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The National Guard, the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University History Dissertations Department of History Spring 5-10-2013 The National Guard, the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice, and the National Rifle Association: Public Institutions and the Rise of a Lobby for Private Gun Ownership Jeffrey A. Marlin Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_diss Recommended Citation Marlin, Jeffrey A., "The National Guard, the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice, and the National Rifle Association: Public Institutions and the Rise of a Lobby for Private Gun Ownership." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2013. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_diss/33 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of History at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE NATIONAL GUARD, THE NATIONAL BOARD FOR THE PROMOTION OF RIFLE PRACTICE, AND THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION: PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND THE RISE OF A LOBBY FOR PRIVATE GUN OWNERSHIP by JEFFREY A. MARLIN Under the Direction of Dr. H. Robert Baker ABSTRACT Today, the strength of the National Rifle Association (NRA) is understood by the general public and many scholars to be dependent on the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the right of individuals to own firearms. This dissertation challenges that understanding by focusing on three organizations, the NRA, the National Guard and the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice (NBPRP). While each organization appears in today's world to be distinct and independent, this dissertation reveals how they garnered strength from a symbiotic relationship. The NRA was founded in 1871, originally as a marksmanship organization. The National Guard, which grew from the nation's militia, was formally established in the early twentieth century. The NBPRP was a small organization that was established in 1903 within the War Department at the encouragement of the NRA. Following passage in 1903 of legislation bringing state militia units under federal control, the newly formed National Guard became dependent on the NRA, which in turn leveraged that dependence to create a nationwide grassroots organization. The NBPRP was headed by the Assistant Secretary of War until 1916 when the position of the Director of Civilian Marksmanship was created, to be held by a U.S. Army or U.S. Marine Corps officer. The NRA acted as the surrogate of the NBPRB outside of the halls of government. At the same time, the NBRPB provided the NRA with a voice within those same halls that aided in the development of federal policy and budget positions related to firearms acquisition, competition, and training. The purpose of this dissertation is to reveal how the NRA was able to employ these two public institutions to develop an exceptionally powerful grassroots organization that today is recognized as one of the most influential special interest groups in America. Understanding how the NRA grew as a private gun lobby offers one perspective of how the bureaucracy that has been developed to support America's federal system of government is uniquely susceptible to special interest influence. INDEX WORDS: National Rifle Association, National Guard, Militia, National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice, Special interest politics, Public institutions, Gun ownership THE NATIONAL GUARD, THE NATIONAL BOARD FOR THE PROMOTION OF RIFLE PRACTICE, AND THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION: PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND THE RISE OF A LOBBY FOR PRIVATE GUN OWNERSHIP by JEFFREY A. MARLIN A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University 2013 Copyright by Jeffrey A. Marlin 2013 THE NATIONAL GUARD, THE NATIONAL BOARD FOR THE PROMOTION OF RIFLE PRACTICE, AND THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION: PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND THE RISE OF A LOBBY FOR PRIVATE GUN OWNERSHIP by JEFFREY A. MARLIN Committee Chair: H. Robert Baker Committee: Michelle Brattain David Sehat Robert Howard Electronic Version Approved: Office of Graduate Studies College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University May 2013 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS While most of my contemporaries were contemplating retirement, I was beginning my journey into the world of academia. This is, therefore, not so much an acknowledgement of support for my dissertation as it is for my transition from one world to another. As I began that journey, I was embraced, encouraged and supported by classmates who, though younger than my son, made the trip so very valuable. Elizabeth Henry, Loren Moran, Matthew Meyers, Mark Fleszar and Joe Bagley were just a few of my fellow TA's who never stopped encouraging me and along the way they actually convinced me that I would pass my comprehensive examinations. At the other end of that spectrum were the instructors who, beginning with Michelle Brattain, never stopped believing that I would accomplish the goal that I had set. I owe a special thanks to Dr. Brattain, for challenging me in the classroom and then encouraging me to come back to school to become an historian. I owe similar thanks to Larry Youngs and David Sehat for their encouragement and the way in which they made intellectual history come alive. Rob Baker, who first suggested I would have no difficulty understanding constitutional and legal history because I had lived it, lied. But his prevarication worked and in the process of following his direction, I did learn. Through his direction, I never doubted that I would finish my dissertation and for that, I owe him a debt of gratitude. I would be remiss if I did not also acknowledge the assistance of Zaynab Ansari Abdul-Razacq. I would have been lost without her keen eye, editing skills, and dogged determination to turn a long college paper into a model dissertation. v I must acknowledge one other group and that is my church family to whom when I announced that I was pursuing a PhD, did not bat an eyelash and for the next six years never ceased to provide support and encouragement. Finally, and most importantly, I dedicate this effort, the PhD in its entirety, to my wife, Linda, who tolerated my blind spots, reminded me to open my eyes and then, supported and encouraged me throughout the entire process of reading, writing, and exams. On top of that she lent the keen eye of an excellent editor to my writing, never hesitating to correct me when I was wrong. Without her, there would be no dissertation, no PhD, no dream fulfilled. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................... x LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... xi INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1: ILLUMINATING THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION ............... 5 1.1 Gun Control: A Long Debate ......................................................................................... 5 1.2 Interest Group Politics of the National Guard and the NRA ......................................... 14 1.3 Measuring the Desire for Gun Control ......................................................................... 19 1.4 The NRA without the Second Amendment .................................................................. 25 1.5 An Issue of Culture ..................................................................................................... 32 1.6 Distinct Advantages .................................................................................................... 37 1.7 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 42 CHAPTER 2: POST CIVIL WAR AMERICAN MEN: RIFLECLUBS, MILITIAMEN, AND THE INCHOATE NRA..................................................................................................................................... 43 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 43 2.2 Rifle Clubs .................................................................................................................. 46 2.3 The Militia: Uncertain Obligation, Uncertain Service ................................................... 55 vii 2.4 The Rise of the National Guard ................................................................................... 57 2.5 Founding the NRA ...................................................................................................... 65 2.6 NRA Goes National ..................................................................................................... 72 2.7 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 79 CHAPTER 3: A SUPPORTING ARM AND THE END OF THE BEGINNING OF THE NRA................. 80 3.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................
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