Case Summary

Starting in 2019, District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine investigated the NRA and NRA Foundation for suspected violations of nonprofit law.

The Washington D.C. Attorney General filed a complaint against the NRA and NRA Foundation in D.C. Superior Court on August 6, 2020. The DCAG’s complaint contains five causes of action against the defendants, including that the NRA Foundation exceeded and abused the authority of the charity, and that the Foundation acted contrary to the non-profit purpose of the NRA Foundation. The DCAG alleges that the NRA controlled the Board of Directors of the NRA Foundation and caused the Foundation to undertake actions not in the best interest of the NRA Foundation. The crux of the allegations by the DCAG are that “in recent years, the NRA has experienced financial problems related, in large part, to low membership and the NRA’s decision to continue to waste funds on improper, lavish spending. To plug holes caused by its own poor management, the NRA turned to the Foundation’s funds.”

The case was settled on April 17, 2024, and includes provisions that the NRA Foundation will establish a new conflicts of interest policy, form an audit committee and work with an external auditor, and adopt new policies governing grant making.