National Rifle Association files for bankruptcy, seeking to escape New
York lawsuit
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[January 16, 2021]
By Jan Wolfe and Jonathan Stempel
(Reuters) - The National Rifle Association
on Friday filed for bankruptcy, a sudden development that could help the
gun rights group escape a lawsuit by New York's attorney general seeking
its dissolution.
The NRA filed for Chapter 11 protection in federal bankruptcy court in
Dallas, and said it plans to reincorporate in Texas to escape "a corrupt
political and regulatory environment" in New York, where it is now
incorporated.
"Texas values the contributions of the NRA, celebrates our law-abiding
members, and joins us as a partner in upholding constitutional freedom,"
Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre said in a letter to members. "We seek
protection from New York officials who illegally abused and weaponized
the powers they wield against the NRA and its members."
The NRA was sued in August by New York Attorney General Letitia James,
who accused LaPierre and other senior leaders of self-dealing and
mismanagement, and said the group's activities violated state laws
governing nonprofits.
James said NRA officials diverted millions of dollars to fund luxury
lifestyles, including vacations and private jets, and to buy the silence
and loyalty of former employees, costing the group $64 million over
three years.
"The NRA's claimed financial status has finally met its moral status:
bankrupt," James said in a statement on Friday. "We will not allow the
NRA to use this or any other tactic to evade accountability and my
office's oversight."
In its own statement, the NRA pledged no immediate changes to its
operations or workforce and said it was not insolvent, with LaPierre
adding that it was "as financially strong as we have been in years."
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A general view shows the National Rifle Association (NRA)
headquarters, in Fairfax, Virginia, U.S., August 6, 2020.
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
The group said it would continue to defend its members'
constitutional rights under the Second Amendment, which guarantees
the right to keep and bear arms.
Critics say the NRA is an enabler of gun violence.
In her lawsuit, James said the NRA's incorporation as a nonprofit in
New York gave her authority to seek its dissolution. The NRA filed a
countersuit in federal court in Albany, New York, accusing her of
violating its free speech rights because she disliked its politics.
The NRA accused James, a Democrat, of seeking a "corporate death
sentence" in a partisan push to fulfill a "career goal."
Sixteen Republican attorneys general filed a brief supporting the
NRA's case.
Friday's move will likely put the New York lawsuit on hold, and a
reincorporation in Texas could strip James of her power to dissolve
the group.
(Reporting by Jan Wolfe and Jonathan Stempel; Editing by Rosalba
O'Brien and Jonathan Oatis)
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