The National Rifle Association (NRA) was established in 1871 by General George Wingate and Colonel William C. Church, two Union veterans. The purpose was to promote and encourage rifle shooting. The first president of the NRA was General Ambrose Burnside. New York State gave them financial support to develop a practice ground and Creedmore, a rifle range, opened on Long Island in 1983. Due to political opposition, the NRA moved to New Jersey in 1892 and the association began to grow in numbers.
During World War II, the NRA helped Britain to arm themselves to prepare for a German invasion. Following the war, they extended their focus to hunting. Now, the NRA is the world’s premier firearms education organization and a major political force. There are many celebrities who support this organization and here are five of the NRA’s biggest celebrity supporters.
1. Tom Selleck
Avid gun collector Tom Selleck is an NRA board member. When actor Charlton Heston stepped down as president of the NRA, Selleck considered taking on the role himself. The actor has donates some of the revolvers and rifles used in his movies to the National Firearms Museum that belongs to the NRA. He stayed a loyal supporter to the NRA even when he was ambushed on television show ‘Rosie O’Donnell Show’ following the Columbine massacre.
2. Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris is a National Rifle Association board member and appeared in a 2010 commercial sponsored by the organization. The ad encouraged people to vote and was called ‘Trigger the Vote’. As an Air Force veteran, he is a spokesperson for the NRA and an advocate of the Second Amendment. He also famously opposed the arms trade policy of the United Nations.
3. Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin is a passionate hunter and a life member of the NRA. In 2010, she addressed the NRA, stating that it was the wish of President Obama to take away the guns of America. In a strong a controversial speech, she claimed that Obama wanted to abolish the Second Amendment and ban all guns and ammunition in the United States. The following year, there was a 20 percent rise in female membership of the NRA and the organization referred to this as the ‘Palin effect’.
4. Miranda Lambert
Country singer Miranda Lambert is a lifelong member of the NRA and has had a handgun license since she was 22 when she was single and living on a farm alone. She grew up with guns because her father was a cop who enjoyed hunting. Her dad taught her about gun safety, how guns work, and how to use them safely. As a result of this, guns are a normal part of her life.
5. Karl Malone
Former NBA star Karl Malone is both a board member and a lifelong member of the NRA and he even appeared in the organization’s ad in 1999. Hunting was an important element of his childhood growing up in Louisiana. He believes that hunting is a tradition that Americans should pass on from one generation to the next.
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