On April 7, 2023, Elise Hurrle, a 23-year-old cashier at a convenience store in Mesa, Arizona, took a holstered 9mm Taurus GX4 pistol from behind the store’s checkout counter and attempted to attach it to her waistband. But she accidentally dropped the gun, and when it struck the store’s tiled floor, it fired, sending a bullet into her neck and killing her. Hurrle was the mother of one child.
The store’s surveillance system captured the incident. The owner of the pistol, a friend of Hurrle’s, joined other individuals — GX4 owners in Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas who say they were wounded when their pistols fired on their own — in a class-action lawsuit alleging that Taurus had known about the GX4’s deadly defects for years.1Jaramillo v. Taurus, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Albany Division, Case 1:23-cv-00196-LAG, November 10, 2023, https://www.classaction.org/media/jaramillo-v-taurus-international-manufacturing-et-al.pdf. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed,2The court held that the plaintiff failed to state a claim, but did not adjudicate whether the pistols were defective. Jaramillo v. Taurus, Order on Motion to Dismiss Complaint, September 27, 2024, https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68026869/34/jaramillo-v-taurus-international-manufacturing-inc/. but Taurus announced in May 2023 that the gun could fire when dropped in a “safety notice.”3Taurus, “Taurus GX4 Pistols: Important Safety Notice,” accessed November 6, 2024, https://gx4safetynotice.com/.
For consumers relying on trusted National Rifle Association gun publications like American Rifleman magazine, there would be no reason for alarm. The NRA has consistently promoted the Taurus GX4 in several of its publications over the years — even after the safety notice — getting paid for advertisements like the kind shown below and creating product reviews that praise the gun but do not mention the safety notice or unintentional shootings. In a 2024 review, the managing editor of American Rifleman said that a version of the Taurus GX4 “has proven itself to be a very worthy competitor as a subcompact carry gun” and is “a lot of fun to shoot.”4American Rifleman, “Rifleman Review: Taurus GX4XL,” August 7, 2024, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/rifleman-review-taurus-gx4xl/.
The Taurus GX4 is just one example of the NRA supporting its paid advertisers with biased product reviews. As this report details, the NRA has published advertisements and overwhelmingly positive reviews for at least 10 firearms whose manufacturers issued recalls or safety notices for dangerous defects in recent years. It is proof that the NRA is willing to trade its reputation for profits, even when doing so endangers its own members.
The country’s largest television networks and broadcasting stations generally prohibit advertisements for firearms.5Jessica Contrera, “Comcast bans gun, ammo ads,” USA Today, March 22, 2013, https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/03/22/comcast-gun-ads/2009717/. To this day, major television networks have mostly stayed away from broadcasting commercials for gun manufacturers like Glock, Ruger, and Smith & Wesson. Instead, many gun makers have turned to traditional print publications and social media as a way to advertise their products.
Gun publications and their online counterparts contain dozens of advertisements and “gun reviews” that function just like test-drives in car magazines. But the firearm advertisers have significant influence over the gun publications — and editors and writers rarely, if ever, expressly disclose their financial ties to advertisers in individual reviews. For example, gun reviewers typically do not disclose that they receive free or heavily discounted firearms from advertisers along with ammunition, accessories, and trips to media events, training academies, and hunting excursions.6See Brent Wheat, “How to Be a Gun Writer,” Guns, September 2020, https://gunsmagazine.com/our-experts/how-to-be-a-gun-writer/; and Patrick Sweeney, “How to Be a Gunwriter,” Guns & Ammo, May 23, 2016, https://www.gunsandammo.com/editorial/how-to-be-a-gunwriter/248475. Additionally, a gun company can threaten to pull its advertising for an unfriendly review.7David E. Petzal and Phil Bourjaily, “Are good gun writers a dying breed?” Field & Stream, February 28, 2006, https://web.archive.org/web/20230620181428/https://www.fieldandstream.com/pages/are-good-gun-writers-dying-breed/. As one gun writer noted, some companies look for “reviews screened by editors who will forsake honesty rather than jeopardize an advertising account.”8Randy Wakeman, “Gunwriters: Whores or Journalists?” Chuckhawks, https://www.chuckhawks.com/gunwriters_whores.htm.
