National Rifle Association of America

NRA deprives americans of life, liberty and happiness.

Hi everyone! Today we’re going to talk about the gun lobby.

Actually, NRA has a big influence on the use of weapons in the United States.

But what is the NRA?

Founded in 1871 as a recreational group designed to "promote and encourage rifle shooting", the National Rifle Association became one of the most powerful political organizations in the US.

It lobbies heavily against all forms of gun control and argues aggressively that more guns make the country safer.

It relies on a disputed interpretation of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, which it argues gives US citizens the right to bear arms.

It directly funds US politicians and lawmakers who support its aims.

Wayne Lapierre has run the NRA since 1991 as chief executive.

According to Letitia James, New York's Attorney General, the NRA diverted millions of dollars to leaders including Mr. Lapierre for their personal use. Estimates of the NRA's membership vary widely but some analysts estimate it at three million.

NRA has a massive influence. In 2022, it collected $97M of membership dues. The NRA also has considerable influence through its members, many who will vote for a candidate based only on their position on firearms. For decades, the NRA has strongly opposed measures that would restrict the possession of firearms, despite a series of mass shootings, including many in schools. The best known and the more tragic was the Columbine High School shooting in 1999.

On 27 March, six people were killed at a school in Nashville. The NRA responded by calling for safer schools, instead of restrictions on firearms ownership.

Another attack happened in Uvalde in Texas in May 2022. 19 children and 2 adults were killed. The NRA held its 2022 meeting in Houston just days after the Uvalde attack, despite many calls to cancel the event.

Donald Trump wanted to arm teachers and other members of staff to avoid attacks, but many teachers do not want to be armed.

Until he sold it to a friend for 25$, Robert carried a stun gun to go to school every day.“They mess with me”, he said, justifying his weapon. “If they messed with you, you would come out with a stun gun”. He said that a lot of his friends carry stun guns. Robert’s friend is an eighth grader (14-15 years old) and he’s been expelled from his High School for stunning a sixth grader (11-12 years old). That’s very shocking! Even if Robert said that he has no intention of owning a real gun when he’s older, nonetheless, a perfect target for membership in the NRA.

As a student Sarah Pearce visited the NRA’s institute for Legislative Action to learn about lobbying. She met Glen Caroline, the persuasive head of the NRA’s lobbying division. Sarah was impressed by Caroline’s rhetoric.

They were prepared to talk about the lobbying process, not gun control. They couldn’t refute what Caroline said. He made guns seem like the best, safest machines in the world. Caroline told them that gun control laws are misdirected and don’t work. He concluded that the laws are directed at the wrong kind of weapons.

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