[Lamplighter]

Originally Posted by tw

Never forget what the NRA is. ... NRA's purpose - to promote gun sales. That fundamental purposes has not changed.

Not quite.... from one version of the NRA history

...
The NRA was founded in 1871 by two Yankee Civil War veterans,
including an ex-New York Times reporter, who felt that war dragged on
because more urban northerners could not shoot as well as rural southerners.
It’s motto and focus until 1977 was not fighting for constitutional rights to own and use guns,
but “Firearms Safety Education, Marksmanship Training, Shhoting for Recreation,”
which was displayed in its national headquarters.

The NRA’s first president was a northern Army General, Ambrose Burnside.
He was chosen to reflect this civilian-militia mission, as envisioned in the Second Amendment,
which reads, “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state,
the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

The understanding of the Amendment at the time concerned having a prepared citizenry
to assist in domestic military matters, such as repelling raids on federal arsenals
like 1786’s Shays Rebellion in Massachusetts or the British in the War of 1812.

Its focus was not asserting individual gun rights as today,
but a ready citizenry prepared by target shooting.
...

Of course, the raison d'etre of the 2nd Amendment has
now been Scaliatized to expunge "A well regulated militia ...".

.