NRA Accuses the NSA of a De Facto Gun Registry -- and the Group It's Siding with Might Surprise You

The National Rifle Association has joined a lawsuit against the federal government's controversial domestic surveillance program, claiming the NSA's collection of phone records and other data is more or less a creation of an illegal gun registry (as well as a slap in First Amendment's face).

But you might be surprised at the group the NRA is aligning itself with: It's an American Civil Liberties Union's lawsuit, notes USA Today.

The National Rifle Association logo at their headquarters in Fairfax, Va. (Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

The NRA filed a supporting brief on Wednesday arguing the NSA's data mining "could allow identification of NRA members, supporters, potential members, and other persons with whom the NRA communicates, potentially chilling their willingness to communicate with the NRA."

The NSA's phone database could allow the feds to find out if gun owners called the NRA, gun stores, shooting ranges, and other related organizations, the suit alleges.

In addition, the database "could allow the government to circumvent legal protections for Americans' privacy, such as laws that guard against the registration of guns or gun owners," in effect putting together an illegal "national gun registry," the brief states.

And how did the ACLU react to the NRA's sidling up?

"Americans from across the political spectrum value individual privacy," ACLU lawyer Jameel Jaffer told Reuters. "The philosophical roots may differ, but I think that is a widely shared American value."

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York, seeks to halt the NSA's phone-tracking program and have the agency delete all call records, USA Today reports.

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