The unique “pay to play” relationship between gun companies and publishers is so complex and intertwined today that it is nearly impossible to distinguish advertisements from editorial content.
The NRA produces a number of print publications that are free to its members, in addition to online counterparts. First printed in 1923, the NRA’s flagship American Rifleman is one of the oldest and most respected publications focusing on firearms, ammunition, and accessories. Other monthly NRA publications include America’s 1st Freedom, American Hunter, Shooting Illustrated, and Shooting Sports USA, which cover Second Amendment politics, hunting guns, the latest products from the firearms industry, and competitive shooting news, respectively.
The NRA offers paid advertising opportunities across its various print and digital platforms, reaching a vast audience of firearms enthusiasts and gun rights activists. Advertisers, including gun companies, can choose from an array of formats, such as display ads and sponsored content, to reach their target audience. The advertising rates vary based on size, placement, and frequency, with discounts available for long-term commitments.9NRA Publications, “Reach Within Value: 2024 Guide to Advertising,” https://www.nrapublications.org/media/tklgwvpq/2024-mediakit_final.pdf. For example, one gun maker, Ruger, paid the NRA a total of $1.7 million between 2021 and 2023 for advertising.10Ruger, Form 10-K, February 21, 2024, 70, https://ruger.com/corporate/PDF/10K-2023.pdf.
The NRA also offers targeted advertising so gun companies can reach specific demographics. For example, the NRA produces media kits, like the “2024 Guide to Advertising” shown below, that are designed to attract advertisers by providing detailed information about the magazines’ readers as well as advertising rates. According to the media kit, a company can reach over 3.9 million readers — mostly older men — by paying $63,185 to advertise on the back cover of a single issue of American Rifleman. If a company wanted to advertise in that position for an entire year, they would pay the NRA $55,930 per issue, or $1.3 million.11NRA Publications, “2024 Guide to Advertising,” accessed November 13, 2024, 2-3, https://www.nrapublications.org/media/tklgwvpq/2024-mediakit_final.pdf.
The media kit also explains how companies can pay for products previously featured in NRA publications to be included in a “Best Of” digital newsletter that reaches 1.5 million NRA members 24 times per year. In order to have a product included in the “Best Of” newsletter, companies need to pay, at minimum, $10,000 per mailing for three content segments.12NRA Publications, “2024 Guide to Advertising,” 16. But NRA members are not told that advertisers pay for these “Best Of” designations, calling into question the merits of the endorsed products.
Considering the amount of money advertisers pay to the NRA, it should come as no surprise that product reviews in NRA publications are overwhelmingly positive, projecting a world of near-perfect firearms and accessories. In examining over 100 NRA product reviews, we found none that panned a product, for example, or recommended an alternative for readers.
But the NRA goes even further. NRA publications offer annual “Golden Bullseye” awards for various firearms and related products.13NRA Women, “NRA Publications Announces 2024 Golden Bullseye Awards; New Freedom Award Added,” January 5, 2024, https://www.nrafamily.org/content/nra-publications-announces-2024-golden-bullseye-awards-new-freedom-award-added/. The NRA has indicated that editorial staff make selections, which are then reviewed by NRA Publications management. However, the awards mostly go to advertisers — 20 out of 24, or 83 percent, of the 2024 Golden Bullseye recipients were given to companies that ran print advertisements in NRA publications within the past year or donated to the organization. The companies that have advertised with the NRA, and had their products praised by NRA writers, then use the NRA awards to market their products.
