Schneider in Newsweek Op-Ed: “IRS Must Investigate NRA’s Tax-Exempt Status”
Today, Congressman Brad Schneider (D-IL), a member of the House Ways & Means Committee, published an opinion piece in Newsweek calling on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to investigate the National Rifle Association's (NRA's) tax-exempt status in light of reports of self-dealing and other abuses of its non-profit status:
IRS Must Investigate NRA's Tax-Exempt Status | Opinion
Brad Schneider, U.S. Representative / Illinois
Excerpt:
If you can believe it, when the National Rifle Association was founded as a not-for-profit organization almost 150 years ago, the stated goal of its founder was to "promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis." While it may have adhered to that mission in the past, today's NRA has strayed far from its founding principles.
The modern NRA advocates for reckless policies that can allow guns to fall into dangerous hands. Its spokespeople verbally attack student survivors of mass shootings. And, according to recent news reports, its executives appear to have improperly directed the donations from its rank-and-file members to line their own pockets.
For a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, such blatant self-dealing would constitute more than just bad press. It would be a violation of the state and federal laws that govern tax-exempt organizations. If the allegations are true, American taxpayers should not be forced to effectively subsidize the efforts of the NRA's leadership to bilk their members to enrich themselves.
That is why I am calling for the IRS to investigate the NRA's tax-exempt status.
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