The National Rifle Association reports that its membership is rapidly swelling even as Democrats and the Obama administration gear up for a major push to enact new gun-control laws.

The NRA reports it has added more than 100,000 members in the past 18 days. Membership of the pro-Second Amendment organization now stands at 4.2 million.

“Our goal is to get to 5 million before this debate is over,” an NRA source told Politico.

NRA officials are meeting Thursday with the Obama administration’s emissary on the issue, Vice President Joe Biden. NRA leaders say they are willing to discuss any “reasonable proposals and plans,” but will not compromise on Second Amendment rights.

The Biden task force looking into new gun-control measures in the aftermath of the tragic school shootings Dec. 14 in Newtown, Conn., is meeting with a wide range of interested parties, including Wal-Mart executives and groups that represent hunters and sport-shooting enthusiasts. But its focus appears to be not on whether new gun restrictions are needed, but rather how severe they should be.

The NRA source, meanwhile, told Politico’s Mike Allen: “The NRA is hearing not just from Beltway elites and the chattering class, but real Americans all over the country that are hoping the NRA is not going to compromise on any of the principles of the Second Amendment, nor are we going to support banning guns. But we’re willing to listen.”

People seeking to join the NRA pay $25, and receive a “Rosewood Handle Knife, Black & Gold Duffel Bag, or Digital Camo Duffel Bag” in with their membership.

The NRA and other pro-Second Amendment organizations are fighting to counter a growing PR push that appears intent on using the Newtown tragedy to fuel a major push for gun control.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his State of the State address Wednesday called for a sweeping rewrite of the Empire State’s gun laws. The Democrat is rumored to be positioning himself for a run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016.

“It’s simple,” Cuomo, himself a gun owner, proclaimed. “No one hunts with an assault rifle. No one needs 10 bullets to kill a deer. And too many innocent people have died already.”

Cuomo called on state legislators to “End the madness now!”

Biden, meanwhile, is facing strong pushback on Capitol Hill for his statement Wednesday that President Obama could issue an executive order restricting gun-owner rights -- without congressional input.

“Vice President Biden would do well to read the Second Amendment and revisit the meaning of the phrase ‘shall not be infringed,’” Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., said. “Bypassing Congress to implement radical policies is never acceptable.”