An analysis of NRA publications reveals that at least 10 firearms were recalled or the subject of safety notices in recent years within a year of being advertised in an NRA publication and receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews. These gun reviews sometimes highlighted features that were factors in the recalls and notices, and the NRA recognized some of the firearms with“Golden Bullseye” awards.
ruger-57
The March 2020 edition of American Rifleman prominently featured the Ruger-57 pistol on its cover, supplemented by a detailed six-page article highlighting the gun’s key features.14American Rifleman, March 2020, cover and pages 36-41. In December 2020 — the same month Ruger began a five-month ad campaign for the Ruger-57 in American Rifleman15Ruger ran ads for the Ruger-57 in the December 2020 issue of American Rifleman as well as the February, March, April, and May 2021 issues. — the NRA awarded the pistol with the Golden Bullseye for “Handgun of the Year” for 2021, a title Ruger celebrated in a press release.16Ruger, “Ruger-57 Wins 2021 American Rifleman Handgun of the Year Award,” December 17, 2020, https://ruger.com/news/2020-12-17.html.
Five months later, in May 2021, Ruger issued a recall for Ruger-57s that could fire even with their safeties engaged,17See Ruger, “Recall and Safety Announcements,” accessed October 31, 2024, https://ruger.com/safety/announcements.html; and Ruger, “Ruger-57 Safety Bulletin,” accessed October 31, 2024, https://ruger.com/dataProcess/ruger57retrofit/. and the NRA Family website republished the safety bulletin.18NRA Family, “Urgent Product Safety Bulletin: Ruger-57 Pistol,” May 5, 2021, https://www.nrafamily.org/content/urgent-product-safety-bulletin-ruger-57-pistol/. But that same month, the NRA ran an advertisement for the Ruger-57 — calling the pistol “fun to shoot” and “cool to own” — in the May 2021 issue of American Rifleman along with a feature discussing why the gun was crowned “Handgun of the Year.”19American Rifleman, May 2021, 11; 62. Months later, in December 2021, the NRA published another article discussing the Ruger-57’s Golden Bullseye award without mentioning the recall.20American Rifleman, “2021 Handgun Of The Year: Ruger-57,” December 7, 2021, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/2021-handgun-of-the-year-ruger-57/.
Ruger and the NRA have a close relationship. The gun maker paid the NRA more than $1 million for “promotional and advertising activities” from 2020 through 2021,21Ruger, Form 10-K, February 23, 2022, 72, https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/95029/000117494722000269/rgr10k2021.htm. the time frame in which some Ruger-57s were recalled amid advertisements and overwhelmingly positive reviews in NRA publications. Additionally, Ruger is listed as one of the NRA’s “Industry Allies,” and a Ruger director also serves as a director on the NRA board.22See Ruger, Form 10-K, February 21, 2024, 70, https://ruger.com/corporate/PDF/10K-2023.pdf; and Ruger, “Board of Directors,” accessed October 31, 2024, https://ruger.com/corporate/board-of-directors.html.
Taurus GX4
On May 19, 2021, the NRA’s American Rifleman published a review of the Taurus GX4 and declared that the pistol was “utterly reliable,” “satisfying” to work with, and “noticeably less expensive than the competition,” making “it a real contender in the…marketplace.”23B. Gil Horman, “Review: Taurus GX4 Micro-Compact Pistol,” American Rifleman, May 19, 2021, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/review-taurus-gx4-micro-compact-pistol/. Later that year, Taurus ran advertisements in the August, September, and October issues of American Rifleman stating that the GX4 has “a level of distinction all its own,” like the kind shown earlier.24American Rifleman, August 2021, 31; American Rifleman, September 2021, 30; and American Rifleman, October 2021, 31. That October, the American Rifleman website also crowned the GX4 the “Gun of the Week.”25American Rifleman, “NRA Gun of the Week: Taurus GX4,” October 8, 2021, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/nra-gun-of-the-week-taurus-gx4/.
The next year, at least three issues of American Rifleman contained ads for the GX4 XL, a slightly larger version of the pistol that Taurus called “worthy of your carry.”26American Rifleman, October 2022, 30; American Rifleman, November 2022, 30; and American Rifleman, December 2022, 31. Finally, in the January 2023 edition of American Rifleman, Taurus ran an ad offering a $50 rebate on all GX4 series pistols.27American Rifleman, January 2023, 9.
