Over the last four decades, interest groups or lobbies have proliferated at an astonishing pace, with their numbers growing from 5,000 in 1956 to over 20,000 today. However, this figure is only a modest estimation of the actual number of interest groups that claim to represent the multiple interests of the diverse American population today. For many Americans who are preoccupied with daily survival and personal responsibilities, interest groups serve as a useful and political tool for the masses that do not have direct access to legislators. Therefore, these interest groups enable the spirit of democracy to thrive in the U.S. On a more practical level, these organizations have the resources, the organization and the experience to address important political issues on behalf of the people (Berry, 1989). On the other hand, opponents of interest groups believe that interest groups have their own agendas in their lobbying of Congress. Therefore, they do not truly represent the interests of the specific members of the American public who have donated to their organizations. In fact, they have contributed to the obstruction of the growth of direct democracy (Raunch, 1994).
In this paper, the pros and cons of lobbying Congress using interest groups will be examined. Furthermore, the effectiveness of gun and education lobbying groups based in Maryland and Washington, D.C. will be analyzed to reveal the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing special interest groups.
To many people of the American public, special interest groups are a powerful political resource that can be used to lobby the Congress for many reasons. First, they are organized political entities with a specific political agenda. Unlike an individual who has diverting preoccupations such as work and family, these special interest groups can devote complete attention to the political issue at hand. Essentially, many special interest groups have a staff, outside financ...