Gun Lobby’s Power Driven by Motivation, Not by Numbers

President Obama’s executive actions are being met with challenges due to a strong alliance some call the “gun lobby.” According to the President, Congress is being held hostage by this “gun lobby,” rendering it helpless to create and support laws that restrict aspects of our nation’s gun ownership.

As an article in Connecticut’s Journal Inquirer point out, the U.S. President has minimized what they’re up against in carrying out his actions. The report states that the gun lobby is “far more” than a regular lobby concerned with more background checks. It’s a highly active group with motivation that isn’t necessarily driven by numbers.

While the president and his political allies blame the NRA and gun manufacturers for having lobbyists that distribute substantial campaign contributions, they aren’t the “great strength of the opposition of more gun control.” The gun lobby, as it actually exists, boasts tens of millions of gun owners, believers of gun rights, and people who are politically active. It’s noted in the report that as ironic as it seems, these individual make up the majority in many states – even liberal Connecticut.

Although polls reveal that most people prefer extensive background checks for gun buyers, polls also indicate that most people aren’t as passionate about gun issues as gun owners. Therefore, they aren’t as politically active.

The idea of a gun lobby as being powerfully influential on Washington D.C. politics is grossly over-inflated. The true power, when the issue is really investigated, boils down to the influence and political activism of a nation living in a gun culture.

Consider for example the case of teachers in Connecticut. most people in Connecticut feel evaluations of public school teachers should be made public. They aren’t actively involved in seeing it happen, however. Teacher unions are up in arms over the concept, but their members are politically active. In other words, the urgency and motivation to conceal such information by a smaller group of people will most likely prevail since public interest does little to make that kind of change.

There’s an estimated 300 million guns in private hands. Gun rights were put into the Constitution because the nation was established by rebellion. The gun culture views Obama and gun control advocates as those seeking gun prohibition.

President Obama will continue to be frustrated as his measures on gun control continue to face resistance, not from well-suited lobbyists on Capital Hill, but from a populace raised and living in a gun culture.