Case Study: The National Rifle Association

A collective good is a good or service that cannot be denied to anyone who wants to consume it, such as: clean air, peace, and lower consumer prices (all can be consumed by anyone). In other words, a collective good is accessible and advantageous to anyone who wants to consume it. In terms of interest groups, “collective goods are benefits gained by all members of an interest group (both potential, who are not in the group but share similar ideologies, and actual group members)” (__). The goods cannot be denied from one person without withholding it from everyone else (the entire public). A collective good the National Rifle Association advocates for is 2nd Amendment gun rights, or the right to bear arms, and this is a collective good because

The documentary starts by telling the story of Gabrielle Giffords being shot outside a Safeway grocery store and continues by showing a part of President Obama’s speech after the incident. It then addresses the fact that the President didn’t even attempt to increase gun control since the NRA has so much power. The Columbine High School massacre is then discussed along with a speech by the NRA president. Gun sales increased significantly after this massacre since people thought gun control would become more strict. The documentary states that the NRA originally focused on hunting and how to shoot a gun but the assassinations of the 60’s made them change their focus to gun control. After the Columbine massacre,

The PAC lobbies at a Federal level by endorsing candidates, speaking at political gatherings, and gathering petitions.

Reference groups are actual or imaginary individual or group that significantly influences an individual’s evaluations, aspirations, or behavior. Reference group influences us in three ways: informational, utilitarian, and value-expressive. The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is an American non-profit organization, which backs for gun rights. NRA has been acknowledging its members about gun-related bills. NRA has also been directly promoted against legislation.

A plant to construct a new Walmart branch is initiated, which there's a misconception that it will be in our interest, regarding its disadvantages.

The NRA spends a large amount of money on lobbying in order to protect the peoples right to bear arms. A common lobbying technique they use is hiring former legislators and government official in order to gain access to policy makers through friendships and personal connections. According to the Journal of Political Science & Public Affairs the NRA spent $3,360,000 on lobbying in 2014 (Journal website). After the Sandy Hook Shooting took place the initial response from the government was to make the gun law stricter, but the NRA wanted no changes made. The NRA’s lobbyist seemed to have “persuaded” enough government official, because no change was made. Clearly the victims and their family member of the shooting were at a loss when the government failed to change any gun

The NRA, already a large mass of like-minded people, has been influencing policy makers for decades via sending letters and eventually developing a

The National Rifle Association is an American non-profit organization that has been around for over one hundred years. It is a large organization with approximately 5 million members and is run by 84 leaders: 64 board members, one consultant, 17 lobbyist, 15 senior staff and 4 spokespersons. There are 9 women and 73 men apart of the NRA leaders. The executive vice president and chief executive officer is Wayne LaPierre, an author and a gun rights advocate who was elected to the board in 1991. The President of the National Rifle Association as of 2015 is Allan D. Cors. There are hundreds of programs offered by the NRA for all ages; these programs are possible because of fundraising and donations.

DPS-3-C or Connecticut Firearms Bill of Sale Form is a document required to establish the ownership of a firearm of the buyer within the Connecticut State after the sale of the weapon by an individual, police officer, or firearms dealer. Please prepare four copies of this form along with form DPS-67-C. However, the buyer must prove his/her eligibility to purchase a firearm. Some of the prerequisites of such type of sale are

However since the Citizen United decision in 2010, interest groups, super pacs, and quite frankly anybody who has the sheer torrent to spend their fortune can influence election cycles. This broadens the spectrum that leads us into the next model the issue network. After the Citizen United decision, there has been a lot of groups, interests, and more actors that continue to try to maintain their influence throughout the political system. Besides the interest groups there have been individuals who have donated to gun control groups in opposition to gun right organizations. For instance, political action committees(PACs), and other individuals have donated in the past which may include political actors who are not within the Iron Triangle . Just last year Bill Gates donated $1 million dollars to a prominent gun control group focused on expanding background checks on gun

By the year 2003, it is expected that firearms will cause the most injury-related deaths in the United States, surpassing even automobile accidents. Poll after poll have revealed that most Americans favor stricter gun control laws. Five recent suburban school shootings have demonstrated that when guns and kids mix, tragedy results. Yet gun control legislation remains at a standstill.

Let me make one small vote for the NRA. They're good citizens. They call their Congressmen. They write. They vote. They contribute. And they get what they want over time.(qtd. in nra.org) The NRA is indeed all of these things, with programs to benefit a variety of Americans, sponsorship of one of Americas oldest sports, and as an organization that will stand up for its political beliefs regarding the Second Amendment. (www.nra.org)

There are many special interest groups that associate themselves specifically with gun control. Each stance people take on the issue has some sort of interest group to defend the people and their beliefs. Simply, people that think that there should be more restrictions on who has the ability to carry a weapon and the controls on accessing weapons or those who feel there are too many restrictions on weapons. The NRA, or National Rifle Association, is one of the largest proponents of the right for individuals to protect themselves and bear Arms (NRA). Whereas, the Brady Campaign is a group that pushes for tighter restrictions on gun control and their goal is to help reduce the amount of deaths caused by guns each year (Brady Campaign). The overall objective of special interest groups is establishing some sort of platform that many local citizens can associate themselves with in

The nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization is under attack, but why? That’s what is going on right now with the NRA and the issues that they are defending. Ever since the NRA was founded, it has been doing things to help out the people of this country and to shape the country itself. There are so many controversies that are going on today in politics that are the center of the NRA’s philosophy. The NRA does a lot for the people of this country by impacting the lives of millions of Americans, through its many organizations. Not to mention, the NRA is a non-profit organization and would not be able to make this impact without the help of others. The NRA’s biggest stance is the Second Amendment. It is their primary focus to do

The first and probably the most logical reason why are lobbyist for the Hunting industry and other organizations such as the NRA "Donate" massive amounts of money to keep most politicians in check and in their pocket.