The National Rifle Association was founded in 1871, with its original mission to teach the American public marksmanship, a talent that had been sorely lacking in the Civil War. It evolved into an organization that was devoted to hunting and gun safety, and remained that way for over 100 years. During all that time, the Second Amendment was an increasingly old-fashioned, odd anomaly in the Constitution, and was basically as dormant as the Third Amendment, which bars quartering troops in private homes. Also, during that time, the NRA was firmly on the side of regulating the ownership and use of firearms.
Then, in 1977, the NRA was hijacked by a group of zealots, led by a Texas border patrolman, advocating for expanding gun-owners’ rights.
It was at that time that the Second Amendment was first adopted into the NRA’s narrative and used as a rallying cry to attract like-minded gun enthusiasts. Also at that time, the focus of the NRA was re-directed into becoming the lobbying arm of the American firearms industry.
Their work ultimately succeeded with the 2008 Supreme Court Heller decision, holding that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to keep and bear arms.
And here we are.
