The N.R.A. takes cover in the G.O.P.(National Rifle Association; Republican Party)(includes related article on the N.R.A. in Australia and New Zealand)(Cover Story) From: The Nation | Date: June 19, 1995| Author: Cooper, Marc | COPYRIGHT 1995 The Nation Company L.P. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

The NRA held its 1995 meeting in Phoenix, AZ, soon after the Oklahoma City bombing, and made a concentrated effort to improve its public image, while at the same time molifying its increasing militant membership. It also became obvious that the NRA has become a part of the Republican Party.

As the 124th annual convention of the National Rifle Association was ending here in May, a portly Ohio delegate in Bermuda shorts and a polo shirt, walking toward the parking lot, cast a glance a...