The Socialist Rifle Association—Coming to a Range Near You?

The SRA Logo©

I was reading John Farnam’s blog when I encountered an entry concerning the Socialist Rifle Association. Wait!! The what? 

Yes, the Socialist Rifle Association. I immediately did an internet search and indeed the Socialist Rifle Association exists and per their website has “chapters” across the country. On 8 October 2018, the Socialist Rifle Association Inc was formed in Kansas as a not-for-profit corporation that qualifies under 501c4 tax code provisions.

So what is the Socialist Rifle Association? The Socialist Rifle Association purports to be an educational organization to provide working class people information to permit self and community defense through a left-leaning platform free from what they characterize as racist and reactionary prejudices. 

They claim no specific ideology beyond generic socialism, but rather state that their membership includes Anarcho-Syndicalists, Marxist-Leninists, Luxembourgists, Maoists, and many others. Educational material on their website includes the Communist Manifesto, Anarcho-Syndicalism, and the ABC's of Socialism which discusses Bernie Sanders views in some detail.

Per the SRA website, the SRA focuses their opposition on state, fascist, and reactionary right attempts to maintain a monopoly on lethal force. They advocate a counter to that monopoly through training and readiness to “take our fate into our own hands.”*

The “state, fascists, and the reactionary right.” I assume by the “state” they mean the duly elected federal and state governments in the United States. I’m pretty sure that they are talking about you and me when they discuss “fascists and the reactionary right.” 

The SRA takes square aim at the National Rifle Association calling it an organization aligned with the Republican Party. They decried the NRA’s appointment of Oliver North as President and call upon “principled gun owners” to abandon the NRA and join the SRA. 

It is ironic that the rights SRA members enjoy are absolutely the result of the NRA and its member’s efforts over decades to prevent the erosion of all law-abiding citizen’s right to own firearms. 

Taking a close look at the SRA may well be worth the time and effort. In particular, their education and resources sections. I believe that these people are serious. Their brochure shows the Tulsa, OK chapter's September 2018 range day; however, the faces of those who are training is obscured.  Hmmm.

We also have a chapter here in San Antonio—this might explain some of the interesting folks that have begun coming to some of the local rifle and pistol matches.  

You can find the SRA here.

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* The SRA logo and all material I quote in this article from the SRA is copyright of that organization. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.