il War. They were not properly trained in the use of firearms, and in many cases guns were found abandoned on the battlefield unused. After the war, some retired officers remembered the lessons of the war and founded the National Rifle Association as a way of instructing members in the use of firearms. The NRA has pursued its charter mandate ever since and has nurtured affiliate rifle clubs in every state, elevated competitive shooting to the level of a true sport, encouraged excellence at arms in the military services, and prepared many peacetime citizens for the difficult role of wartime rifleman. By 1978 the membership had reached 1.2 million dues-paying-members, 300 employees, $26,400,000 in securities, a multimillion-dollar headquarters building in Washington, D.C., 37,707 acres of New Mexican real estate, and an expense budget of more than $16,500,000, of which fully one-q
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