WashPost: Media Is the New Target of the NRA to Raise Money

With former President Barack Obama termed out and Hillary Clinton vanquished, the National Rifle Association needed a new foil in order to preserve fundraising, according to analysis in The Washington Post.

The media — you're it, according to the Post.

It was a good news-bad news proposition for the NRA upon the election of President Donald Trump.

Though the gun lobby had a friend in the president and thus didn't have to worry about the incessant threat of a crackdown on gun rights after eight years of Obama, the NRA needed a hook to keep its base energized, according to the Post.

At the CPAC conference in February, NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre invoked the media a dozen times in framing new enemies for gun owners.

"So if you are a member of the leftist media or a soldier for the violent left, a violent criminal, a drug cartel gang member or a would-be terrorist, hear this: You're not going to win and you will not defeat us," LaPierre told the audience.

More recently came the explosive and controversial NRA ad featuring conservative voice Dana Loesch that warned, in part: "They use their media to assassinate real news."

It all adds up to a new enemy for the gun lobby.

"There needs to be a threat that necessitates both gun sales and NRA memberships," the Post's Philip Bump wrote. "That role is now filled by the 'violent left' and the media. Since the violent left is a bit nebulous, it seems that the media will enjoy the majority of the NRA's focus."

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