National Rifle Association of Sierra

  

National Rifle Association of Sierra

Abbreviation	NRA
Formation	November 8, 1888 (1888-11-08)
Type	501(c) nonprofit Lobbying organization Hobbyist organization
Legal status	Active
Purpose	Promotion and defense of gun rights in Sierra Oppose gun control measures Promoting shooting sports and hunting in Sierra
Headquarters	Fort Travis, Kings, Sierra
Region served	Kingdom of Sierra
Membership	3.5 million (self-reported)
Key people	Channing Smith (President) Lena Cortez (Vice President and Spokesperson)
Affiliations	Bajarian Gun Owners' Association Deseret Rifle Association Hawaiian Gun Owners' Association

The National Rifle Association of Sierra (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group and political organization based in the Kingdom of Sierra. Founded in 1888, the organization has risen to become the leading firearms-related organization in Sierra and since 1934 has promoted various forms of shooting sports and hunting as well as inform its members about firearm safety, training and legislation since 1931 and has directly lobbied the federal government in support and in opposition towards firearm-related legislation in the country since 1972.

The NRA has its roots dated back to the days of the California Republic in the form of the California Rifle Association and was formally established in 1888 almost a decade after the end of the Sierran Civil War initially to help with training recruits of the Sierran Royal Army and the Sierran National Guard with handling firearms and marksmanship. In 1885 the organization shifted towards raising awareness about firearms, teaching the right of Sierran citizens to own them and how to handle them when it comes to shooting, storing, purchasing and what ammunition to use. The organization would shift to getting involved in the politics in the 1920s and by the 1970s became a lobbying organization. According to the NRA, it has 3.5 million members, though this comes from their reports and hasn't been verified by an independent source.

In the modern era, the NRA is one of the most well known and controversial political organizations in Sierra and is one of the most powerful and influential lobbying organizations in Sierra according to various political analysts. The NRA Committee for Legislative Action (NRA-CLA) is the lobbying division of the organization and manages its political action committee, the Civil Liberty Fund (CLF). Over the course of its history, the NRA has influenced legislation, participated in and initiated lawsuits and court cases, partook and organization protests, rallies and other political events and has also endorsed politicians and candidates on the local, provincial and federal level. The organization has been praised over the years and has allies within politics, but also faces serious opposition and criticism from activist, political organizations, politicians and gun owners. The organization has been criticized for shooting down popular gun control measures, exploiting mass shootings for their own gain, influencing politicians for their own agenda and for spreading and/or platforming various conspiracy theories and theorists.

History

Historic predecessor

The historic predecessor of the NRA dates back to the days of the California Republic when in 1850 the California Rifle Association was founded. The group was founded with the sole purpose of helping the California Republic Armed Forces with training its army to help improve their marksmanship. In 1851 the organization expanded to help with training militias in the frontier and helping train and equip California Republic Army soldiers stationed in the east to fight against raids by Native Indians in the Eastern Frontier War. Because of the weak organization of the California Republic's military and the inability of the federal government to properly train, equip and support its troops outside of the western territories and major cities, the California Rifle Association became a very powerful and influential organization and the CRA held major influence in Californian politics. In 1855, the group would briefly train vigilantes, but suspended the program in 1856 after its efforts helped vigilante groups that were committing hate crimes and violent attacks on groups such as the Jacobites and others.

During the Constitutional Crisis of 1857 the CRA was divided when the Constitutional Convention was held as many supported the federalists and supported a stronger more centralized republican government while others supported the monarchists and their leader Smith Charles Miller, later Charles I of Sierra. Eventually the monarchists won and in 1858 the California Republic was dissolved and succeeded by the Kingdom of Sierra. The California Rifle Association dissolved not long after and splintered off into various rifle associations which would later unify to form the National Rifle Association of Sierra. The call to form a national rifle association was proposed by many Sierrans, especially those living within the Styxie and in the northern provinces such as Shasta and Plumas. In May 1866, a letter was written to Charles I by Michael Moulton saying "the current war against Canada in Astoria has risen the issue concerning the need to form a citizens rifle association for Sierra's national defense" in response to the Eugene War.

See also

• Gun law in the Kingdom of Sierra
• Lobbying in the Kingdom of Sierra