The National Rifle Association (NRA) is an American advocacy group that aims to preserve gun rights. It was founded in 1871 as a response to the growing desire for privatized safety on the part of Americans across the nation in the context of post-Civil War America. According to the NRA website, the organization was “granted a charter by the state of New York” for it to be founded. The Union veteran Col. William C. Church wrote an article in the Army and Navy Journal in August 1871 remarking that the objective of the organization would be “to promote and encourage rifle-shooting on a scientific basis” (Rothman, 2015: 4).
The NRA became massively popular and it allowed for Americans of all social classes to both purchase and experiment with weapons. In 2020, over two hundred years later, the NRA remains as successful as it is controversial. While the organization upholds certain constitutional American values – notably the second amendment, which expresses the right to bear arms – it has also amassed much notoriety in recent times.
The predominantly Republican membership has been criticized by Democrats for contributing to the country’s mass shootings crisis, seeing as the NRA promotes wide-spread gun usage with few checks or controls. With that said, I believe that this advocacy group has proven to be incredibly efficient at its primary focus: encouraging and supporting the rights of gun owners.
To determine the NRA’s efficiency in fulfilling its objectives, I will critically examine the organization as a whole by first analyzing its use of social media and its website, as this is key in spreading the NRA’s message to a wider audience. I will follow this by offering a critical debate regarding the pressure group’s efficiency.
The twenty-first century has been labeled the era of social media, a tool of interconnection between millions of users across the globe. Such a powerful platform has become an ideal means for pressure groups to effectively attract newcomers to their cause. These organizations “serve their constituents’ needs while simultaneously representing them to the public at large” through “highly diverse stakeholder networks” (Gilpin, 2013: 1). The NRA “has an articulated social media presence” (Gilpin, 2013: 2), which not only cements its popularity nationwide but also attempts to broaden its audience.
This is especially surprising considering that gun owners’ predominant age group is significantly older – 65 years and above (Brown, Horrowitz, Igielnik, Oliphant, Parker, 2017) – than most users of social media. Indeed, 79% of Facebook’s users are between the ages of 18 and 29 (Chen, 2020: 7) while 72% of Instagram’s users are between the ages of 13 and 17 (Chen, 2020: 13).
Yet the NRA is particularly active on Facebook and Instagram, and these accounts post at least one picture/video a day to millions of followers, which strengthens the organization’s brand as well as spreading its message more effectively. These posts include a wide variety of content, from educative information regarding the group’s purpose to political slander aimed towards opponents of avid second amendment supporters.
This is exemplified through several posts: in terms of information, a post can be found on the group’s Instagram page regarding a rise in gun sales while another on Facebook can be found about Memorial Day festivities. In terms of political smear campaigns, a post can be found on the NRA’s Facebook page that slanders Hillary Clinton for referring to second amendment supporters as “domestic terrorists”, while another on Instagram exposes Joe Biden’s alleged sexual misconduct. Overall, the NRA strategically utilizes social media to further advance its agenda.
Additionally, the NRA, much like most major pressure groups, has a website of its own. This is a window into the group’s activities and background, providing general information as well as allowing individuals to join the organization directly, thus increasing its membership and influence. To determine the efficiency of this organization, it is important to analyze the website’s utility, usability, accessibility, and appeal, including the functionality, coherence, and clarity of the website’s design.
The NRA’s website is fast, up to date and easy to navigate with particularly strong branding. The same lettering, coloring, and logo of the organization appear throughout, creating a striking visual stamp. The predominant colors are black, white and red, which along with the block lettering and large photographs projects an image of strength. The homepage’s layout is uncluttered and methodically assembled, and the slider and photo gallery are clear and organized, with simple titles that entice the reader to click to learn more about such topics as “NRA Women” and “NRA-ILA,” its lobbying arm. Tabs at the top of the page invite readers to “explore,” “join,” “renew,” and “donate.” Under the “explore” tab, which is highlighted in red, are more links about the history and social activities of the organization, as well as the political and legislative actions it engages in.
Membership and volunteering opportunities are crucial to an organization’s success and there are links for both on the NRA’s homepage, within the “explore” tab, and throughout the website. For example, the icon inciting the visitor to “join” is present on every page. Additionally, towards the bottom of the homepage there are three different membership-related discounts. Although the NRA clearly provides plenty of opportunities for the website visitor to join a membership program, there is little information offered on the process one must undergo to become involved in NRA-related campaigns. This can only be obtained by contacting them through a form.
Images and illustrations can express an advocacy group’s purpose and values by visually highlighting its activities and demographics and the NRA website does this well. For instance, the photos displayed in the homepage slider and gallery are exclusively white and majority male. This conveys that Caucasian males are the NRA’s primary demographic, seeing as “90 percent of [its] board members are white” (Gilson, 2018: 3) and “the core of the NRA’s support comes from white…voters” (Wrinkler, 2015: 3). Interestingly, there are no links to the NRA’s online video network or podcast on the site, although these do exist. Nor are there videos on the site. I believe this may be an effort to keep the website as neutral and positive as possible, without delving too much into the political controversies these other mediums may explore.
