A federal appeals court ruled Friday that the National Rifle Association (NRA) broke federal law two decades ago when it gave its political action committee thousands of dollars for election-related expenses.
The gun lobby violated a 1971 federal election law barring corporations from contributing to federal campaigns by giving $37,833 to its Political Victory Fund, then getting reimbursed, the court said, according to a Reuters report.
The Political Victory Fund spent the money on direct mail campaigns, newspaper advertising and campaigns for and against individual campaigns.
The ruling came after the Federal Election Commission (FEC) said the NRA had illegally paid the Political Victory Fund during the 1978, 1980 and 1982 federal election cycles.
The NRA had claimed its activities were protected political speech under the First Amendment.
