Case Study: The National Rifle Association

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.

National Rifle Association: Would use campaign contributions due its large membership and access to funds. They are ranked 225 of 20,981 in most money spent for lobbying purposes in the United States. Two major national level policy making institution that the NRA targets is the US House of Representatives and the Senate.

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

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.

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,

Of the many interest groups that have a viable, unwavering presence in both the campaign and election process and in the hands of its taxpaying voters is the National Rifle Association (NRA). The nonprofit organization has a staunch and straightforward message: to advocate and protect the second amendment. As of late, the NRA has received criticism by some candidate who is running for presidency, and even the President himself, but this has not changed the purpose or image of the organization through the eyes of the American people. Other candidates can see this, and they are in full fledge of their support for the NRA, which is not only cohesive but reciprocal, and has been one of the standing points for these candidates. Because of this, “Fortune” magazine has recognized NRA as the most powerful lobbying force in the United States. The National Rifle Association is an effective interest group because of its strong advocacy for gun rights, its strong support from taxpayers and politicians, and its notable presence in policy making and legislation.

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 National Rifle Association has a long, active history which have made it the powerful nonprofit interest group that still gets a lot of attention to this day. Founded in 1871 by retired Army and National Guard officers whose main goal was to promote the proper use of rifles and improve marksmanship. The idea of this interest group all started when the group’s first president, Ambrose Burnside who was a Civil War general witnessed firsthand his own soldiers lacking the ability to shoot straight, so from then on the NRA “focused on hunting, shooting and conservation, and no one thought of it as a gun lobby.” (Achenbach, Joel, Scott Higham, Sari Horwitz.) In the 1960’s there was a rise in assassinations, riots and

This group has very strong ties with many members of legislation; it also has many lobbyists and supporters in our government. Among the many members of congress, former presidents George Bush and Ronald Reagan were and are members of the NRA. One of the NRA’s most noticeable acts happened a few years ago, they tried to repeal the ban on assault weapons.

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.

The NRA is a lobbying group that is trying to promote gun safety, organized firearm activities, and most of all protection of the second amendment. Supporters of the NRA are loyal to the cause and rightfully so. The organization promotes family dinners, organizational competitions and updates on their fight to keep our second amendment from being repealed. I think that the NRA is a positive thing, even if the majority of there supporters believe their guns will be confiscated if democrats are elected into office. The NRA does a great job promoting there goals and collecting money from its members. The NRA is funded solely through memberships and donations from it's members. The NRA is helping america control gun violence, and showing the

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

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)

My chosen discourse is a sect of the NRA, in my hometown of Bryant, Arkansas, along with an interview of my father a member of the NRA. The group existing is due to guns and the rights to said guns; and like in the national level of the NRA, the members are staunch supporter of pro-gun rights.

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