WASHINGTON — The top advocate for the gun industry in Washington is spending more than ever to influence the federal government. The group accuses President Joe Biden of waging war on the Second Amendment. It resists any effort to create universal background checks and argues that attempts to crack down on untraceable “ghost guns” are unnecessary. 

And it’s not the National Rifle Association. 

The NSSF, founded more than 60 years ago to promote hunting and recreational shooting, has grown into the country’s largest firearms trade association. The organization spent more than $5.4 million on federal lobbying last year, more than in any other year in its history and more than twice as much as the NRA, according to federal records.

The NRA — long seen as synonymous with the gun-rights movement — has struggled with declining membership and revenue, as well as internal scandals. The latest blow came when its longtime leader, Wayne LaPierre, was found liable for corruption in a New York court last month. 

As the NRA cuts back on federal lobbying, its troubles have created an opportunity for other gun-rights advocates to expand — especially the NSSF. 

The NSSF resists comparisons to the NRA, stressing that its trade association is just that — a group that represents gun manufacturers, retailers and other business interests, not gun owners themselves, as the NRA does. 

Formerly known as the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the NSSF tends to strike a less confrontational tone than its better-known counterpart, underscoring its regulatory focus and partnerships with the federal agencies it criticizes, in contrast to the NRA’s no-compromise strategy. 

But the two groups share many core positions, opposing universal background checks, “red flag” laws passed in more than 20 states and efforts to mandate safe storage of firearms. And even the NSSF’s critics see it as well positioned to influence gun policy. 

“Being lesser-known is a huge tactical advantage,” said Kris Brown, the president of Brady, a gun-violence prevention group. “People don’t know them and aren’t coming after them.”

Unlike trade groups representing other industries, the NSSF isn’t just advocating for businesses; it is also protecting “the exercise of a constitutional right,” said Larry Keane, the NSSF’s general counsel and chief lobbyist. 

“The product is firearms, and there’s no divorcing the politics from the product,” Keane said in a recent interview.  

The group works to maintain its bona fides as a staunch defender of the Second Amendment while also presenting itself as a pragmatic player similar to business groups representing less controversial industries.