NRA Membership Climbing - Spokane, North Idaho News & Weather KHQ.com

NRA Membership Climbing

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Washington (CNN) – The National Rifle Association has seen what the organization calls an "unprecedented" spike in membership numbers over the last month, the group's spokesman told CNN Tuesday.

Approximately 250,000 people have joined the organization's existing 4.25 million members, according to NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam, since new calls for gun control began surfacing in the immediate aftermath of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.

"This is in direct response to the threats and accusations coming from Sen. (Dianne) Feinstein and President Obama," Arulanandam said.

"If anyone is wondering if the American people cared about the Second Amendment ... those numbers give a very clear answer," he added.

The last time the nation's most powerful gun lobby saw a similar surge in membership, Arulanandam said, was during the Clinton administration.

In addition to new members, the NRA is also receiving an influx of financial contributions.

"This is going to be a very expensive and hard-fought fight," Arulanandam said about the upcoming legislative battle in Congress over new gun legislation.

Obama will reveal the administration's proposals for new restrictions on firearms on Wednesday.

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