The NRA reviewed and promoted the GX4 across several of its other publications,28See Jeff Johnston, “Taurus GX4,” America’s 1st Freedom, October 2, 2021, https://www.americas1stfreedom.org/content/taurus-gx4/; and NRA Family, ”Reviewed: Taurus Gx4 Semi-Auto CCW Pistol,” June 7, 2021, https://www.nrafamily.org/content/reviewed-taurus-gx4-semi-auto-ccw-pistol/. including Shooting Illustrated, which stated in October 2021 that the GX4’s “trigger has a bladed safety to guard against inadvertent firing should it be dropped.” The article also noted, “What’s especially interesting in the case of the GX4 is how quickly Taurus spooled up its [research and development] game to produce it.”29Jay Grazio, “Review: Taurus GX4 Micro-9mm Handgun,” Shooting Illustrated, October 1, 2021, https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/review-taurus-gx4-micro-9mm-handgun/.
But several GX4 owners have alleged that they were wounded when their pistols fired unintentionally, and at least one — Elise Hurrle — was killed by the gun. In May 2023, Taurus issued a notice to consumers about a number of GX4s and warned owners: “Safely unload and stop using your GX4 IMMEDIATELY. Failure to observe this warning may result in injury or death to you or others.”30Taurus, “Taurus GX4 Pistols: Important Safety Notice,” accessed November 6, 2024, https://gx4safetynotice.com/.
The GX4 was not the first Taurus pistol alleged to discharge when dropped. Years earlier, the company settled a class-action lawsuit alleging that at least 1 million of its pistols could fire when dropped.
More recent reviews of Taurus GX4 series pistols in NRA publications — published after the safety notice — make no mention of the notice or reported unintentional discharges.31See Jeremiah Knupp, “New For 2023: Taurus GX4 Carry,” American Rifleman, September 27, 2023, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/new-for-2023-taurus-gx4-carry/; Kevin Creighton, “First Shots: Taurus GX4 Carry,” Shooting Illustrated, January 22, 2024, https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/first-shots-taurus-gx4-carry/; and NRA Family, “Video Review: Taurus GX4XL Pistol,” September 13, 2024, https://www.nrafamily.org/content/video-review-taurus-gx4xl-pistol/. Last year, the NRA’s editorial director called a subsequent GX4 model “really a simple point-and-shoot gun very well executed by Taurus.”32American Rifleman, “Rifleman Review: Taurus GX4 T.O.R.O.” February 14, 2024, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/rifleman-review-taurus-gx4-t-o-r-o/.
remington model 700
Another example is the Remington Model 700, a bolt-action rifle that has been advertised and reviewed in American Rifleman since 1962. In July 2012, American Rifleman named the Remington Model 700 its “Gun of the Week.”33American Rifleman, “Gun of the Week: Remington Model 700,” July 23, 2012, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/gun-of-the-week-remington-model-700/. That November, the magazine published an extensive article detailing the changes the rifle has undergone since it was first introduced in 1962.34American Rifleman, “Remington’s Model 700: The First 50 Years,” November 30, 2012, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/remington-s-model-700-the-first-50-years/.
The NRA’s 50-year celebration of the Remington Model 700 failed to mention a series of stories CNBC first published two years earlier, in October 2010, alleging that Remington knew the Model 700 could fire without the trigger being pulled for decades, leading to two dozen deaths, over 100 serious injuries,35CNBC, “Remington Under Fire: CNBC Investigation,” YouTube, December 15, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS_GDpZM3ak&ab_channel=CNBC, at 1:52. and more than 75 lawsuits. Remington “maintained that the deaths, injuries, and inadvertent discharges involving its bolt-action 700-series rifles have been the result of poor maintenance, unsafe handling, or improper modification of the trigger by the customer.”36Jennifer Dauble, “CNBC Presents ‘Remington Under Fire: A CNBC Investigation,” CNBC, October 12, 2010, https://www.cnbc.com/2010/10/12/cnbc-presents-remington-under-fire-a-cnbc-investigation.html.
