INDIANAPOLIS – The National Rifle Association is gathering this week for its annual meeting amid inner turmoil the likes of which have not been seen in decades.

The NRA is used to battling outside forces that criticize its vigorous efforts to protect gun rights. But these days, NRA insiders and longtime observers describe an organization at war with itself.

The central question: Has it strayed too far from its original mission of gun safety and outdoor shooting sports and become too political?  The dispute centers in part on an NRA online channel whose hosts have weighed in on such subjects as immigration and diversity on children’s TV.

The 5-million-member organization is meeting in Indianapolis starting Thursday and is expected to contribute approximately $35 million to the state’s economy.