Has the NRA lost a million members?

That is to say that they seem to be missing a million or so people from their claim of 4 million NRA members.

Josh Sugarmann, Executive Director, of the Violence Policy Center thinks that the national gun "rights" organization might just be exaggerating their membership, which he believes might stand at about 2.7 million members. And we don't know how many of those are full dues paying NRA guys.

In a commentary posted on the Huffington Post on April 24, Sugarmann notes that he received an NRA insurance solicitation that pegged their membership at 3 million,
not 4 million as claimed by the NRA. A national magazine audit (each NRA member receives a free magazine subscription) puts the figure closer to 2.7 million members.

So, what happened to those one million extra gun toters that the NRA claims are manning the front lines of the battle for firearm anarchy?

Well, we don't really know, because as Sugarmann points out, the NRA is not opening up their claim to scrutiny by the media:

When talking to the news media and policymakers, the National Rifle Association never misses a chance to boast of its membership of four million. From news releases to statements by its leadership, this number, virtually by its very utterance, is offered as validation of the organization's mission.

And it's so much larger than the 30,000 Americans who die from guns each year.

When asked for proof of these claims, the NRA cites the sanctity of its membership list and falls into its default mode of 'trust, but don't expect us to verify.'

Ah yes, "trust" a radical organization that claims that if you want to help law enforcement officials solve crimes by microstamping guns, you are really after taking rifles away from hunters. Sure, that makes a lot of sense, if you have a screw loose.

So, maybe Sugarmann is on to something. If the NRA makes its organization appear larger than it is, then they have more perceived clout. And the NRA and gun lobby thrive on the perception of their power, more than their actual effectiveness at the polling booth.

We'll never know for sure. The NRA doesn't have any plans on becoming a transparent organization.

They are too busy advocating for the right of people on the terrorist watch list to buy guns.