CNBC even interviewed the inventor of the rifle, Mike Walker, who “repeatedly raised concerns about the gun he designed. As early as 1946, with the gun still in the testing phase, Walker [wrote] about a ‘theoretical unsafe condition’ involving the safety.”37CNBC, “Remington Under Fire: CNBC Investigation,” at 23:53. He proposed a safer alternative, but Remington used the previous design for decades because it was cheaper.38CNBC, “Remington Under Fire: CNBC Investigation,” at 26:26.
Eventually, Remington did begin using Walker’s alternative design, adapted as the “X-Mark Pro” trigger, in some rifles and the older design in others.39Scott Cohn, “Inside Remington Rifle’s Controversial Trigger,” CNBC, December 5, 2014, https://www.cnbc.com/2010/10/19/inside-remington-rifles-controversial-trigger.html. But on April 11, 2014, Remington announced a “voluntary product recall” for Model 700 rifles with X-Mark Pro triggers manufactured from May 1, 2006, to April 9, 2014, stating that they were susceptible to firing on their own due to an excess of adhesive from the assembly process.40Remington, “Remington Arms Announces Voluntary Product Recall,” April 11, 2014, https://web.archive.org/web/20151020034201/http://www.remington.com:80/pages/news-and-resources/press-releases/2014/Firearms/Remington%20Arms%20Announces%20Voluntary%20Product%20Recall.aspx.
Despite the rifle’s checkered past, Remington and the NRA’s American Hunter announced that they had co-created the “Remington Model 700 American Hunter” — engraved with the publication’s logo and outfitted with the X-Mark Pro trigger — at the NRA’s 2019 Annual Meetings & Exhibits.41J. Scott Olmsted, “The Making of the Remington Model 700 American Hunter,” American Hunter, August 23, 2019, https://www.americanhunter.org/content/the-making-of-the-remington-model-700-american-hunter/. The NRA then published several positive reviews of the rifle, calling it the “ideal hunting rifle”42Adam Heggenstaller, “Hardware: Remington Model 700 American Hunter,” American Hunter, June 13, 2019, https://www.americanhunter.org/content/hardware-remington-model-700-american-hunter/. and one that is “loaded with features every hunter in the 21st century should find appealing,”43J. Scott Olmsted, “Remington, American Hunter Introduce Limited-Edition Model 700 Hunting Rifle,” April 27, 2019, https://www.americanhunter.org/content/remington-american-hunter-introduce-limited-edition-model-700-hunting-rifle/. in addition to a six-part video series detailing the rifle’s development.44NRApubs, “Remington Model 700 American Hunter Rifle Project,” Episodes 1-6, YouTube, April 3-May 19, 2019. A full-page ad in American Hunter, shown below, called the gun a “limited edition deer rifle by which all others will be measured.”
A review in American Rifleman noted that Remington had only planned to sell the rifle through 2019, but demand was “so strong, Remington decided to keep making the 700 American Hunter through 2020. Quite a pat on the back to both the gunmaker and the American Hunter staff!”45Brian McCombie, “Review: Remington American Hunter Rifle,” American Rifleman, April 11, 2020, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/review-remington-american-hunter-rifle/.
The NRA also awarded the gun the American Hunter Golden Bullseye for “Rifle of the Year” in 2020.46American Hunter, “2020 Rifle of the Year: Remington Model 700 American Hunter,” April 29, 2020, https://www.americanhunter.org/content/2020-rifle-of-the-year-remington-model-700-american-hunter/. But the NRA never disclosed its financial relationship with Remington, including whether or not the organization received royalties from sales of the co-branded rifle.
more recallS AND SAFETY BULLETINS
Further analysis found at least seven other firearms that were advertised and given positive reviews in NRA publications — and sometimes even awards — over the years despite being recalled or the subject of a safety bulletin.
