The National Rifle Association (NRA) As George Stephanopoulos, a former Clinton spokesman once said: 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) Formed in 1872 when military leaders were disappointed with the marksmanship of their soldiers, the NRA has always faced political opposition for promoting marksmanship. Although it was founded largely …show more content…
(web wonks. org) One of these 3 million NRA members, Gary L. Simmons ( webwonks.org), clearly illustrates the strong feelings behind the NRA purpose of protecting constitutional rights by saying: If you can just put aside the demonizing words of a partisan and unabashedly biased national media for a moment and do your own research into the facts you will see that the Second Amendment to the constitution of the United States is not an outdated 225 year old mistake that needs to be erased from the constitution any more than the freedom to assemble peaceably and yes, even the "freedom of speech". The right to keep and bear arms is at least as important as any of the other amendments in the Bill of Rights that our ancestors have continued to fight and die for to protect since the founding of this nation. These rights and the body of the Constitution of the United States of America are vital to maintaining this fragile thing we call freedom. The NRA Foundations mission statement is also indicative of the purposes of the NRA by stating: [In] support of a wide range of firearm related public interest activities of the National Rifle Association of America and other organizations that defend and foster the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Americans. These activities are designed to promote firearms and hunting
For over 50 years the NRA has been the most controversial and well noted example of an adamant, unwavering, organized, voice as it has arguably inflicted more influence in lobbying efforts than any other special interest group represented in the nation’s capital. Originally founded in 1871, the NRA originated just 6 years after the civil war and just 3 years after the 14th amendment. After just enduring the bloodiest battle in our nation’s history The 14th amendment (1868) granted states the right to further extend the protections available for individual possession of arms. A law of this measure did hold rightful ground, given the climate in reconstruction era America. As an individual right to bear arms would naturally be in higher demand following such a conflict. The NRA was founded to protect the granted rights and to represent a portion of individuals who held these rights dearest. As the essay states “The NRA, as always, speaks for all gun-owners, with respect to the Second Amendment” (Alstyne 5). While it is within our constitutional boundaries to have special interests represented, the NRA has long outgrown its original somewhat transparent roots. Like most
The exact number of gun owners in America is unknown. There are approximately 44 million firearms owners in the US, according to a National Institute of Justice survey conducted in 1994. Looking at firearm production data from 2010, various gun manufactures state the figure is as high as 300 million people. (Agresti and Smith, justfacts.com, 02/12/12). Regardless of the precise number of guns in America they are an everyday reality. For the gun enthusiast there are a number of activities which in some families, have taken on an almost religious reverence. Hunting is engaged in by 23 to 43.7 million Americans, according to a national survey in 2001, conducted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Generations of families , fathers , grandfathers and sons have enjoyed the great outdoors, refining and taking pleasure in hunting.Target shooting, collecting and self protection constitutes the remainder of “legal gun owners in the U.S. Groups such as the National Rifle Association are the most outspoken and self proclaimed defender of gun owner’s rights. In 2011 the N.R.A. joined a lawsuit to continue its primary role in America. In a court update Chris Cox writes (2011), “The NRA fights to enforce--and extend--gun owners' rights.” Cox’s writing on this case illustrates the divide between state and federal government restrictions, and
Amendment; this is the Amendment that is used as the basis for each American having the right to bear arms. It has certainly been a subject of conversation in the US; proponents argue that no one has the authority to take that right away from US citizens while opponents asking for an amendment that would allow the amendment to acclimate to current realities of the 21st century (Levintova, 2014). To understand the problem with the second amendment, one has to go back to the origin of the said law; the bill of rights was first created in 1789 along with the first ten amendments, to understand the intent of the authors of said amendments.