However, this attempt at neutrality means that ultimately, information about the organization on the website is limited. A deeper look reveals there is little to no description provided about the pressure group’s purpose on the homepage: there are indications of the NRA’s activities in the photo gallery, as seen in the “NRA-ILA” subheading that reads “Tireless Defenders of your Second Amendment Rights,” but there is no concise description offered. I believe this to be problematic because the intent of the NRA becomes unclear, which could lessen the possibility of a visitor ultimately joining the organization. In contrast, other advocacy groups – such as RAICES – incorporate detailed explanations of their values and objectives on the homepage in a way that entices the visitor much more.
Details of organization’s history and successes are found on internal pages, but the homepage provides little information on the methods utilized to promote its cause. The footer does the include links “About the NRA” and “Contact,”, but these are in much smaller font and not immediately visible. Overall, despite the limited information available on its methodology, the NRA is successful in mobilizing both its social platforms and its website by enticing potential members with attractive design and a positive message that encourages repeat visits.
The NRA is undoubtedly popular, in part due to its successful branding and name recognition but how effective is this pressure group as a whole? What factors play into the efficiency of an advocacy group? Are there challenges in determining the methodological issues of assessing the NRA’s efficiency?
Firstly, the way in which this group is organized has much to do with its success. Many political researchers have suggested that the “size of the secretariat or bureaucracy of an organization is an important determinant of group effectiveness” (Grant, 2000: 203). A pressure group must be able to manage both its financial resources and its staff to run efficiently and consistently. Political researchers have “suggested that an effective association should have an executive staff of at least eight people” (Grant, 2 000: 203).
The NRA possesses a number of executive positions, from director of the lobbying branch to national spokesperson of the organization, as well as a Board of Directors and multiple associations dedicated to the financial and political development of the NRA (such as the NRA Foundation and the Political Victory Fund). All together, these numerous factions within the NRA allow it to pursue its cause on several fronts at once, tasking its objectives evenly throughout the organization.
Additionally, the NRA mobilizes its financial resources strategically. This is key because a pressure group that utilizes its financial capacity in a way that advances its agenda will undoubtedly be more successful. The NRA’s funds stem largely from the donations provided by both corporations and individual donors: the gun industry as a whole has offered much financial support towards the NRA (Ellis, Hicken, 2015) and “since 2005, the NRA Political Victory Fund has received nearly $85 million in contributions from individual donors” (Ellis, Hicken, 2015: 3). Most of these donations are used for advertising, i.e. promoting its presence on social platforms; royalties, i.e. promoting its legal presence and rights; and lobbying, i.e. promoting its political power. All of these avenues together enable the organization to reach a wider audience.
Continuing with this point, “the choice of an appropriate strategy and tactics can be an important determinant of pressure group success” (Grant, 2 000: 205). In terms of influence, this strategy often plays out within the realm of alliances, specifically with political alignments. When a pressure group associates itself with a political institution, organization or even a corporation adopting a certain political ideology, it in turn aligns itself with the demographic supporting the political outlook in question.
In the case of the NRA, I believe that the Republican Party has become a conduit for the organization to promote its dogma of personal freedoms to the American population: “Republicans consistently have had more favorable views of the NRA than Democrats” (Reinhart, 2018: 3), with “88% of Republicans have very or mostly favorable views of the NRA” (Reinhart, 2018: 2).
It is important to note that there could be many challenges in determining a group’s effectiveness because its influence may be difficult to prove; however, the NRA’s impact is distinctly noticeable as it has a powerful presence within American governance and laws. It has strategically lobbied the conservatives in Congress in order to secure its position of power. For example, in 2017 alone, the organization “spent at least $4.1m on lobbying” (Rushe, 2018: 2). This allowed the NRA to promote its agenda at the heart of the American government, despite the criticisms it received from Democrats in Congress and the American public alike.
Lobbying has resulted in the American government enacting policies that advance the NRA’s cause. This can be seen in numerous recent laws that were aimed at expanding hunting rights, promoting the carrying of guns, and reinforcing “emergency protections for gun owners” (Hickey, 2013: 5). Such legislation includes the “Twenty-One Emergency Powers Laws”, which “forbid prohibitions or restrictions on firearms or ammunition in a time of emergency”, and the “Twelve Castle Doctrine Laws” which states that an individual “may use any manner of force” if they are subjected to a break-in, as well as “six state laws that forbid municipalities from limiting gun rights” (Hickey, 2013: 6).
Moreover, the NRA does not merely utilize lobbying to spread its agenda. Recently, the Supreme Court allowed for “groups and individuals” to enact “independent expenditures,” meaning they can “back – or attack – [political] candidates” through the “Citizens United” bill (Rushe, 2018: 3). The NRA has significantly taken advantage of this policy by heavily investing in the presidential elections. In 2016, the organization pursued “expenditures worth $53.4m” and “poured $14.4m into supporting 44 candidates who won” (Rushe, 2018: 3) – candidates who were favorable to the NRA’s objectives. This apparent influence is possible due to the fact that gun industry is very successful financially, amassing “revenues of $13.3bn and profits of $1bn in 2017” alone (Rushe, 2018: 3). The organization has used this profit to cement its political influence even further.
