On this day in history, Nov. 17, 1871, National Rifle Association founded by Civil War veteran Union
Kerry J. Byrne - Fox News | Published on 11/17/2022
Former Union officers, who had led the costly battlefield effort to free 4 million Americans from bondage, chartered the National Rifle Association (NRA) in New York City on this day in history, Nov. 17, 1871.
Civil War veterans Col. William C. Church and Gen. George Wingate created the organization after they were "dismayed by the lack of marksmanship shown by their troops," states the NRA in its online history.
The association was determined to "promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis," Church wrote in a contemporary magazine editorial, the NRA reports.