Although it was founded in 1871 by William Church to encourage rifle target shooting by the National Guard, in the 20th Century it evolved into a civilian organization to serve the interests of hunters. Over the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's, the NRA became best known for its successful efforts in defeating every significant legislative attempt to regulate firearms, due in large part to the political clout provided by its activist members, who once numbered close to 3 million. The NRA has consistently argued against and fought every effort to control handgun crime by limiting access to handguns, contending instead that the appropriate strategy is to toughen sentencing against persons who use handguns in the commission of a crime. Although its reputation as an unyielding and powerful lobbying group remains, the influence and power of the NRA has begun to fade. Membership is down to 2.6 million and, faced with the public's reaction to the nearly 30,000 deaths from gun violence each year, the NRA has lost several important gun-control legislative battles in the past 2 years. This book investigates the current troubles of the organization, along with such issues as the link between drugs and guns, the NRA's connection with gun manufacturers, its increasingly tense relationship with the police, and the growing schism within the organization itself. In attempting to portray the organization objectively, the author presents it as neither the evil empire its foes claim nor the super- patriotic defender of cherished American values that it touts itself to be. Chapter references and a subject index