NRA Effectiveness
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The National Rifle Association (NRA) is so effective as a lobbying force that it is often referred to as the “101st Senator” (Zehren, 1994, 1). The pro-gun lobby is an organization with so much clout when it comes to gun legislation that President Clinton recently called the House Republican gun show proposal a document “ghostwritten by the NRA” (Walsh and Suro, 1999, 1). The NRA has always enjoyed a high level of power as a lobbying group, but during the late 1980s a revolution occurred within NRA ranks that saw the evolution of a more politically powerful and effective NRA than ever before. Despite public outcry and national media focus on a spate of fatal shootings over the past ten years, the NRA has remained quite effective at blocking key pieces of legislation pertaining to gun control. Without doubt, the NRA is the single most ferocious and effective political lobby in the United States, with perhaps only the American Medical Association, Insurance companies, and the tobacco industry as peers.A decade or so ago, things were somewhat different. In the late 1980s, the NRA was beginning to lose power. A decade of drug-related shootings and murders began to turn the tide of public sentiment against the NRA, a wave that was eroding political support for the pro-gun lobby. Chastened by defeats in Congress and experiencing declining membership of more than 500,000 over three years, internal turmoil erupted within the N
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re not going to give up” (Romano, 1999, 1).
However, the NRA is so powerful and effective that even Democrats are prone to side with them when it comes to gun legislation. This is particularly true in the South where the NRA holds a lot of clout with voters and politicians. The way that the NRA manipulates democrats from Southern states is typical of not only their political savvy but their ability to use fear and coercion as a means of compliance. This is particularly true and evident in Georgia, where the Governor and Lt. Governor are both democrats but ones who placate the NRA as much as any republican politician. Critics of Governor Barnes and Lt. Governor Mark Taylor find it ironic that the two ignored Georgia’s school teachers about proposed legislation to end tenure but spent much time and energy on placating the NRA even though there are as many teachers in Georgia as NRA members. Why did the NRA receive consideration? Because they are much more effective at wielding political clout “NRA support means more than mere votes to Democratic politicians. Being labeled a liberal is potentially deadly for a Democrat in this state, and having the NRA’s seal of approval is an effective defense against this charge. The state
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Approximate Word count = 1799
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
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