Political Interest Groups: The NRA Vs The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
This paper compares the lobbying efforts of two political interest groups on the opposite side of the gun control issue in the United States: The National Rifle Association and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. The paper examines the groups' structure, lobbying efforts, links to other groups and political parties, and fundraising efforts.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) has its own lobbying armùthe Institute for Legislative Action (ILA), established in 1975 (ôAbout the NRA-ILA,ö n.d.). The ILA ôrepresentsö the interests of more than four million members of the NRA. The stated purpose of the ILA is to ensure that gun control legislation does not passùwhether on a local, state or federal level.
The ILA uses two methods of lobbying. The first is to alert individual membersùthrough direct mail, web site, phone calls, faxes, etc.ùwhen such legislation is proposed. The second is to approach the representatives themselves (or to have individual members write to their representatives to let them know how they feel).
It is no secret that the NRA has always felt itself closer to the Republican Party. But this has become more evident in the 1990s. The PAC contributions to the GOP steadily rose from 61% of the total in 1990 to 87% in 2002 (Zeller, 2002). In total, its PAC gave out almost $17 million during the 2000 election campaign aloneùand this represented the second-largest PAC distribution in the country. As well, from the 1998 election cycle to the 2002 cycle, the NRA donated $2.3 million in soft moneyùand all of it to GOP candidates (Zeller, 2002).
In all the NRA has 76 employees in their lobbying efforts in Washington. As well, the NRA has numerous state lobbying facilities and is deeply involved in election activities, often targeting representative who have been seen as anti-gun.
The National Rifle Association...