- Ruger recalled its American Rimfire rifle in January 2014 for missing a safety feature that helps vent gas from the barrel in certain circumstances, preventing damage to the gun or injury to the shooter,47Ruger, “Ruger American Rimfire Product Safety Warning and Recall Notice,” https://www.ruger.com/RugerAmericanRimfire22WMRFRecall/index.html. but the NRA still awarded it the Golden Bullseye for “Rifle of the Year” in April 2015. Ruger also ran at least seven ads for the gun in NRA publications.48American Rifleman, “American Rifleman’s 2015 Golden Bullseye Awards,” April 6, 2015, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/american-rifleman-s-2015-golden-bullseye-awards/.
- Smith & Wesson recalled its M&P Shield EZ pistols due to a risk of unintentional discharges in October 202049Smith & Wesson, “M&P® SHIELD™ EZ™ RECALL NOTICE FOR PISTOLS,” https://www.smith-wesson.com/safety/recall/recall-notice-for-pistols. — the same month the NRA published a positive review of the gun calling it “enjoyable to work with.”50B. Gil Horman, “Easy Choice: Smith & Wesson’s M&P 9 Shield EZ Pistols,” NRA Women, October 5, 2020, https://www.nrawomen.com/content/easy-choice-smith-wesson-s-m-p-9-shield-ez-pistols. Smith & Wesson has also run at least a dozen ads for the gun in NRA publications, and subsequent NRA reviews do not mention the recall.51See American Rifleman, “Rifleman Review: Smith & Wesson M&P9 Shield EZ,” December 22, 2021, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/rifleman-review-smith-wesson-m-p9-shield-ez/; and Brad Miller, “Smith & Wesson M&P380 Shield EZ: The Perfect Teaching Pistol?” Shooting Sports USA, September 24, 2022, https://www.ssusa.org/content/smith-wesson-m-p380-shield-ez-the-perfect-teaching-pistol/.
- In January of 2015, an NRA review quoted a Sig Sauer executive who said the MCX rifle was built with the company’s “reliability and durability” and represented a “technological leap forward.”52Shooting Illustrated, “SIG Sauer Unveils the Next Evolution in Rifle Technology: The SIG MCX,” January 13, 2015, https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/sig-sauer-unveils-the-next-evolution-in-rifle-technology-the-sig-mcx/. Sig Sauer also ran an ad for it in the March 2016 issue of Shooting Illustrated. But months later, in December 2016, the company issued a “mandatory carriage assembly replacement program” for the MCX rifle due to a risk of unintentional discharges53Sig Sauer, “MCX Mandatory Carriage Assembly Replacement Program,” December 22, 2016, https://web.archive.org/web/20170126210417/https://www.sigsauer.com/press-releases/mcx-mandatory-carriage-assembly-replacement-program. — something subsequent NRA reviews of MCX variants do not mention.54See American Rifleman, “SIG Sauer Announces MCX VIRTUS,” July 5, 2017, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/sig-sauer-announces-mcx-virtus/; Shooting Illustrated, “First Look: SIG Sauer MCX Virtus,” July 12, 2017, https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/first-look-sig-sauer-mcx-virtus/; Shooting Illustrated, “Range Video: SIG Sauer MCX Virtus,” January 22, 2018, https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/range-video-sig-sauer-mcx-virtus/; Shooting Illustrated, “SHOT Show 2018: SIG Sauer MCX Rattler,” January 26, 2018, https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/shot-show-2018-sig-sauer-mcx-rattler/; Gary Paul Johnston, “Review: SIG Sauer MCX Virtus Rifle,” Shooting Illustrated, March 26, 2018, https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/review-sig-sauer-mcx-virtus-rifle/; Jeremiah Knupp, “Review: SIG Sauer MCX-Spear LT,” American Rifleman, April 15, 2023, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/review-sig-sauer-mcx-spear-lt/; and Jeremiah Knupp, “New For 2024: SIG Sauer MCX Regulator,” March 20, 2024, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/new-for-2024-sig-sauer-mcx-regulator/.
