Socialist Rifle Association

{{Infobox organization

| name = Socialist Rifle Association

| formation = {{start date and age|2018|10|08|br=yes}}

| founding_location = New Mexico

| image = Seal of the Socialist Rifle Association.png

| abbreviation = SRA

| merger = {{unbulleted list|Socialist Rifle Association LLC|Socialist Rifle Association Inc.}}

| type = 501(c)(4){{cite web |url=https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/details/|title=Tax Exempt Organization Search|website=Internal Revenue Service}}

| focus = {{unbulleted list|Gun politics|Gun rights}}

| location_country = United States

| services = {{unbulleted list|Community service|Firearm education and training|Membership organization}}

| method = {{unbulleted list|Self-defense education|Firearm safety|Membership organization|Multi-tendency: social democrats, democratic socialists, communists, and anarchists{{cite web |title=Socialist Rifle Association on Twitter |website=Twitter |date=September 9, 2018 |url=https://twitter.com/SocialistRA/status/1038856359788376064 |url-status=live |archive-date=August 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807122013/https://twitter.com/SocialistRA/status/1038856359788376064 |quote=To everyone responding about the books: These photos we upload are submitted by membership. We are a multi-tendency organization.}}}}

| membership = Allegedly 10,000 (November 2020){{cite web |title=The SRA is proud to announce we now have 10,000 official members! |url=https://twitter.com/SocialistRA/status/1323771820114350081 |website=Twitter |date=November 3, 2020}}

| leader_title = Legislature

| leader_name = Assembly of the SRA

| website = {{url|socialistra.org}}

| footnotes =

}}{{Socialism US}}

The Socialist Rifle Association (SRA) is a socialist gun rights advocacy group based in the United States, which is dedicated to "providing working class people the information they need to be effectively armed for self and community defense."{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/02/opinion/socialist-left-guns-nra-trump.html|title=Rise of the Armed Left|last=Goldberg|first=Michelle|date=November 2, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181102131701/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/02/opinion/socialist-left-guns-nra-trump.html|archive-date=November 2, 2018|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.socialistra.org/about/|title=Socialist Rifle Association|website=www.socialistra.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921114719/https://www.socialistra.org/about/|archive-date=September 21, 2018|url-status=live|access-date=October 6, 2018}}{{Self-published inline|date=December 2024|certain=y}} The group advocates for Second Amendment gun rights from a left-wing perspective.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ktoo.org/2018/11/19/meet-the-socialist-rifle-association-the-lefts-answer-to-conservative-gun-culture/|title=Meet the Socialist Rifle Association. The left's answer to conservative gun culture.|last=CoastAlaska|first=Jacob Resneck|date=2018-11-19|website=KTOO|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-23}}

Background

The Socialist Rifle Association was created as a Facebook page in 2013, initially as something as a joke.{{Cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/SocialistRA/comments/cupd2k/sra_founders_recollections/|title=r/SocialistRA - SRA Founder's Recollections|website=reddit|date=24 August 2019 |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200330112424/https://old.reddit.com/r/SocialistRA/comments/cupd2k/sra_founders_recollections/|archive-date=30 March 2020|url-status=live|access-date=2019-09-27}}{{Self-published inline|date=December 2024|certain=y}}{{cite web |title=Armed and socialist: Inside the Socialist Rifle Association |url=https://www.wbur.org/endlessthread/2024/10/11/socialist-rifle-association |website=www.wbur.org |access-date=31 October 2024 |language=en |date=11 October 2024}} As time went on, its supporters decided to make it a reality, and incorporated as a limited liability company (LLC) in New Mexico.{{Cite news|url=https://portal.sos.state.nm.us/BFS/online/CorporationBusinessSearch/CorporationBusinessInformation|title=Corporations and Business Services|date=17 March 2018|access-date=7 October 2018|language=en-US}} On October 8, 2018, the Socialist Rifle Association Inc. was founded in Kansas,{{Cite web|url=https://www.kansas.gov/bess/flow/main?execution=e1s5|title=Kansas Business Entity Search|website=www.kansas.gov|language=en|access-date=2018-10-25}} under the 501(c)(4) tax code provision.{{Cite web|url=https://socialistra.org/news/story?id=1540232803|title=The Future of the SRA|last=Humva|first=Alex|date=22 October 2018|website=socialistra.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025123907/https://socialistra.org/news/future-of-the-sra|archive-date=25 October 2018|url-status=live|access-date=25 October 2018}}{{Self-published inline|date=December 2024|certain=y}} On October 16, 2018, a merger agreement was agreed between the two extant SRA nonprofits.{{Cite web| title=Resolution concerning the proposition of merger between the socialist rifle association inc. and the socialist rifle association LLC | url=https://sos.ks.gov/scannedWM/5254417.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426182631/https://sos.ks.gov/scannedWM/5254417.pdf | archive-date=2024-04-26}}

''The City of Charlottesville, et al. vs. The Pennsylvania Light Foot Militia, et al.'' (2018)

Individuals associated with an unrelated community Facebook page calling itself the SRA attended the Unite the Right rally on the counterprotest side,{{cite web|url=https://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/they-hate-racists-they-love-assault-rifles-meet-redneck-revolt/Content?oid=13262567|title=They Hate Racists. They Love Assault Rifles. Meet Redneck Revolt.|last=Green|first=Jordan|date=April 11, 2018|work=Indy Week|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923180013/https://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/they-hate-racists-they-love-assault-rifles-meet-redneck-revolt/Content?oid=13262567|archive-date=23 September 2018|url-status=live|access-date=6 October 2018}} and were subsequently sued for their involvement.{{cite web|url=http://www.c-ville.com/militia/|title=Militia madness: City files suit against August 12 participants|last=Baars|first=Samantha|date=October 12, 2017|work=C-VILLE Weekly|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809183744/http://www.c-ville.com/militia/|archive-date=9 August 2018|url-status=live|access-date=6 October 2018}} In October 2018, the city of Charlottesville filed a lawsuit against 25 groups and individuals{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbc29.com/story/38204693/settlements-from-unite-the-right-05-16-2018|title=3 Militia Groups Connected to Unite the Right Rally Settle Lawsuits|website=www.nbc29.com|language=en|access-date=2019-07-24|archive-date=February 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214121756/https://www.nbc29.com/story/38204693/settlements-from-unite-the-right-05-16-2018|url-status=dead}} for alleged paramilitary activity based on a recently adopted state statute.{{Cite web|url=https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title18.2/chapter9/section18.2-433.2/|title=§ 18.2-433.2. Paramilitary activity prohibited|website=law.lis.virginia.gov|access-date=2019-07-24}}{{Cite web|url=https://truthout.org/articles/why-is-charlottesville-suing-two-anti-racist-groups-over-last-years-violent-unite-the-right-rally/|title=Why Is Charlottesville Suing Two Anti-Racist Groups Over Last Year's Violent "Unite the Right" Rally?|last=Arria|first=Michael|website=Truthout|date=29 April 2018 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-24}} In addition to several white supremacist figures and organizations such as the Traditionalist Worker Party, League of the South and Jason Kessler, the lawsuit also listed two anti-racist groups, the original SRA group and the left-wing gun group Redneck Revolt.{{Cite web|url=https://theintercept.com/2018/06/12/charlottesville-protest-alt-right-anti-fascist/|title="Alt-Right" and Anti-Fascists Unite Against Lawsuit Designed to Prevent Another Charlottesville|last=Dwyer|first=Johnny|date=2018-06-12|website=The Intercept|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-24}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.law.georgetown.edu/icap/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2018/08/All-Consent-Decrees-and-Default-Judgments-without-photos.pdf|title=CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE, et al. vs. The Pennsylvania Light Foot Militia, et al.|website=Georgetown|access-date=2019-07-24}}

Natural disaster mutual aid

=Hurricane Michael=

In response to the landfall of the category 5 Hurricane Michael in 2018 and the perceived inadequate response of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), both the SRA and the Tallahassee branches of the Democratic Socialists of America and the Party for Socialism and Liberation formed the Hurricane Michael Mutual Aid project, which sought to distribute direct relief to those in need, including those who were unable to receive FEMA relief due to their undocumented status.{{Cite web|url=https://truthout.org/articles/left-wing-disaster-relief-efforts-spread-goodwill-for-socialism/|title=Left-Wing Disaster Relief Efforts Spread Goodwill for Socialism|last=Arria|first=Michael|website=Truthout|date=14 December 2018 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-23}}{{Cite web|url=https://socialistra.org/news/sra-hurricane-florence-relief|title=Socialist Rifle Association|website=socialistra.org|access-date=2019-07-23|archive-date=July 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723070546/https://socialistra.org/news/sra-hurricane-florence-relief|url-status=dead}}{{Self-published inline|date=December 2024|certain=y}}

=Hurricane Dorian=

On August 29, 2019, the SRA began a fundraiser under the new organizational name "SRAid" for Hurricane Dorian disaster relief.{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/SocialistRA/status/1167069365461635072/|title=Socialist Rifle Association on Twitter|website=Twitter|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-06}}{{Needs independent confirmation|reason=This claim needs references to sources which can independently confirm it.|date=December 2024}} On September 5, the SRA announced it had several volunteers staging equipment on the east coast in preparation for supply deliveries to under-served communities in Charleston, South Carolina, Wilmington, North Carolina, and the Lumbee Tribe in Robeson County, North Carolina.{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/SocialistRA/status/1169662880423145472|title=Socialist Rifle Association on Twitter|website=Twitter|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-06}}{{Needs independent confirmation|reason=This claim needs references to sources which can independently confirm it.|date=December 2024}}

Membership

In July 2019, a third of the SRA's 2,000 members identified as LGBTQ and 8 percent are transgender.{{Cite magazine|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/154110/antifa-arming-trump-crackdown|title=Antifa Is Arming Itself Against a Trump Crackdown|last=Pein|first=Corey|date=2019-07-02|magazine=The New Republic|access-date=2019-07-23|issn=0028-6583|quote="A third of the Socialist Rifle Association’s 2,000 members identify as LGBTQ, and 8 percent are transgender."|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705061043/https://newrepublic.com/article/154110/antifa-arming-trump-crackdown|archive-date=July 5, 2019|url-status=live}} The organization claimed 10,000 active members in November 2020. The SRA has 52 local chapters operating in 33 states. The organization is headed by a National Assembly consisting of elected representatives from each chapter.

Ideology

The SRA describes the goal of their organization as "to provide an alternative to the mainstream, toxic, right-wing, and non-inclusive gun culture that has dominated the firearms community for decades. We seek to provide a safe, inclusive, and left-leaning platform for talking about gun rights and self defense, free from racist and reactionary prejudices, while providing a platform for the working class to obtain the skills necessary for all aspects of community defense."{{Cite web|url=https://socialistra.org/about/|title=Socialist Rifle Association|website=socialistra.org|access-date=2019-07-23}}{{Self-published inline|date=December 2024|certain=y}} The group describes itself as "working class, progressive, anarchist, socialist, communist, eco-warrior, animal liberator, anti-fascist, anti-racist, anti-capitalist, PoC, LGBTQ-plus."{{Cite web|url=https://isthmus.com/api/content/11f47b44-45d2-11e9-a37a-12f1225286c6/|title=Socialism's safest place|last=Tarr|first=Joe|date=2019-03-14|website=Isthmus {{!}} Madison, Wisconsin|language=en-us|access-date=2019-07-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200914192701/https://isthmus.com/news/snapshot/socialist-rifle-association-madison/|archive-date=September 14, 2020|url-status=dead}}

=Points of unity=

Membership of the SRA is predicated on the acceptance of particular points of unity:

We are working class and poor people dedicated to educating our class in the safe use of firearms for personal and community self-defense as well as recreation and subsistence hunting.
We are a multi-tendency association of social democrats, communists, and anarchists united by class, for our class. We respect one another's political stances and differences, especially when we disagree.
We are dedicated to Liberation and Freedom of ALL people and therefore oppose all forms of oppression and exploitation.
We are party to our local communities and as such we volunteer in various ways to further the connections between leftist political radicals and the unorganized communities in which we live. We help feed, house and protect other working class and marginalized folks.
We stand against the disarmament of the working class.
We are dedicated to arming the working class, both physically and mentally.{{Cite web|url=https://socialistra.org/resources/assets/SRA_Promo-Cards_4x4_PRINT-cropmarks.pdf|title=Socialist Rifle Association Promo Cards|website=Socialist Rifle Association|access-date=2019-07-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724225020/https://socialistra.org/resources/assets/SRA_Promo-Cards_4x4_PRINT-cropmarks.pdf|archive-date=July 24, 2019|url-status=dead}}