NRANews Exempt from Campaign Finance Restrictions

NEW YORK, June 17 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association of America, announced today that he has been provided a formal legal opinion that NRAnews can legally and lawfully perform as a news media company and, thus, qualifies for the media exemption from campaign finance law restrictions.

Following is a summary of that opinion:

"We are of the opinion that NRAnews should be deemed a media company and therefore is entitled to distribute news stories, commentaries and editorials that both mention federal candidates and advocate the election or defeat of a federal candidate. Under the relevant campaign finance laws, media companies are permitted to engage in such speech without limitation. Although neither the federal statutes nor the regulations of the Federal Election Commission ('FEC' or 'Commission') define the specific characteristics of a media company, there can be no doubt that the National Rifle Association ('NRA') engages in extensive media activities. For over a century, the NRA has published magazines that cover a variety of subjects related to the Second Amendment and gun ownership. These magazines now enjoy a circulation that is greater than Newsweek magazine. For millions of Americans, these publications constitute an invaluable source of information and commentary about issues relating to the mission of the NRA. In the First Amendment context, the Supreme Court has emphasized the hallmarks of a press entity are 'informing and educating the public, offering criticism, and providing a forum for discussion and debate.' First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti, 435 U.S. 765,781 (1978). NRAnews engages in precisely such activity."

NRAnews is currently broadcast live on NRAnews.com and SIRIUS Satellite Radio Network Channel 126, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. ET. The show is rebroadcast the following morning from 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. ET on SIRIUS Right Channel 142. Future plans will enable NRAnews to be distributed through a growing number of media vehicles.

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