(MintPress) – As the nation mourns the loss of the 26 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims, all eyes are on the National Rifle Association (NRA), prompting the pro-gun lobby group to erase itself from social media and hide in the shadows of the gun debate.
Its Facebook page now directs readers to a brief description of the organization, eliminating the ability for readers to post comments on the site. The NRA News site is void of stories relating to Connecticut — or the issue of gun control that’s taken over the nation, stemmed from the tragedy. Its commentary section is empty.
The lack of acknowledgement from the largest lobby power in the gun debate isn’t surprising, but one would stand to question why an organization that has helped write pro-gun legislation and accepts millions each year from gun business, would shy away from an issue involving its very own topic: guns. One would possibly expect at least a statement echoing the sentiment of the NRA — guns kill people; people don’t kill people. Its silence has in part sparked anti-NRA protests, as gun control advocates await the pro-gun lobby’s response to the tragedy.
Yet, it seems to be silent.
The discussion that followed the Connecticut shooting led many to voice the emotions of their heart. The turmoil collectively heated to create a voice perhaps even more powerful than than the pro-gun lobby — at least for now. Yet when it comes down to it, emotions of a nation are no match for an organization backed by millions of dollars in donations from the firearm business.
In 2010 alone, the NRA spent $28 million in lobbying efforts, not only through donations to candidates whose platform mirrored theirs, but also through traditional lobbying efforts. Where did the money come from? The NRA does take individual donations, yet it has collected up to $38 million from gun manufacturers since 2005, according to the Violence Policy Center. Of all the corporate donations the NRA has received since 2005, 74 percent has been funnelled through the firearm industry.
That may not be alarming, considering the firearm industry and the NRA are playing on the same team, yet, looking back at NRA statements, it calls out the organization’s claim that it operates independently of firearm business. Its Web site, as pointed out by the Violence Policy Center, indicates that it is “not affiliated with any firearm or ammunition manufacturers or with any business that deal in guns and ammunition.”
When the NRA loses, gun companies lose
At the core of the NRA is the Second Amendment, which states, “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” Yet there’s another issue at hand fueling the passion — the manufacturers of the weapons and ammunition themselves.
This is an issue addressed by Lee Fang in a recent story from the Nation, in which the question was asked: Who does the NRA represent — its members and their second amendment right, or the businesses which stand to gain through gun sales? The answer could clearly be both, but it’s worth recognizing that money and the proliferation of the gun business in the U.S. stands to gain through laws that allow a broad spectrum of guns to be sold in the U.S.
When it comes to gun-related legislation, the NRA is more powerful than having influence over who is elected into office. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the NRA share a cozy relationship, with the pro-gun lobby’s employees working hand-in-hand with ALEC to draft legislation beneficial to its cause.
Its relationship is no secret, as the NRA had co-chaired the Public Safety and Elections Task Force of ALEC, of which model legislation directly related to gun laws was drafted and approved.
The ‘Stand Your Ground’ law, made famous through the shooting of Trayvon Martin this spring in Florida, made ALEC a household name. Through the devastation, it was highlighted that the piece of legislation passed in Florida that allows people to use deadly force in public space stems from a model bill, generated and promoted through ALEC, with the help from the NRA.
The Center for Media and Democracy points out that following the Virginia Tech shooting of 2007, the NRA worked with ALEC to draft legislation that prohibited weapon bans on college campuses. Twenty-four states have adopted policies that allow individual universities to decide if bans should be implemented — based on the argument that a shooting like the one at Virginia Tech could have possibly been avoided had there not been a rifle ban on campus.
ALEC also stood with the NRA in its opposition to the 10-year Assault Weapons Ban, passed in 1994 through the signature of former President Bill Clinton — it expired during George W. Bush’s presidency.
Time and time again, ALEC and the NRA have stood together in support for pro-gun rights legislation. With firearm companies fueling the NRA, the fine line between the industry writing legislation in its favor and the NRA writing legislation in America’s favor is shrinking rapidly.
Moving forward
The NRA may be silent now, but that isn’t likely to last long.
The heartbreak of the nation is likely to lead to passionate dialogue over furthered gun restriction legislation. While President Barack Obama did not specifically say this during his address to the nation, comments regarding a need for action painted that picture.
“We can’t tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change. We will be told that the causes of such violence are complexed, and that is true. No single law, no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society. But that can’t be an excuse for inaction. Surely we can do better than this,” he said.
Social media sites, in the days following the massacre, were lit up with those calling for harsher gun control — and those upset by such calls, claiming now is not the time to act on gun control issues, as it politicizes the event. One prominent image shared on the web included a photo of a gun, painted in the American flag, with the following statistics: “48 people in Japan. 8 in Great Britain. 34 in Switzerland. 52 in Canada. 58 in Israel. 21 in Sweden. 42 in West Germany. 10,728 in the United States. God Bless America.”
The action called for on social media, however, was vague. Petitions calling on Congress to set a date and time to have a conversation on gun control generated tens of thousands of signatures, along with one petition that generated more than 140,000 signatures for the introduction of gun control legislation.
And while many acknowledge that gun control itself would not have perhaps halted the incident in Newtown from happening, it seems as though those who signed petitions are calling for an end to the gun culture in America as a whole, arguing that more guns does not equal peace.
As the president stated in his speech at the interfaith vigil, the tragedy in Newtown does highlight a problem in America today — one he says the U.S. should at least seek to correct.
“If there’s even one step we can take to save another child or another parent or another town from the grief that’s visited Tucson and Aurora and Oak Creek and Newtown and communities from Columbine to Blacksburg before that, then surely we have an obligation to try,” he said, going on to say that in the coming weeks, he will use power to unite educators and law enforcement “at an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this.”
Yet what that means remains to be seen. Surely, the NRA will wake up in opposition to any gun control legislation, backed by an industry that stands to fail if further limitations on gun use and purchases are put in place.