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NRA Membership Dues, Contributions Rebounded In 2018 via @freebeacon freebeacon.com/issues/nra-mem…
The report, which was handed out during the group's latest annual meeting, shows dues went from $128,209,303 in 2017 to $170,391,374 in 2018—an increase of $42,182,071, or 33 percent.
It also shows contributions rose from $132,879,299 in 2017 to $165,075,288 in 2018—an increase of $32,195,989 or 24 percent. The rise in dues came ahead of the NRA announcing it had reached 5.5 million members, a record number.
Overall, the NRA and its affiliates brought in $412,233,508 in 2018. That's up from $378,122,489 in 2017. In total, the group's revenue rose $34,111,019 or 9 percent.
The numbers represent a clear resurgence of funding for the gun-rights group during 2018. Membership dues even topped those the group saw in 2016—$163,517,961.
Given the election resulted in Democrats capturing the House of Representatives, bringing in a number of new high-profile representatives openly hostile to gun rights, it is likely that also drove membership up.
The NRA’s total expenses rose from $379,227,070 in 2017 to $423,034,158 in 2018—an increase of $43,807,088 or 11 percent. Administrative costs rose from $44,134,375 in 2017 to $69,144,170 in 2018—an increase of $25,009,795 or 56 percent.
Legislative program expenses rose from $41,720,095 in 2017 to $57,231,471 in 2018—an increase of $15,511,376 or 37 percent. Fundraising costs went up by $14,777,728 or 26 percent in 2018.
A further breakdown of "administrative" costs provided in the report shows that new legal fees made up the bulk of the increase. Those administrative legal fees rose from $4,616,535 in 2017 to $21,911,953 in 2018—an increase of $17,295,418 or 374 percent.
Legal fees also grew beyond the administrative category, according to the report. Overall, the group's spending on "legal, audit and taxes" increased by from $12,931,621 in 2017 to $33,502,387 in 2018—an increase of $20,570,766 or 159 percent.
Increased legal spending came as the NRA faced multiple fights from congressional inquiries to suits over their gun-carry program to an investigation launched by NY attorney general Letitia James, a Democrat who has referred to the gun-rights group as a "terrorist organization."
Legal fees were also at the center of the recent NRA leadership fight. Former president Oliver North and former first VP Richard Childress called the $24 million payments made to the law firm Brewer Attorneys and Counselors between March 2018 and February 2019 "excessive"
The gun-rights group also cut costs in a number of areas. Public affairs expenditures dropped by $5,484,743—or 12 percent—to $39,413,517. Safety, education, and training went from $42,599,871 in 2017 to $32,716,600—a decrease of $9,883,271 or 23 percent.
Ultimately, the NRA reported spending $10,800,650 more than it brought in during 2018. That's up from the $1,104,581 deficit the group ran in 2017. They ended the year with total net assets of $144,733,165, down from $155,533,815 in 2017.
Wednesday, the NRA's top contractor Ackerman McQueen announced it will formally end its relationship with the gun-rights group, likely affecting future expenditures. This comes after Ackerman and the NRA traded dueling lawsuits stemming from the group's recent leadership fight.
Since Ackerman runs NRATV, some of the group's strategic public relations efforts, some of the operations for NRA events, and employs some of its best-known personalities, it is unclear how the NRA will fill those rolls moving forward.
