By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-07-31 22:51:40 | Updated at 2026-08-01 23:06:30
1 day ago
Gun Owners of America (GOA) is holding its annual Gun Owners Advocacy and Leadership Summit in Des Moines, Iowa, this weekend.
In addition to participants discussing Second Amendment topics, perusing vendors’ goods and services in the exhibit hall, reviewing the past year and mapping out plans for the coming year, GOA is also celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Erich Pratt, GOA’s senior vice president, said the group is dedicated to a single issue: Second Amendment rights. He said that was the vision of GOA’s founder, the late California State Sen. H.L. Richardson, and it fuels GOA today.
GOA was founded in 1976 after Richardson left the National Rifle Association (NRA). The NRA’s multi-layered mission focuses mainly on firearms safety, marksmanship, and promoting the shooting sports, in addition to the Second Amendment.
While he respected the NRA’s work, Richardson wanted a group that was politically engaged, said Pratt.
“GOA was actually the first national gun rights organization with a [political action committee], and it was because we were wanting to hold legislators accountable,” Pratt told The Epoch Times.
“That really became the theme for Gun Owners of America all these 50 years. … We have had a no-compromise approach to defending the Second Amendment.”
GOA held this position even when other Second Amendment groups supported some restrictions, he said.
Gun Owners of America buttons are sold at the state Capitol in Lansing, Michigan, on Sept. 27, 2022, during the annual rally organized by the Second Amendment March group. Rebecca Cook/AFP via Getty Images
“Over our last 50 years, there have been many, even in the gun movement, who supported … background checks, they supported gun-free zones. GOA has always opposed those things,” said Pratt.
GOA was involved in the move to allow armed pilots on commercial aircraft after 9/11 and helped push for so-called “Constitutional Carry” which allows anyone who can legally own a firearm to carry in public without a permit.
Currently, 29 states allow some form of permitless carry, and one of Pratt’s GOA colleagues said the group is working to expand that number.
“Seeing it grow to over 50 percent of the states adopting it—that’s that’s been a huge milestone and a huge benchmark for us on the state and local side,” said Kalie Nieman, director of development and marketing for GOA.
Nieman said that as GOA’s mission grows, so does its annual meeting.
In addition to hosting some well-known Second Amendment advocates, social media influencers, and politicians, the Des Moines summit from July 31 to Aug. 2 will offer more for attendees.
She said the Des Moines Convention Center features 150,000 square feet of space for exhibitors, as well as meeting rooms for breakout sessions.
Erich Pratt, senior vice president for Gun Owners of America, in an interview on NTD's Capitol Report on May 28, 2022. NTD/Screenshot via The Epoch Times
Speakers such as podcaster, veteran, and former member of the Virginia House of Delegates Nick Freitas; economist, researcher, and president of the Crime Prevention Research Center John Lott; and political commentator and actor Brett Cooper; among others, are scheduled for the event.
Nieman said one of the main objectives of the summit is to build a sense of community among members.
“It is incredibly important that we have a place to come together to be trained as better advocates, to listen to some incredible speakers that give different perspectives on the battle,” Nieman said.
Pratt said GOA will continue its fight to force the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to destroy an estimated 1.5 billion firearms transaction records that GOA claims ATF is digitizing for use in an illegal gun registry.
“The registry is an issue because registration historically has been a first step to gun confiscation,” Pratt said.
The ATF denies it is building a registry.
Pratt said GOA will also continue its push to repeal the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA).
According to the ATF website, the NFA was passed as a tax on certain shotguns and rifles having barrels less than 18 inches in length, firearms described as “any other weapons,” machine guns, and firearm mufflers and silencers.
Pratt pointed out that GOA was able to help reduce the $200 tax to $0. He said GOA will continue working to have the law struck down.
Pratt said the tax reduction is proof of what people working together can achieve.
“The NFA hadn’t been touched for 100 years. But we made that mainstream by just using our grassroots strength,” Pratt said.
