Everytown Responds to New Report of Expanding Ties Between the National Rifle Association and Russian Officials, Releases Five Questions Gun Lobby Must Answer

NRA’s Silence is Deafening as Washington Post Reveals Growing Close Ties Between NRA and Russia

WASHINGTON – In response to last night’s report in The Washington Post on ties between the National Rifle Association and Russian officials, Everytown for Gun Safety released the following statement from President John Feinblatt, along with five questions that NRA leaders should answer. On Friday, President Donald Trump spoke at the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum – the first time a sitting President has spoken at the event in more than 30 years. According to published reports, the NRA spent over $50 million in last year’s elections – more than double their previous spending.

STATEMENT FROM JOHN FEINBLATT, PRESIDENT OF EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY:

“It’s no surprise that the NRA is refusing to answer questions on their deliberate outreach to Russia. While NRA leaders like to talk about carrying the mantle of freedom, it appears they have been quietly cozying up to Moscow’s authoritarian regime. This engagement with Russia is the latest data point that this group is not your grandfather’s NRA – it’s a political organization promoting a ‘guns everywhere’ agenda that puts the profits of gun manufacturers – no matter where they are based – ahead of public safety here in America. It’s time for the NRA to come clean on all of their engagement with Russian officials.”

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR NRA LEADERSHIP ON TIES TO RUSSIAN OFFICIALS:

1. Does the NRA invest in Russian-owned entities, or have NRA officials advised Russian gun rights organizations?

2. Given the NRA spent over $50 million on the 2016 elections at a time it was expanding its outreach to Russia, did any of these funds come from Russian sources?

3. Does the NRA have a current position on U.S. sanctions against Russia since they opposed them in 2014?

4. Was the NRA involved in coordinating, financing or scheduling Bank of Russia Deputy Chairman Alexander Torshin’s cancelled meeting with President Trump in February 2017?

5. During the NRA’s 2015 trip to Moscow, NRA representatives met with Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Rogozin – a sanctioned Russian official. Was the 2016 presidential election discussed?

On Saturday in Atlanta, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, rallied together with hundreds of Georgia leaders, gun violence survivors, and advocates from around the country to fight back against the NRA leadership’s dangerous “guns everywhere” agenda.