NRA vows to oust Clinton

Extends support to Dole

April 20, 1996
Web posted at: 8:30 p.m. EDT

DALLAS, Texas (CNN) -- National Rifle Association leaders Saturday pledged to mobilize their 3 million-odd members to oust President Clinton and anti-gun legislators in this year's elections.

The NRA's choice for president: Republican presumptive nominee Bob Dole.

"We are going to try to re-elect our friends and get new friends in open seats," Tanya Metaksa, the NRA's chief lobbyist, told thousands of supporters at the group's annual convention in Dallas. She added that the NRA desperately wants "a new man in the White House."

The NRA says it represents a voting bloc of 22 million to 27 million people. It was for decades primarily an organization of hunters, gun-lovers and sport shooters, but has become increasingly political in recent years.

It's a transition some members are less than happy with. They complain that the organization should be concentrating less on politics and more on the activities it was formed for.

That concern, along with an increase in membership dues and image problems, has caused some 400,000 members to leave the NRA in the last 18 months.

But as the NRA marks its 125th anniversary, there are ostensible signs of progress. For the first time, a woman is leading the organization. But Marion Hammer has taken over the reins at a critical juncture in the NRA's history.

Today, the organization's financial solvency is in question. In 1990 the NRA's net worth was $12 million. Five years later, it was in the red -- minus $51.5 million, to be precise.

The trouble began when the NRA spent millions on a membership drive beginning in 1992. But membership has dropped even as expenses have surged. Recently, the organization spent substantial money on a new headquarters building.

But Hammer says it's not as bad as it sounds.

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"The NRA financially is fine. I just wish all the people who write about our finances, who talk about them, understand finances and how to read documents." (204K AIFF sound or 204K WAV sound)

-- Marion Hammer, NRA president

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She says the organization has tens of millions of dollars in reserve, and that members shouldn't worry.

Some longtime members, like Dave Edmondson, would like to see the organization soften its stance in certain areas. "When it comes to assault rifles ... there is reasonable compromise that could be made," Edmondson said.

But Hammer says there's no room for compromise. "I don't intend to give up anything," she said.

CNN Correspondent Marc Watts and Reuters contributed to this report.

Related stories:

• House takes up repeal of assault weapons ban - March 22, 1996
• Dems to split up on assault weapons vote - March 21, 1996

Related site:

• National Rifle Association

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