Type to search

CULTURE

Celebrities & Activists Form Anti-NRA Initiative Called NoRA or No Rifle Association

Celebrities and activists including actress Alyssa Milano and Parkland High School student advocate David Hogg, have joined forces to form the NoRA Inititative—short for No Rifle Association. They announced plans on Friday to take on the National Rifle Association and politicians who accept money from the powerful gun lobby.

In an open letter to NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, the more than 100 members of NoRA pledged to reduce the NRA’s influence in American politics through a series of voter registration drives, nationwide art campaigns, demonstrations and boycotts. They aim to reject NRA-backed candidates in elections and to raise money for organizations that share their vision for freedom from gun violence.

“Your time signing checks in our blood is up,” the letter read. “We’re coming for your money. We’re coming for your puppets. And we’re going to win.”

An audit conducted by the Center for Responsive Politics revealed that the NRA poured unprecedented amounts of money into efforts to deliver Donald Trump the White House and help Republicans hold on to both houses of Congress. Expenditures in 2016 totaled more than $419 million.

The newly formed NoRA launched its initiative Friday, on the 19th anniversary of the mass shooting at Columbine High School, as students across the country participated in the second national school walkout this year, now in part to commemorate the 1999 massacre.

NoRA’s members include Jimmy Kimmel, Amy Schumer, Alec Baldwin, Ashley Judd, Julianne Moore, Patton Oswalt, Constance Wu, W. Kamau Bell, Amber Tamblyn, Debra Messing, Minnie Driver, Tarana Burke, as well as several artists, policy experts and survivors of gun violence.

They said their goal is to expose public servants who have been stalling gun control legislation after taking money from the NRA. NoRA believes it can use grassroots and digital awareness campaigns to help vote those legislators out of office.

NoRA was conceived on February 15, the day after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. It runs on private donations and has since raised more than $25,000, according to Milano.

As a mother of two children, Milano felt bolstered by the tragic shootings that took place in Florida and began reaching out to friends who were also activists to take action.

The actress was among a handful of celebrities pressuring Amazon to drop the National Rifle Association’s online video channel NRATV from its streaming service in a campaign to mute the lobbying group’s influence.

David Hogg & Laura Ingraham, Please Both of You Shut Up, Signed – A Concerned American

Tags:

You Might also Like

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *