--- title: NRA Gives Republican Party OK to Talk Gun Control description: The National Rifle Association has given Republican Party lawmakers the green light to float new gun control measures without retribution. canonical: https://time.com/5181212/nra-republicans-gun-control/ author: Philip Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-03-01T19:33:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T21:34:51.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: The NRA Told Republicans It's OK to Talk About Gun Control og:description: Nothing gooses gun sales like the threat of new gun control measures og:url: https://time.com/5181212/nra-republicans-gun-control/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc0c837cd49a54337/6989293bdb298764f625eed5/gettyimages-633308700.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5379 og:image:height: 3026 og:image:alt: President Trump Holds Meeting on Supreme Court Nominee Gorsuch og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The NRA Told Republicans It's OK to Talk About Gun Control twitter:description: Nothing gooses gun sales like the threat of new gun control measures twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc0c837cd49a54337/6989293bdb298764f625eed5/gettyimages-633308700.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # With Gun Sales Down, the NRA Told Republicans It's OK to Talk About Gun Control > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/), [W.J. Hennigan](https://time.com/author/w-j-hennigan/) and [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) Updated: Dec 12, 2023 9:34 PM UTCPublished: Mar 1, 2018 7:33 PM UTC  U.S. President Donald Trump sits beside Executive Vice President and CEO of the National Rifle Association (NRA) Wayne LaPierre, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Feb. 1, 2017 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump sits beside Executive Vice President and CEO of the National Rifle Association (NRA) Wayne LaPierre, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Feb. 1, 2017 in Washington, DC. Michael Reynolds—Pool/Getty Images by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/), [W.J. Hennigan](https://time.com/author/w-j-hennigan/) and [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) Updated: Dec 12, 2023 9:34 PM UTCPublished: Mar 1, 2018 7:33 PM UTC America’s gun control debate has taken seemingly surprising turns in recent days, as [President Donald Trump](http://time.com/5179995/donald-trump-nra-gun-control-comments/) and other Republican Party leaders have signaled [an openness to gun restrictions](http://time.com/5168608/gun-control-white-house-congress/) that are anathema to the powerful National Rifle Association. But behind the scenes, the NRA has given Republican lawmakers the green light to float new gun restrictions without the threat of political retribution, according to two senior GOP officials. Gun manufacturers, who along with the NRA’s grassroots members help fund the organization, are in the midst of the worst business crisis in decades, with sales drops driving some to seek bankruptcy protection. And nothing gooses sales like the threat of new limits on guns. Jennifer Baker, an NRA spokeswoman, denied that her organization made such overtures to Congress, and said the NRA’s main concern was not gun sales but rather defending gun rights. **Read more**: [Inside the Republican Party’s New Direction on Gun Restrictions](http://time.com/5180537/gun-control-donald-trump-meeting/) Under President Barack Obama, people rushed to buy guns they feared would be outlawed. But as Trump took office, the American gun market was approaching saturation. “Gun owners have what they need,” said Robert Evans of Pennington Capital, a Minneapolis investment firm. “The stockpiling mentality is over.” Since [last month’s deadly mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida,](http://time.com/5162936/florida-high-school-shooting-timeline/) left 17 people dead, Trump and some other Republicans have changed their tune on guns. Trump — who received [record-breaking support](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nra-sticking-trump-breaks-own-record-campaign-spending-n665056) from the National Rifle Association during the 2016 presidential election — told lawmakers during a live televised meeting Wednesday that they shouldn’t be afraid to defy the NRA. He encouraged them to pass a comprehensive bill that would raise the age limit for purchasing guns from 18 to 21, something the NRA has said it opposes. And he floated the prospect of taking guns away from people who might be dangerous, even before they have a chance to defend themselves in court. “Take the guns first, go through due process second,” Trump said. Trump also told a recent meeting of governors that it’s time for them to pick a fight with the gun-rights lobby. “Half of you are so afraid of the NRA,” Trump chided. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.” But he also let slip that he had shared a recent lunch with NRA executives. –_With reporting by Alana Abramson_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5181212/nra-republicans-gun-control/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5181212/nra-republicans-gun-control/"},"headline":"With Gun Sales Down, the NRA Told Republicans It's OK to Talk About Gun Control","datePublished":"2018-03-01T19:33:07.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-12T21:34:51.000Z","description":"Nothing gooses gun sales like the threat of new gun control measures","url":"https://time.com/5181212/nra-republicans-gun-control/","keywords":["Guns","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc0c837cd49a54337/6989293bdb298764f625eed5/gettyimages-633308700.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Philip Elliott","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"W.J. 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