*sighs* I know it doesn’t look like it to people who don’t live in the United States, but there are Americans who WANT stricter gun control. Who have, in fact, been fighting for it for decades. They have little to no chance of getting stricter gun control laws because of the National Rifle Association.
It’s large–4.3 million to 5 million members, as well as insanely powerful–it’s one of the most powerful lobbying organizations in America. It also has a Legislative Affairs Division that focuses on passing laws favorable to the rights of gun owners and blocking any bills that would restrict such ownership. It opposes almost all gun control legislation, such as theAssault Weapons Ban bill of 2013. It influenced the writing of theFirearm Owners Protection Act. The NRA pushed for, and got, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which ensures that gun manufacturers and gun dealers can’t be sued for negligence if someone uses their products improperly. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the NRA demanded that Congess appropriate funds for a “Shield Program” in which armed police officers would be in every U.S. school. That was the NRA’s idea of a solution to too many guns–more guns.
Not only that, but cities and states that have issued bans on certain types of guns or ammo sooner or later get sued by the NRA for violations of second Amendment rights. This happens a LOT. The NRA almost always wins because of that damned “right to bear arms” clause in the U.S. Constitution.
And here are some subsidary organizations.
NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund
NRA Foundation
NRA Special Contribution Fund
NRA Freedom Action Foundation
NRA Institute for Legislative Action
NRA Political Victory Fund
The NRA operates the National Firearms Museum. It publishes at least six shooting magazines. It has an official state association in every state AND in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It raises and donates money to groups such as ROTC, 4-H and Boy Scouts. Boy Scouts are even mandated to have NRA rifle instructors at their summer camps.
It’s all but a combination of corporation, nonprofit organization, and government. It also has a lot of political support, because supporting it is profitable. About 88% of all U.S. politicians have gotten money from the NRA or its political action committees at some point.
The sad thing is that even if gun control laws were passed, the NRA would just fight to repeal them or sue those who passed them to get the laws set aside–and would probably pass the cost of the litigation on to its opponent(s) once the opposition lost the case. (Yes, that’s legal in America.) And it would have all the backing of the manufacturers and dealers who don’t want to go out of business.
As for its response after every shooting–the NRA has demanded MORE guns. I quote Bustle:
In times of previous mass shootings, the NRA has generally gone silent for a few hours or even days before responding to the tragedies, and that might be the case with Orlando. The organization’s responses tend to emphasize a need for more guns rather than less, and its comments generally reflect a group poised to go on the defensive whenever there are lives lost to gun violence.
In November 2015, the NRA responded to the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting that left three people dead, including a police officer, by avoiding the issue entirely. The organization posted a cringeworthy tweet wishing “shooters” a “happy Friday” that the organization claims was entirely coincidental.
Just days after that shooting, the NRA took to their Facebook page to boast about their strides in loosening gun control laws. Meanwhile, a guest on NRA News used the shooting as a means to support carrying concealed weapons. “I would have loved it if somebody who worked at Planned Parenthood, or one of the patients, or somebody who was waiting had a concealed carry permit and was able to stop this guy before he killed three people and injured nine or ten others,” NRA supporter Laura Carno said on the show, as reported by Media Matters.
Shortly before Oregon’s Umpqua Community College shooting, the NRA used its Twitter account to offer advice on how to get the clearest aim when shooting a gun.
I already mentioned one solution that the NRA had to the Sandy Hook shooting–armed cops in schools. Believe it or not, that was the mild solution. The Executive Vice President of the NRA suggested that teachers carry guns in school.
This is the NRA’s mentality. It will not consider reform, and it regards any and all aspects of gun control as inimical–a blow to the rights of gun owners, dealers and manufacturers. It is large and powerful and influential and rich, and it can afford any number of lawsuits and political campaigns. And as long as this organization exists in its present form, gun control will remain unattainable.
So please. Tell me. I am not being sarcastic; I want to know. How would you break an organization this strong in your countries? Because this is the obstacle.
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