- Taurus announced a return-to-fix program for certain Curve pistols in April 2015 because they lacked caliber engravings on their barrels, which help ensure gun owners load the correct ammunition into their guns.55Taurus, “Curve Return,” April 2015, https://web.archive.org/web/20150406001711/http://www.taurususa.com/curvereturn.cfm. Months later, several NRA staffers praised the Curve as being “easy to shoot” and “everything it’s advertised to be” without mentioning Taurus’ announcement56NRABlog, “A Day at the Range with the Taurus Curve,” July 1, 2015, https://www.nrablog.com/articles/2015/7/taurus-curve-review. — like two other NRA reviews.57See B. Gil Horman, “Review: The Taurus Curve,” American Rifleman, September 18, 2015, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/review-the-taurus-curve/; and Sarah Smith Barnum, “War of the .380s: Taurus Curve vs. Smith & Wesson Bodyguard,” NRA Family, May 8, 2017, https://www.nrafamily.org/content/war-of-the-380s-taurus-curve-vs-smith-wesson-bodyguard/. Taurus also ran ads for the Curve in the January and July 2016 issues of Shooting Illustrated, and in February 2016, the NRA named it the “Gun of the Week” — again without mentioning the production issue.58NRApubs, “NRA Gun of the Week: Taurus Curve Pistol,” YouTube, February 13, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=449Qko2hvQk&ab_channel=NRApubs.
- Beretta announced in November 2014 that ARX100 owners should inspect their rifles due to the risk of barrel lugs breaking, endangering users.59Beretta, “Product Safety Notice,” November 14, 2014, https://vpc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Beretta-ARXSafetyNotice.pdf. That same year, the NRA named the ARX100 its “Rifle of the Year.”60Ed Friedman, “Golden Bullseye Awards: Beretta ARX100,” Shooting Illustrated, April 25, 2014, https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/golden-bullseye-awards-beretta-arx100/. And in January 2021, an NRA reviewer said the ARX100 had “every feature one could want in a tactical rifle” and called it “a great idea that never caught on,” but failed to mention the safety notice.61Andy Massimilian, “The Beretta ARX 100: A Great Idea That Never Caught On,” American Rifleman, January 21, 2021, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/the-beretta-arx-100-a-great-idea-that-never-caught-on/.
- Israeli Weapon Industries (IWI) recalled its Galil ACE pistols in December 2015 — after receiving a positive NRA review62B. Gil Horman, “IWI Galil ACE Semi-Automatic Rifle,” American Rifleman, January 19, 2015, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/iwi-galil-ace-semi-automatic-rifle/. — because they were mistakenly drilled for three pinholes, allowing a user to convert them into machine guns.63Israel Weapon Industries, “Galil ACE (GAP39 ) Recall,” December 28, 2015, https://web.archive.org/web/20200928210404/https://iwi.us/galil-ace-gap39-recall/. Still, the NRA named the gun an “Editor’s Pick” for 201764Kelly Young, “Editors’ Picks 2017: IWI Galil ACE,” American Rifleman, March 17, 2017, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/editors-picks-2017-iwi-galil-ace-gar1651/. and “Gun of the Week” in June 2017.65American Rifleman, “NRA Gun of the Week: IWI Galil Ace Rifle,” June 24, 2017, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/nra-gun-of-the-week-iwi-galil-ace-rifle/.
- In 2017, Sig Sauer initiated a “voluntary upgrade” for its P320 pistols after videos surfaced showing that the pistols could fire unintentionally after being dropped. Numerous lawsuits have alleged that over 100 people were injured by Sig Sauer P320s that have fired on their own, even after being “upgraded” and without being dropped. Subsequent NRA reviews of P320 pistols also fail to mention the “upgrade” program or unintentional shootings.66See American Rifleman, “SHOT Show 2018: SIG Sauer P320 X-Carry Pistol,” February 6, 2018, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/shot-show-2018-sig-sauer-p320-x-carry-pistol/; Andrew Butts, “Tested: SIG Sauer P320 X-Series Pistols,” American Rifleman, August 10, 2018, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/tested-sig-sauer-p320-x-series-pistols/; American Rifleman, “Range Report: SIG P320 X-Carry—2,000 Rounds,” September 4, 2018, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/range-report-sig-p320-x-carry-2-000-rounds/; American Rifleman, “SHOT Show 2019: SIG Sauer P320 XCompact Pistol,” January 21, 2019, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/shot-show-2019-sig-sauer-p320-xcompact-pistol/; American Rifleman, “NRA Gun of the Week: SIG Sauer P320 X-Carry Pistol,” August 3, 2019, https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/nra-gun-of-the-week-sig-sauer-p320-x-carry-pistol/; Shooting Illustrated, “New for 2019: SIG Sauer P320-M18,” December 11, 2019, https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/new-for-2019-sig-sauer-p320-m18/; and John Parker, “Our Top 5 Gun Reviews Of 2019,” Shooting Sports USA, December 30, 2019, https://www.ssusa.org/content/our-top-5-gun-reviews-of-2019/.
