For most of its history, the NRA supported gun control laws and did not see government as the enemy.
AlterNet
The Suprising Unknown History of the NRA
Steve Rosenfeld
Good post documenting the take-over of the NRA by the crazies determined to keep white men armed. In addition, the NRA has become a PR agency for the arms industry and a political lobby, too, at federal, state, and local levels of government. This is as much an economic issue as a political one, and I suspect that as far as the money goes to finance the campaign against gun control, it's economically driven. Huge amount of money exchange hands.
Full disclosure: I was a member of the NRA as a teen and am proud to have achieved the top awards in marksmanship. I was very into guns at the time, and now would be considered a juvenile delinquent, no doubt. When I was in my teens, I frequently would walk to the local gun club for target practice with my rifle slung over my shoulder. I often carried a hand gun, too.
My parents were entirely supportive, even though neither of them were at all interested in firearms. My father took me to purchase my first rifle, a used single-shot .22, on my tenth birthday. It was a big moment for me.
My parents thought that the NRA training would a valuable educational experience for an adolescent, and my experience agrees with that. So I was really quite dismayed to witness the shift away from safety, education, and high standards to the craziness that now reigns, and I have not held membership in the NRA since.
