I heard about this more than a week ago, but wanted to offer something up anyway.
First, some apologists may say this is like defending the Nazis in Skokie 50 years ago.
No it's not.
The NRA may not be as flush as it tries to make out being, but it's much more flush than the National Socialist Party of America was or is. Or, as Students for Justice in Palestine is today. In short, it doesn't need the ACLU's help.
And help it is.
This is NOT an amicus brief. ACLU is serving as counsel for the NRA.
And, per the link, I don't see this as an attempt to silence the NRA, whether it needs civil-liberties organization help or not. Therefore, this is NOT "a controversial First Amendment issue." It's a semi-controversial NON-First Amendment issue, per the Second Circuit's ruling.
And, it's not like it needs to goose its membership. Trump's election, and its aftermath, did that, unless it had humongous churn. So why?
The "both sides" angle like too much of mainstream media still does too often? Churn, after all? An expectation of a Trump re-election?
And, let's not forget then-and-now Executive Director Anthony Romero, hand-in-glove with then board prez Nadine Strossen, working to gag other board members like Wendy Kaminer 15-plus years ago, when they protested about ACLU staff teaching people how to COMPLY with the Patriot Act.
Let's also not forget that, just a few years later, Romero wanted to pardon torturers.
Finally, per Wiki's page on it? Don't forget that while the ACLU "courageously" defended Nazis in the 1970s, it "cowardly" refused to defend alleged Communists in the 1950s. AND, it supported anti-First Amendment legislation, too.
The ACLU may have apologized for being lax in defending Communists. I don't know that it's ever apologized for the Patriot Act shit.
And, yes, it does a lot of good. But, it does its share of not so good, and needs to be kicked every few years.
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