The presence of Josh Horwitz is telling. He runs the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV), an organization that collects
$125,000 a year from the Joyce Foundation. Edward Welles, one of the founders of the Violence Policy Center ("let's confuse the public on the difference between machine guns and semiautomatic rifles!"), helped start the CSGV as well.
The last time I heard from them was back in October, when they ran ads claiming that HR 822 would allow people convicted of domestic violence to carry guns anywhere. Horwitz is not above hyperbole and outright lying. I'd question the merits of any statement he makes.
Many NRA lobbyists are hired guns, and they get hired because they've got a resume that includes a record of success in other areas of politics. When they're on the NRA's dime, they do the NRA's business. When they're not, they might be doing other things.
The article is an attempt to cloud that distinction, and I wouldn't give it much credence. I've heard absolutely nothing indicating that a) gun ownership is on the wane, or b) that the NRA is branching out into other areas of politics.
Believe it or not, there are many influential people within the NRA who wouldn't stand for them becoming a generic conservative, Tea Party, women should wear longer skirts in public kind of organization.