# Gun Owners of America (GOA) The NRA's more radical flank — a "no compromise" gun rights organization that positions itself to the right of the [[NRA]] on every issue and has grown significantly as the NRA weakened under [[Wayne LaPierre]]'s corruption scandals. Founded in 1975 by H.L. "Bill" Richardson, a California state senator, and long led by Larry Pratt, GOA operates as the gun lobby's purity enforcer: any gun regulation the NRA might quietly accept, GOA loudly opposes. ## Function in the Ecosystem GOA's strategic role is **anchoring [[the Overton window]]'s right edge** on gun policy. By taking absolutist positions (opposing universal background checks, red flag laws, bump stock bans, and even some NRA-supported measures), GOA makes the NRA look moderate by comparison — which pressures the NRA to resist any compromise lest it appear soft relative to GOA. Key characteristics: - **Membership**: ~2 million claimed (unverified), compared to the NRA's 4-5 million - **Budget**: ~$38M revenue (2022), approximately 10% of the NRA's peak - **Scorecards**: Like the NRA, GOA issues congressional ratings — but GOA's grades are consistently harsher, creating competitive pressure on the NRA scorecard system - **Legal Arm**: GOA Foundation has filed amicus briefs in major [[Second Amendment]] cases and operates its own legal challenge program - **State-Level Focus**: Particularly strong in state legislatures, where GOA has been instrumental in passing constitutional carry laws (permitless concealed carry) now enacted in 29 states ## Leadership and Ideology Larry Pratt led GOA for decades and brought a distinct ideological coloring: connections to [[Christian Identity]] movements, militia groups, and white supremacist organizations in the 1990s (documented by the Southern Poverty Law Center). Pratt spoke at a 1992 meeting organized by white supremacist Pete Peters alongside [[Aryan Nations]] members and Klansmen. This history connects GOA to the militia ecosystem ([[Oath Keepers]], [[Three Percenters]]) in ways the NRA has generally avoided. Current executive director Erich Pratt (Larry's son) has continued the no-compromise brand while cleaning up the organizational image. ## NRA Weakness = GOA Growth As the NRA declined (revenue down 42%, LaPierre corruption scandal, NY AG lawsuit), GOA has captured frustrated gun owners who view the NRA as either too corrupt or too willing to negotiate: - GOA revenue grew from ~$20M (2018) to ~$38M (2022) - Increased social media presence and younger demographic targeting - Positioned as the "authentic" gun rights organization vs. the NRA's "establishment" brand ## Analytical Framework GOA is the **purity flank** of the gun lobby — the same structural role that the [[Club for Growth]] plays in anti-tax politics and that AFPAC/Groypers play in the broader [[New Right]]. In each case, a more radical organization constrains the mainstream organization's ability to compromise by threatening to outflank it from the right. This is a recurring pattern in the conservative ecosystem: the presence of a purity enforcer ratchets the entire movement's positions in one direction over time, because moderation is always punished and extremism is always rewarded.