Reference Groups: The National Rifle Association Of America

The National Rifle Association also continues to make an impact with politics and send founding to the national parties and committees. Donations that are made to national committees rapidly increase campaign spending. The NRA is very politically active and is a large organization with over five million members. Followers of the NRA are able to make their own political donations as long as they are in regulation with campaign finance limits. There are so many members involved with the NRA; thus, political power builds immensely.

The gun owners who comprise the NRA are voters who are passionate about firearms, and tend to be fiercely loyal to the organization. The organization coordinates their hunting trips, funds their gun clubs, and teaches their kids how to shoot safely. In turn, the members, coupled with industry supporters,

NRA spending $3 million per annum to influence the governmental policies, while multiply organization supporting the cause of disarmament and gun control. NRA became more politically active following the passage of the GCA in the 1970s. The second amendment in constitution allows the civilian to bear arms and the armed revolution against colonist proved to be the fruitful effort. Furthermore, the concept of wild west can’t be undermined. The entertainment industry portrays Hollywood invincible like John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart, contributing towards formations of rugged individualism. (Datesman, Carandall and Kearny, 82)

The National Rifle Association is an interest group that supports our right to bear arms. They have been around for over a century and continue to lobby in Congress to help protect our Second Amendment. They currently have 4.3 million members that support the Second Amendment and other groups that educate citizens on gun safety. This group has made a tremendous difference on how our government and society views gun control and is probably the biggest reason we still have our right to bear arms. (www.nraila.org)

Kevin Arocha Professor Noonan ENC1102 Spring 2012 Research Paper “The right to bear arms”, an amendment so prioritized by our founding fathers that it earned the very second spot on the list of birth rights as Americans. However, with constant tragedies striking the United States, such as massacres in public high schools and universities, mall shootings, and attempted assassinations on state representatives, it’s no wonder law makers are constantly debating the topic of gun control.

Who is the N.R.A? The National Rifle Association, or N.R.A., was created in New York City on November 17, 1871. It is widely recognized as America’s primary defender of Second Amendment rights. N.R.A. formed the Legislative Affairs Division in 1934, because of the attacks on the Second Amendment rights. In 1971, the N.R.A. formed the institute for Legislative Action to help man their political defense team against those who opposed the Second Amendment. In addition to working so hard to uphold the Second Amendment, the N.R.A. has been the premier gun sports and firearms education organization in the world.

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

The NRA has managed to become a powerful gun lobby and influencer of the gun conversation through their deliberate propaganda that targets and in many ways lies about the 2nd Amendment. In 1977, through a shakeup within the NRA, the organization went from a group of hunters and sportsmen to a strong advocate for the right to bear arms. Catering to strong gun advocates, the NRA was able to become a very powerful and influential organization. By aggressively advocating for gun rights, and preying on Republican congressmen with many pro-gun constituents, they were able to build up a foundation of support, which they have now expanded into one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington. Nowadays, they promote the 2nd Amendment, but only the parts

There are many groups strongly against gun control. Some include: the Second Amendment Foundation, the Citizen's Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, the Gun Owners of America, and the National Rifle Association (NRA). The NRA, being the largest group, has over three million members and an annual budget of one hundred million dollars. Their suggestion is that we keep the laws we have and just enforce them with tougher sentences for anyone who uses a firearm to break a law. The NRA's slogan is "If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have them." They often argue that "Guns do not kill people, people kill people." The NRA does not want any gun control laws or restrictions. The only laws they promote are preemption laws, which keep cities and localities from establishing and enforcing their own restrictive gun control laws and regulations without consent from the state.

Jason Butler 2/9/17 SOC 100 Reference groups As stated in "You May Ask Yourself" by Dalton Conley a reference group is defined as "a group that helps us understand or make sense of our position in society relative to other groups"(Conley 161). There are many reference groups that we all encounter and compare ourselves to everyday without even noticing that we are doing so. This groups can include classmates, clubs, teammates(if you play or played a sport), and many other groups that we could encounter on a daily basis. I found that I would often use the goalies on the opposing teams as a reference group to judge my performance as a lacrosse goalie. In doing this I either left a game feeling great, or

These leaders contributed a lot what makes up the NRA and our nation today. The NRA today has many organizations that serve and help people all across the country. The NRA is the longest standing civil rights organization in the United States and a defender of the Second Amendment rights. One of the organizations the NRA supports helps wildlife conservation. This organization tries to open lands up to managed hunting. The NRA even uses some of their proceeds to rebuild wildlife species and habitats. Other NRA organizations involve different training programs for citizens and law enforcement. These help out with their use and knowledge of a firearm. This training that they provide will fulfill the training requirement to obtain a concealed carry license. Through these training courses, the NRA has trained over 10,000 police and security firearm instructors and 55,000 certified instructors who will then in return train about 75,000 other people per year. The NRA also has gun safety programs that are used to help promote gun safety to minors. There is an organization called the Eddie Eagle Gun Safe program that has reached over 25 million kids. They teach kids a magnitude of information about firearms, from safety to what to do in certain situations. As a member of the NRA you receive a wide range of benefits. You can receive things from insurance to magazines for just being a member of the NRA. Since the NRA is a non-profit organization you are probably wondering

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)

REFERENCE GROUPS. A reference group is a group with whom an individual identifies to the point where the group dictates a standard of behavior. Reference groups exert tremendous influence on consumers’ hospitality and tourism purchase decisions. Every individual is influenced directly and indirectly. Marketing research has identified three types of reference groups: comparative, status, and normative. First, individual consumers use reference groups to compare their own feelings and thoughts with those of others. For example, an individual may have gone to dinner at a restaurant and felt that the food and service were excellent.

Reference groups sometimes have the same meaning as in-groups. This is mostly when the reference group accepts the individual. An example of this is when a black wants to be part of the white majority, and isnt able to because of his color and affiliation with the black in-group. This is brought on by the demand for people color to adapt to white culture. In doing so, people of color are forced to rid themselves of taking pride in their ethnicity and culture. By doing this, a person of color may develop self-hate for themselves as individual or for their group. The minority group member is forced to make the dominant majority his reference group in respect to language, manners, morals, and law. He may be entirely loyal to his minority in-group, but he is at the same time always under the necessity of relating himself to the standards and expectations of the majority (Allport 95). The dominant majority is for him a reference group. It exerts a strong pull upon him, forcing attitudinal conformity. Thus, both in-groups and reference groups are important in the formation of attitudes (Allport 97).

In order to understand what reference group influences are, it is necessary to firstly understand what a reference group is. The depth of information surrounding reference groups and the influences they poses on individuals, particularly on consumer purchasing behaviour is vast and one could get lost in the mist of