The National Rifle Association (NRA) is an American organization that advocates for protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights, and promotion of gun ownership, marksmanship, safety, hunting, and self-defense in United States. The NRA is made of some 4.3 million members with chapters throughout the U.S., and licenses of thousands firearms of instructors to train individuals on gun use.

Widely recognized as a major political force, the NRA wields significant lobbying power throughout the U.S. government. The NRA is recognized as a 501(c) and 501(c) organization, that allows it to operate both as a charity and to participate in political campaigns and lobbying.

The NRA has come under high criticism in recent years as gun violence spreads in U.S. Its CEO Wayne LaPierre made news in December 2012 when he proposed to put armed guards in all schools in the country as a way to prevent future tragedies like Sandy Hook Elementary School shoots that killed 20 children and six adults.