The NRA considers many of the gun makers and sellers who advertise and have their products reviewed in NRA publications “Industry Allies.” The NRA lays out how the quid pro quo works with the Industry Ally program, saying that gun companies who “encourage…customers to become NRA members or to renew their existing NRA memberships” will be rewarded with “national recognition,”67NRA Industry Ally homepage, accessed October 31, 2024, https://nraindustryally.nra.org/. including “in industry publications such as Shooting Industry and NRA Publications to include American Rifleman, American Hunter, America’s 1st Freedom and Shooting Illustrated.”68NRA Industry Ally, “Frequently Asked Questions,” accessed October 31, 2024, https://nraindustryally.nra.org/resources-support/frequently-asked-questions/.
In addition to recruiting new NRA members, the NRA’s top 10 “Industry Allies” sponsor NRA events and donate guns to Friends of NRA raffles. Six of the top 10 companies — Taurus, Ruger, Smith & Wesson, Glock, Mossberg, and MidwayUSA — have also joined the NRA’s “Golden Ring of Freedom” by donating over $1 million directly to the organization.69NRA Industry Ally, “Top 10 NRA Industry Allies,” accessed October 31, 2024, https://nraindustryally.nra.org/top-10-allies/.
The NRA plays a significant role in promoting firearms through its publications, awards, and advertising, all while maintaining close monetary ties with gun manufacturers. The NRA’s publications have been host to a number of positive reviews of firearms, even going so far as publishing positive reviews after manufacturers issued recalls and safety notices without mentioning the recalls or notices — suggesting that the NRA values its ties to the gun industry more than the lives of its members. At the same time, gun publications do not adequately disclose to readers their financial relationships with gun manufacturers, blurring the lines between advertisements and editorial content.
Considering this, it should come as no surprise that the NRA board chose to replace its longtime leader, Wayne LaPierre, with Doug Hamlin, who served as the executive director of the NRA Publications division for a decade before becoming the organization’s CEO and executive vice president. Before joining the NRA, Hamlin was the publisher of Guns & Ammo magazine from 1991 to 1995, where he “worked closely with firearm and ammunition manufacturers, as well as congressional representatives.”70American Rifleman, “Doug Hamlin Named to Lead NRA Publications,” February 11, 2014, https://web.archive.org/web/20210916182708/https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/doug-hamlin-named-to-lead-nra-publications/.
In interviews, Hamlin said that one of his goals as the NRA’s leader is to “rebuild the trust of the…industry”71Gun Talk Radio interview with Doug Hamlin, June 2, 2024, https://x.com/Guntalk/status/1797425902944715068, at 5:45. and “prove to the industry” that “the NRA is going to make it.”72Shooting News Weekly, “EXCLUSIVE: An Interview With New National Rifle Association EVP and CEO Doug Hamlin,” May 31, 2024, https://www.shootingnewsweekly.com/2024/05/31/exclusive-an-interview-with-new-national-rifle-association-evp-and-ceo-doug-hamlin/.
For the sake of current and prospective gun owners, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should focus on promoting greater transparency in firearm advertising. Specifically, the FTC should ensure that gun reviewers clearly disclose their financial relationships with gun manufacturers, as required by current FTC policies for social media influencers. In the end, the truth and the safety of gun owners are more important than the gun industry’s bottom line. But in the business of guns, honesty is often a casualty of profit.