Today it has 4.3 million members. The organization solidly supported George W. Bush for the presidency. The Bush administration has focused on cultural values, not gun ownership, as the main factor in school violence and gun deaths. Attorney General John Ashcroft, a longtime opponent of gun control, said one of his priorities is to intensify enforcement of federal gun laws. The NRA supports Ashcroft's position.
Soft money is unregulated donations to political committees as opposed to candidates.
The organization also spends millions on lobbying efforts. It failed because of strong opposition in Kansas City and St. Louis, but it passed in 104 of the state's 114 counties.