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Gun Owners of America

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Gun Owners of America
Gun Owners of America.jpg
Basic facts
Location:Springfield, VA
Type:501(c)(4)
Founder(s):H.L. Richardson
Year founded:1976
Website:Official website

Gun Owners of America (GOA) is 501(c)(4) advocacy group based in Springfield, Virginia. The group was founded in 1976 in response to the introduction of a bill banning handguns in California, while GOA founder H.L. Richardson was serving in the California State Senate.[1]

The group says it "has built a nationwide network of attorneys to help fight court battles in almost every state in the nation to protect gun owner rights. GOA staff and attorneys have also worked with members of Congress, state legislators and local citizens to protect gun ranges and local gun clubs from closure by overzealous government anti-gun bureaucrats."[2]

Mission

“

To preserve, protect and defend the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, including promoting and developing a greater understanding and awareness regarding the importance and benefits of firearms ownership, and conducting education and policy related to such rights.[3][4]

”

Background

Gun Owners of America (GOA) was officially founded in 1976 by then-California state Sen. H.L. Richardson, who opposed a proposed bill in the California State Legislature that would have banned handguns. Initially, Richardson had founded Gun Owners of California and subsequently founded GOA.[1]

Political activity

Between 1999 and 2016, Gun Owners of America spent around $32,481,918 in lobbying the U.S. Senate and U.S. House.[5][6]

In 2013, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) was working on a bipartisan bill with Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.) that would have expanded background checks for gun buyers, which GOA viewed as a violation of constitutional rights.[7] Gun Owners of America's executive director, Larry Pratt, responded by launching a campaign against Coburn by calling GOA members and having them send emails and call the senator opposing the bill. Coburn eventually abandoned the bill. The New York Times said that such examples put pressure on other organizations like the National Rifle Association to take a more assertive position on issues.[8]

On January 5, 2016, President Barack Obama made a speech defending executive actions related to gun seller licensing, reporting lost or stolen firearms, and mental health records, among other things.[9] On January 19, 2016, GOA began a campaign to block the criminal sentencing bill H.R. 4321/S. 2123, which addressed federal sentencing guidelines for drug-related crimes, mandatory minimum sentences, and maximum sentences, unless Obama repealed his executive actions.[10][11]

Congressional ratings

GOA's website includes ratings for each member of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House.

Leadership

As of January 2016, leadership of GOA was as follows:

  • H.L. Richardson, Chairman[1]
  • Tim Macy, Board Chairman[12]
  • Larry Pratt, Executive Director Emeritus[13]
  • Erich Pratt, Executive Director[14]
  • Sam Paredes, Board of Directors, GOA; Treasurer, Gun Owner Foundation; and Executive Director, Gun Owners of California[15]
  • Gerry D. Ognibene, Board of Directors[16]

Finances

The following is a breakdown of GOA's revenue from contributions and grants received, total revenue, and expenses for 2011-2014 fiscal years, as reported to the IRS.

Annual contributions and grants received, total revenue and expenses for GOA, 2011-2014
Tax Year Contributions and grants received Total annual revenue Expenses
2014[17] $1,940,384 $1,943,077 $2,469,803
2013[18] $3,241,880 $3,244,560 $2,504,949
2012[19] $2,350,711 $2,358,893 $1,991,372
2011[19] $1,842,633 $1,835,550 $2,070,673

Affiliated programs

Gun Owners of California

See also Gun Owners of California

Gun Owners of California (GOC) is a 501(c)(4). It was formally established in 1980, but formed in 1976. Gun Owners of California is a localized version of Gun Owners of America based in Folsom, Calif.[1][20] The mission of the GOC is as follows: "Meet the hardest hitting, most effective, toughest fighting pro-gun organization in the state of California. GOC is attack oriented. We believe the surest way to lose is to be constantly on the defensive. We know the battle is in the political trenches and victory will never be assured until the last anti-gun legislator is defeated."[21] As of January 2016, H. L. Richardson was the chairman, Tim Macy was the vice chair, Samuel Paredes was the secretary and treasurer, and Gerry Ognibene was the board director of GOC.[22]

Finances

The GOC spent $117,609 in 2012, $137,907 in 2013, and $125,753 in 2014 on lobbying in the California State Legislature.[22][23][20] The following is a breakdown of GOC's revenue from contributions and grants received, total revenue, and expenses for 2011-2014 fiscal years, as reported to the IRS.

