Overview
****PLEASE DO NOT USE GENERATIVE AI SOFTWARE. IT IS CHECKED THOROUGHLY****ASSIGNMENT: Please respond to the classmate’s discussion post that pertains to the question and material below:
****QUESTION AND MATERIAL****
Mass shootings in America have become a major public safety concern, particularly with shootings occurring repeatedly in the nation's school system. The National Rifle Association (NRA) uses campaign expenditures, and a rating system based on members' voting histories to exert influence over members of Congress. Do you think the NRA is the reason that gun control legislation supported by a majority of the American people are not even brought to the floor and are not getting passed in Congress? View the following videos and comment.
Gun violence: An American epidemic? l ABC News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6-QDdPxoKI
The national response to mass shootings is stuck on repeat https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-national-response-to-mass-shootings-is-stuck-on-repeat
NRA faces corporate backlash after latest school shooting https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/nra-faces-corporate-backlash-after-latest-school-shooting
New Zealand PM on guns, globalism https://www.cbsnews.com/video/new-zealand-pm-jacinda-ardern-on-gun-control-divisive-rhetoric-and-globalism/
How do U.S. gun laws compare to other countries? https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/how-do-u-s-gun-laws-compare-to-other-countries
Russia and the NRA: Inside the indictment of Maria Butina https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ2Ale9HLNg
FBI issues warning on threat of domestic terrorism and violent extremists https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90wwkZFPmho
****CLASSMATE’S POST****
Chadric Witcher:
In the United States, there have been countless reports of mass shootings and gun violence. As a result, an increasing amount of concern surrounding public safety has individuals wondering who is truly at fault for the lack of accountability and duty to protect our children and innocent victims. According to ABC News, “it was estimated that there are approximately 400 million civilian-owned guns in America and that means there are more guns than there are people or cars in the U.S” (0:31-0:39), truly emphasizing how widespread this issue is. However, you also have organizations such as the National Rifle Association (NRA) who are very influential through political actions and push for support around gun ownership. They play a hug role in how many of these political decisions are made, and in my opinion, they are the very reason that regulations surrounding gun control, which is supported by the majority of U.S. citizens, typically fails to pass in Congress.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) has established themselves as a major political force with significant influence through their involvement in campaigns and political promotions. ABC News reports that the NRA “spends between two to five million dollars annually lobbying for gun rights and during the 2020 elections alone the association spent 29 million dollars in political campaigns” (3:04-3:14). By offering such a large investment into this issue, the NRA is allotted access to lawmakers as well as resources they need to shape policies to favor more to their personal values and views. Their influence is so significant that it reaches far beyond elections, as ABC News reports that “congress deferred funding for gun violence research by passing the dickey amendment in 1996, which prohibited the CDC from using federal funding to advocate or promote gun control” (3:56-4:06). Combined, each of these cases proves that the NRA controls political decisions as well as the more widespread agenda surrounding politics in general.
From research alone, what we find is that there is a significant gap between what the public wants and what Congress actually approves. ABC News states, “over 90 percent of gun owners support universal background checks” which further supports how big of an influence the NRA has. With that we also see that polls show that “97 percent backing for universal background checks,” as reported by (PBS NewsHour, 2018). So, despite the majority of Americans rallying for more gun regulation, legislations surrounding this matter, continue to remain at a standstill. I believe this is because of the NRA and their financial investments that allow them to amplify the voices of the “minority group” and shape opinions and policies that favor their association. Ultimately, due to the NRA massive influence, their opinion outweighs what the majority of the public is asking for.
Overall, gun regulations, or lack thereof, center around the NRA and their ability to determine what policy are passed in legislation. Despite the majority of Americans bringing attention to this matter, the bottom line is the NRA financial influence gives way to the amplification of the “vocal minority” (ABC News, 10:35). As a result, many policies are blocked and mass shooting and gun violence continues to increase.
REFERENCES
ABC News. (2021, October 25). Gun violence: An American epidemic? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6-QDdPxoKI
PBS NewsHour. (2018, February 24). NRA faces corporate backlash after latest school shooting. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/nra-faces-corporate-backlash-after-latest-school-shooting