The heartbreaking mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, has brought up the never-ending discussion on gun violence and regulations in the United States again under the spotlight. With about 79% of the murders in 2020 involving guns, these weapons have long had a complex role in the country's history. Although such shootings jeopardize the safety of the citizens, opinions on gun control vary drastically, and the National Rifle Association is an organization in opposition to gun control laws in the United States.

Founded in 1871 by two American Civil War veterans, William C. Church and George Wingate, the NRA is the country's largest gun rights advocacy organization. The group holds approximately 5 million members. The organization advocates for the right of the citizens to bear firearms under 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." 

How does the NRA affect the votes of the citizens directly? The NRA evaluates candidates and assigns them a grade between A and F depending on their voting history and advocacy for gun-related issues and the Second Amendment. Such grades are available to the members of the NRA before elections through its magazines and are often a deciding factor for those deeply concerned with gun-related issues.

The organization also endorses and lobbies politicians, spending a budget of $4.92 million for this cause in 2021. In political terms, lobbying is "any attempt by individuals or private interest groups to influence the decisions of government." Since its establishment in 1975, the lobbying branch of the NRA, the Institute for Legislative Action, has supported enactments such as the Firearms Owners' Protection Act in 1986 that amended the Gun Control Act of 1968. 

The NRA is an organization that is relevant to the ongoing debate on gun violence and gun control. Future actions of the NRA in response to continuously occurring homicides in the United States draw much attention from people worldwide.

Reference :
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/02/03/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/ 
https://news.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/343649/american-public-opinion-gun-violence.aspx 
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35261394 
https://www.9news.com/article/news/the-nra-issues-grades-for-candidates-but-finding-them-might-not-be-easy/73-600949561 
https://www.americas1stfreedom.org/content/highlights-from-nra-ila-s-history-of-achievements/ 
https://www.statista.com/statistics/249398/lobbying-expenditures-of-the-national-rifle-associaction-in-the-united-states/ 
https://www.britannica.com/topic/lobbying 
https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/this-day-history-nov-17-1871-national-rifle-association-founded-civil-war-veteran-union-officers 

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