'Great Lakes Gun Rights' claims to be an IRS 501(c)(4) 'social welfare organization', but they have never filed a Form 990. Michigan LARA does not have a 'Great Lakes Gun Rights' on file as a IRS 501(c)(4), but they do have a 'Great Lakes Gun Rights' on file as an LLC (
LARA 801847980).
GLGR, LLC was founded in 2015 by James O. Bardwell, a lawyer from Windsor, Colorado. He operates a firm called 'Front Range Enterprises and Communications' which is behind (and the major financial beneficiary of) the
'National Association for Gun Rights', which is an IRS 501(c)(4) 'social welfare organization' (EIN 54-2015951). It is not clear whether Front Range or NAGR own GLGR, but one of them do. If GLGR is owned by NAGR, they could plausibly claim to be an IRS 501(c)(4) 'social welfare organization'.
Great Lakes Gun Rights and the National Association for Gun Rights each mailed one postcard in the 72nd State Representative primary race during 2016 - both slamming Ryan Gallogly and Bill Hirsch exclusively. Greg McNeilly, the DeVos operative, most likely provided GLGR and NAGR with the funding and the mailing list. DeVos was backing Tony Noto, who had an NRA 'Aq' rating. The mailers caught my attention because neither slammed Robert Coughlin, who held an NRA 'C' rating. Steve Johnson, Noto, and Gallogly all held NRA 'Aq' ratings and were all profoundly pro-gun. Hirsch did not reply to the NRA survey.
McNeilly independently attacked Johnson on non firearms issues through his well known, DeVos funded, political vehicle '21st Century Leadership Fund'. Johnson was so obviously pro-gun that any attack upon him, based on firearms issues, would have been widely interpreted as a political fraud within the district. The purpose of the GLGR and NAGR mailings were to knock Ryan Gallogly out of the race. He was seen as the front runner at the outset.
This was a major DeVos failure. Steve Johnson, the least beloved by DeVos, won in 2016. However the DeVos organization is going back at him this year from a new angle, with a female RINO candidate.