If I understand correctly it was mainly gun manufacturers that helped boost the NRA and helped fund their lobbying the government. Apparently later on Russia had been found to be funneling money into US politics via the NRA as well. Major groups like this are rarely grassroots.

Edit: I just noticed the community this is so feel free to execute me or whatever the punishment is for just being some uneducated guy not posting sources, maybe the iron maiden or something? lol

Pretty much this. Back in the seventies the group was moatly about education, and teaching gun safety and marksmanship. The manufacturers got involved directly for the sake of sales, but then turned it around to be a populist face for a lobbying group. Turns out you can influence a lot of politicians if you can show the ability to direct voter decisions. Russia got involved after Wayne lapierre took over, but then the leadership got greedy and backstabby. I think membership has tanked these days because it's really nothing more than an industry lobbying group now.

They got pretty big as a sanctioning body for shooting sports and local shooting organizations, which came with a lot of affiliations with gun manufacturers. Once it became apparent to those manufacturers that the greatest threat to their business was not a decline in enthusiasm among consumers, but a growing risk of regulation the org pivoted into a primarily political lobbying organization. THEN it became apparent that gun rights were a useful wedge issue and right wingers and foreign governments identified it as a great inroad to connect their agendas to a common issue, and here we are.

It was a gun education and safety group, primarily involved in running shooting events. It's political involvement really began in 1977 when extremists took over the organization. You can look up "The NRA Revolt at Cincinnati (May 1977)" for more info. From there it became a right wing money funnel, eventually gaining the attention of international interests, most notably Russia.

There are various conspiracy theories that may or may not hold water about it being tied to roll over in the CIA during Jimmy Carter's administration. It's an entire rabbit hole tying in George H. W. Bush, Iran Contra, and the CIA rolling governments in central America. There is most definitely some truth, and a lot of out right fabrication involved.

We're a little laxer than the equivalent on The Old Place. Sources are required only when the facts are in dispute.

... but a good flogging will set you straight!

In-a-gadda-da-vida, baby.

but a good flogging will set you straight!

Woohoo!

...err... I mean... Oh... no... Anything but that...