Tanya Metaska
The Importance of 2nd Amendment Rights
Tanya Metaska is a strong proponent of 2nd Amendment rights. The former director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action, Metaska was once called the “most influential lobbyist in Washington.” She is the author of Safe, Not Sorry, a self-protection manual published in 1997. She has appeared on numerous talk and interview shows such as “Crossfire,” the “Today” show, “Nightline,” “This Week with David Brinkley” and the “McNeil-Lehrer Hour,” among others.
Her father was a stage director who escaped from Russia after the revolution. Tanya’s experience with Russian refugees influenced her to distrust big government and support the right for self protection.
Mataska graduated from Smith College in 1958 and became involved with the gun rights movement in the late 60s, further influenced by her husband, George.
Metaksa worked for the NRA from 1977 to 1979 as director of state and local affairs for the Institute for Legislative Action, and then served for a year as its deputy executive director. After a decade out of the NRA leadership, Metaksa returned in 1991 as a member of the NRA board of directors. From 1991- 1994 she served as the executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action.