Annual contributions and grants received, total revenue and expenses for GOC, 2011-2014
Tax Year Contributions and grants received Total annual revenue Expenses
2014[22] $163,025 $303,402 $302,570
2013[23] $204,840 $425,109 $320,743
2012[20] $228,651 $345,731 $296,446
2011[20] $152,139 $260,044 $262,490

Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund

Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund was organized in 1993. The fund supported Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2016 presidential elections. The fund also endorsed Steve Pearce (R-N.M.), Andrew Harris (R-Md.), Steve King (R-Iowa),Rod Blum (R-Iowa), David Brat (R-Va.), Ken Buck (R-Colo.), and Alexander Mooney (R-W.V.) in 2016 races.[24] By the end of November 2015, the fund had received $18,729 in contributions.[25] As of January 2016, Tim Macy was the chairman of the political victory fund.[26]

Gun Owners Foundation

Founded in 1983, the Gun Owners Foundation (GOF) is a 501(c)(3) that says it "exists in order to educate the public about the importance of the Second Amendment and to provide legal, expert and support assistance for law-abiding individuals involved in firearms-related cases."[27] In 2014, the organization received $134,441 in contributions and grants, according to the IRS.[28] The following is a list of the directors as of January 2016:[27]

  • H.L. Richardson, Founder and Chairman
  • Tim Macy
  • Lawrence D. Pratt, Executive Vice President
  • Samuel A. Paredes
  • Steven Hummell
  • William Kuchan
  • Dan Larocca
  • Gerry Ognibene
  • David Rush
  • David Whitt
  • John Williams
  • Frank McGlynn, chief administrative officer

English First and English First Foundation

English First and the English First Foundation were related organizations to Gun Owners of America until 2013. Founded in 1987, English First is a 501(c)(4), with the stated mission of passing "legislation making English the official language of the United States."[29] In 2014, the organization received $169,999 in contributions and grants, according to the IRS.[30] As of 2016, Lawrence Pratt was the president and director, Erich Pratt was the vice president and director, and Sebastian Taphanel was the director.[30] Founded in 1991, the English First Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that conducts educational programs, guest speaker series and provides legal assistance to cases regarding English as a common language. In 2014, the organization received $17,535 in contributions and grants, according to the IRS.[31] As of 2016, Lawrence Pratt was the president, Ben Hand was the vice president, Erich Pratt was the secretary and treasurer, and Val Finnell was the director.[31]

Media

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Gun Owners American. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Gun Owners of America - Google News

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 GOA, "H.L. Richardson," accessed January 20, 2016
  2. ↑ Gun Owners of America, "About Gun Owners of America," accessed June 10, 2020
  3. ↑ GuideStar, "Gun Owners of America," accessed June 10, 2020
  4. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  5. ↑ U.S. Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act Database, "Gun Owners of America," accessed January 20, 2016
  6. ↑ Opensecrets.org, "Gun Owners of America, Summary," accessed June 1, 2016
  7. ↑ The Atlantic, "Good News for the Gun Lobby," January 8, 2015
  8. ↑ The New York Times, "Upstart Group Pushes Harder Than the N.R.A.," April 3, 2013
  9. ↑ Politico, "Obama wipes away tears as he calls for new gun measures," January 5, 2016
  10. ↑ GovTrack, "Summaries for the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015," accessed January 20, 2016
  11. ↑ Politico, "Guns and sentencing reform," January 19, 2016
  12. ↑ GOA, "Tim Macy," accessed January 20, 2016
  13. ↑ GOA, "Larry Pratt," accessed January 20, 2016
  14. ↑ GOA, "Erich Pratt," accessed January 20, 2016
  15. ↑ GOA, "Sam Paredes," accessed January 20, 2016
  16. ↑ GOA, "Gerry D. Ognibene ," accessed January 20, 2016
  17. ↑ Guidestar, "GOA, IRS Form 990 (2014)," accessed January 20, 2016
  18. ↑ Guidestar, "GOA, IRS Form 990 (2013)," accessed January 20, 2016
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Guidestar, "GOA, IRS Form 990 (2012)," accessed January 20, 2016
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Guidestar, "GOC, IRS Form 990 (2012)," accessed January 20, 2016
  21. ↑ GOC, "GOC Mission," accessed January 20, 2016
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Guidestar, "GOC, IRS Form 990 (2014)," accessed January 20, 2016
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Guidestar, "GOC, IRS Form 990 (2013)," accessed January 20, 2016
  24. ↑ GOA-PVF, "Endorsements," accessed January 20, 2016
  25. ↑ FEC, "'GOA-PVF, FEC Form 3X (December, 2015)," accessed January 20, 2016
  26. ↑ GOA-PVF, "Home," accessed January 20, 2016
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 GOF, "About GOF," accessed January 20, 2016
  28. ↑ Guidestar, "GOF, IRS Form 990 (2014)," accessed January 20, 2016
  29. ↑ English First, "The Mission of English First," accessed January 20, 2016
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Guidestar, "English First, IRS Form 990 (2014)," accessed January 20, 2016
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Guidestar, "English First Foundation, IRS Form 990 (2014)," accessed January 20, 2016


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