201 chapters around the world including 167 chapters in the United States, and was founded in 1971. The Safari Club is a sportsman`s organization to encourage conservation of wildlife. The group promotes hunting as a wildlife management tool and seeks to educate people to this effect. The club`s aim is to protect the rights of hunters. It maintains the Safari Club International Conservation Fund which works with other conservation groups and grants scholarships to students who have attended their American Wilderness Leadership School. The Second Amendment Foundation Headquarters: Executive Director: Alan Gottlieb Membership: 550,000 The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) shares its staff with CCRKBA, but the organization does not lobby, given its status as an educational foundation. An offshoot of the Citizens Committee, the Second Amendment Foundation raises funds ostensibly to provide educational and legal services for gun owners. It has an interlocking directorate with CCRKBA and adjoining offices in Bellevue, Washington. The SAF produces educational materials "to promote a better understanding of the Second Amendment." Both CCRKBA and SAF conduct extensive and frequent fundraising campaigns. SAF produces issue monographs and has established an attorney referral service. Ted Nugents United Sportsmen of America Headquarters:
Sharing the high-octane personality of its founder, TNUSA is unabashedly pro-gun, pro-hunting and pro-outdoors. TNUSA enthusiastically promotes the hunting and outdoor lifestyle and particularly targets its message to young people and to those who have not before experienced the excitement of outdoor adventures. U.S. Sportsmen`s Alliance Headquarters: President: Bud Pidgeon The U.S. Sportsmen`s Alliance (USSA) (formerly the Wildlife Legislative Fund of America) has the mission of protecting the legal right to hunt, fish, and trap and promote scientific wildlife management practices. Formed in reaction to anti-hunting efforts of animal rights groups and related organizations, the USSA offers legislative lobbying, legal defense, and educational services for sportsmen. It is the legislative and political arm of the Wildlife Conservation Fund of America.
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