America needs to institute, and initiate gun control laws throughout the entire nation. But not everybody who inhabits the United States believes in regulating arms. Those who are against establishing gun laws argue that gun control directly infringes upon their “right to bear arms” granted to them by the 2nd Amendment. Anti gun control supporters, such as the National Rifle Association, often claim that the act of regulating guns is a sufficient reason why such an Amendment was introduced in the constitution; to protect themselves from any and all forms of violation of civil liberties and freedom. Supporters of anti gun laws are unwilling to welcome any interpretations of the 2nd Amendment that do not match up “word for word,” as was written in the Bill of Rights.
The debate over gun control has been raging through the American political systems for years. On one side, there is the National Rifle Association (NRA) and 2nd Amendment-citing citizens who use their firearms for hunting and self-defense. On the other, there is Handgun Control Inc. (HCI) and followers of the Brady Campaign who want to ban guns on the basis that they are dangerous. Both sides have strong arguments, anchored in historical precedent and statistical analysis. Anti-gun control lobbyists’ arguments include the guarantee of the 2nd Amendment, the definition of “militia” as any adult male, self-defense, the relative uselessness of permits and regulations, and court cases in favor of firearm possession. Pro-gun control activists
The National Rifle Association works hard to give guns a positive association, supporting firearms as a symbol of freedom. Since its founding, America has mainly emphasized the protection of citizen rights and sought to place checks on government control. One famous example is the Bill of Rights, in
The continuing Mass Shootings in the United States has caused the gun control debate to intensify. While anti-gun control advocates say the Second Amendment guarantees each individual the right to bear arms, the pro-gun control group reads the Second Amendment as a collective right to bear arms; meaning organized militia are the only ones with that right. This essay will analyse the effectiveness of several different articles which present arguments for and against gun control.
In the United States of America, we as citizens have the right to bear arms, provided to us by the second amendment to the U.S. constitution, and are part of the United States Bill of Rights. Most American’s still believe that it is our right to bear arms, while a growing number of Americans believe that there should be better gun control regarding this matter. A rising trend has begun on Capitol Hill and all around the United States, which is to rally for better gun control. Although many tragedies have occurred due to improper gun control, many more have been obviated due to the courage of lawful gun carriers. Do we, as a prosperous nation, give up
The controversial series of measures has earned the opposition of important sectors and organizations, the most influential National Rifle Association. This partnership continues to strongly support the need to maintain in force the sale and carrying of weapons, through the defense of the Second Amendment of the Constitution. It establishes the right to bear firearms under the justification of ensuring personal safety. Opposition to this is added the decisive influence of the House of Representatives.
The First Amendment lists American citizens’ rights for freedom of religion, assembly, petition, press, and speech. The United State Supreme Court has identified three types of free speech. The first, speech, is simply the right to what you say and your opinion. The second, speech plus, is the right to protest and demonstrate. The third, symbolic, is the right to use symbols such as flags to show your opinion or message. While this speech is considered a natural right, there are limitations. Some examples of these limited freedoms would be that someone can not yell “fire” in a movie theater. This article specifically deals with freedom of just speech. The second Amendment gives Americans the right to Bear Arms. This article is an example of the Supremacy Clause when the Florida law was overruled by the United States court of Appeals. The Supremacy Clause is listed in Article VI of the Constitution which states that the constitution and federal laws made are supreme to the land. The National Rifle Association is relevant to this article because the National Rifle Association is a interest group. A interest group is a group of people with similar ideas that try to influence people and their government. The NRA is a interest group for advocating American’s Second Amendment Rights. During the article, a judge talks about his
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
America is the most well armed nation in the world, with American citizens owning about 270 million of the world’s 875 million firearms (Marshall). Indeed, this is more than a quarter of the world’s registered firearms. The reason why Americans own so many guns is because of the Second Amendment, which states, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” (Rauch) This amendment guarantees U.S. citizens the right to have firearms. Since this amendment is relatively vague, it is up for interpretation, and is often used by gun advocates to argue for lenient gun laws. Hence, gun control is a frequently discussed controversial topic in
Gun Control: Overview The issue of gun control has been debated for a long time, probably ever since
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)
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