Overall, the NRA can be considered to be a highly successful organization. Through its multi-pronged structure, its deep financial resources, and its strategic tactics, it has been able to continue advancing its gun rights agenda. However, while this pressure group has amassed a considerable amount of influence, it has also been met with much criticism, which has hindered its efficiency to some degree.
Much of the NRA’s success can be contributed to how the organization seemingly upholds American values – the constitutional second amendment right to bear arms remains precious to a large portion of Americans. Public opinion is considered of utmost importance by political researchers in determining the efficiency of a pressure group, as “public attitudes and opinions are an important feature of the external operating environment of groups” (Grant, 2 000: 206). If public opinion is in favor of an advocacy’s group agenda, this means it will not face many obstacles and achieve its goals more easily.
However, public opinion in the US has come to oppose the NRA on the basis that it does not promote the safety of Americans as it claims. Rather, it has enabled for acts violence to be perpetrated throughout the country. Recently, the NRA has been criticized for its role in the American mass shooting epidemic: by the end of 2019, there were 417 mass shootings in the U.S.” (Silverstein, 2020: 3), with a total of “15,381 gun deaths” that same year (Silverstein, 2020: 5) which can at least in part be attributed to a lack of restrictions imposed by the government on gun sales and ownership.
As I have stated previously, this has largely to do with how the gun industry lobbies the American government, making it difficult for laws to be enacted that would ensure measures such as “universal background checks” which have “attracte[d] the support of more than 90 percent of the American public” (Cohn, Sanger-Katz, 2019: 3).
According to polling from Civiqs, an online public opinion firm, “support for new gun control laws tends to increase immediately after a high-profile shooting” (Cohn, Sanger-Katz, 2019: 4). As a result, 49% of the American population have “an unfavorable opinion of NRA” (Jones, 2019: 2), which leads to the organization’s reputation being tarnished and results in a smaller audience to mobilize.
This brings up another point regarding the organization’s targeted audience. I have established previously that the NRA is predominantly male, white and over the age of 65. The politicians in Congress being lobbied by the NRA are part of that same demographic. Republican congressmen have continuously upheld the NRA’s agenda and even demonstrated hostility towards “new gun laws” (Astor, Epstein, Hakim, 2019: 12). This can be exemplified through the statement made by the Republican Governor Dan Patrick of Texas, who “blamed violent video games — to which the N.R.A. has long sought to shift blame — for the proliferation of mass shootings” (Astor, Epstein, Hakim, 2019: 12).
Yet the NRA’s prominent focus on this specific demographic makes it difficult for the organization to be sustainable in the long term. Younger Americans more typically affiliate themselves with left-wing streams of thought and are also the most affected by gun violence in the form of school shootings. In 2019 alone, “there have been 45 school shootings” (Walker, Wolfe, 2019: 2), which has led to protests by young people and birthed a number of gun regulation groups like March for Our Lives. This underlines the fact that the NRA does not market itself widely enough to reach audiences that would ensure its long-term success.
Finally, the NRA has been significantly weakened in terms of its relationship to power. Despite the avid support it receives from conservative politicians, the organization has a rather tumultuous relationship with Republican President Donald Trump, who has made multiple statements that oppose the NRA’s agenda. For instance, after the Parkland shooting, President Trump argued that “the minimum age for rifle purchases should be raised and that law enforcement should be able to seize guns without a court order” (Coaston, 2019: 8). Seeing as the President’s base significantly overlaps with the NRA’s target demographic, this undermines the organization’s ability to promote gun sales.
Additionally, the NRA has been heavily involved in legal turmoil. This is exemplified by the lawsuit filed against New York state governor Andrew Cuomo as he ordered “gun stores across the state to temporarily shutter their doors” (Orden, 2020: 2) during the Coronavirus pandemic, which reduced profits for these businesses. In addition, Congress is investigating the NRA’s ties to Russia, going so far as to consider the organization as a “‘foreign asset’…leading up to the 2016 election” (Mak, 2019: 3).
This could have significant public relations and financial consequences down the line. Ultimately, the NRA’s financial and legal challenges have led to a decrease in its influence: “revenue from membership dues…has dropped 21% since 2016, from $163 million to $128 million” (Coaston, 2019: 9). This “dramatically impacted how involved the NRA got in the 2018 midterm elections” (Coaston, 2019: 9). As a result, it could not influence the outcome as it did previously and many more Democratic opponents to the NRA were elected to Congress.
In conclusion, I believe that the NRA – despite the challenges it faces – remains predominantly effective as it continues to advance its gun rights agenda through its lobbying capacity, its historically-cemented power, its cultural significance and its marketing abilities. It may not be quite as effective as it once was, due to public opinion turning against it and a younger demographic that considers it outdated. Yet, the NRA’s influence remains present and strong within American society, with a high level of success in shifting and maintaining the nation’s soft legal stance towards gun regulation. This could change in the future as the organization faces more legal and financial trouble, but as it stands, the NRA remains a highly influential and effective pressure group.
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