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The ‘gun lobby’ and democracy
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In the recent article about four murdered Oakland police officers, one reader weighed in with this comment:
It is time for good people to stand up to the out of control gun lobby. The lobby threatens all of us. Write your state and federal representatives and demand sensible fire arm [sic] policies.
It is a common gambit for anti-rights proponents to blame the “gun lobby” when elected officials don’t promote laws restricting a law-abiding person’s ability to own and carry firearms. For example, a New York Times editorial portrayed a House vote requiring DC to dismantle its gun ban as an outright kowtow to this “gun lobby:”
The House stampeded past serious public safety concerns and the democratic rights of residents of the District of Columbia on Wednesday to approve a bill that would gut sensible gun controls in the nation’s capital. The bill was pushed by the National Rifle Association and opposed by the District Police Department.
The author noted that:
In all, 85 Democrats joined with a nearly unanimous block of Republican lawmakers to pass the dangerous measure 266 to 152, a reminder that catering to the gun lobby during election season is a bipartisan affliction.
It is hard to see how allowing law-abiding citizens to own firearms in DC is “dangerous,” since DC has over 3 times the violent crime rate and 8 times the murder rate of the rest of the country. But today’s article will discuss a “disturbing” trend of Democrats supporting the civil right of self-defense, especially since the NY Times blames the NRA for destroying democracy.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines “democracy” as:
Government by the people; a form of government in which the power resides in the people and is exercised by them either directly or by means of elected representatives; a form of society which favours equal rights, ignoring of hereditary class distinctions, and tolerance of minority views.*
People become Democrats because they support democracy. For example, part of the Democrat party’s platform is to “renew American democracy.” Therefore, any attack on “the democratic rights” of DC residents should not be supported by 85 House Democrats.
Searching for the ‘gun lobby’ influence
One way to buy influence in Congress is to contribute heavily to election campaigns. For example, both political parties supported the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which funneled the better part of $700 billion in bailout money to the securities and investment industry, which coincidentally spent $150.8 million in campaign contributions during the 2007-8 election cycle.
During the same cycle, the “gun rights” industry spent a total of $1,897,654 on federal election campaigns, placing it 75th overall (out of about 80 industries). This industry consistently holds a low rank, in terms of campaign contributions: in 2006, it was ranked 74, and in 2004, it was ranked 78. By comparison, human rights contributed $6,733,447 in 2008 (ranked 59th), and the pro-choice abortion lobby spend $2,879, 390 (71st).
No firearms manufacturer ranks within the Fortune 1000. Frank Briganti of the National Shooting Sports Foundation states that, extrapolating sales income based upon excise tax revenues, all American firearms and ammunition manufacturers, taken together, would total about $3 billion in sales, enough to place the entire industry at 673 in the Fortune 1000.
During 2008 Congressional election cycle, winning House candidates received $626,930,153 and Senate winners got $309,213,358 in campaign contributions. The “gun lobby” contributed $946,506 to House members and $544,026 to Senators, a total of 0.2% of all campaign contributions to Congressional winners. (The securities/investment industry contributed $18,475,480 to House winners and $44,641,425 to Senators, placing it third overall with 6.7% of the total.)
Will Rogers is quoted as saying: “We have the best Congress money can buy.” As far as influencing Congressional voting via financial pressure, the “gun lobby” has barely bought a place at the table.
A ‘disturbing’ trend
In 2006, 38 NRA-endorsed candidates won seats in the House. In 2008, the year that the Brady Campaign declared was a win for gun control, 52 NRA-endorsed Democrats won their House races. Since ignoring the “gun lobby” would leave Congressional candidates 99.8% of their campaign revenues, money was not an influence in this growing pro-rights Democrat movement. This leaves only one possible influence: constituents.
The anti-rights lobby complains that the “gun lobby” is a threat to democracy, but it is democracy which elected these Congressmen. So who is truly anti-democratic?
References
* The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, Thumb Index Edition, 1993 Edition, Clarendon Press, page 629.
NRA endorsements versus House members compiled into Excel workbooks from data provided by CNN, U.S. House Clerk, and NRA. Email request for spreadsheets.
For in-depth analysis of campaign contributions and anti-rights politicians, read Four Hundred Years of Gun Control: Why Isn’t It Working?, which deconstructs the gun control agenda and motivates more people to support our civil right of self-defense
Check out other Gun Rights Examiners:
- Atlanta: Self defense is harmful to the environment
- Austin: Four Oakland cops killed by parolee: Death by government?
- Charlotte: Meet the ‘Rapist Protection Act’
- Cleveland: Would you know an assault weapon if you saw one?
- DC: DC Council's Mendelson's defense of DC gun registration stretches truth beyond breaking point
- Denver: Why big cities want gun control
- Los Angeles: Oakland, CA: Another Police Shooting. What went wrong?
- Milwaukee: The Second Amendment and Guns, Today
- Minneapolis: There are no super heroes
- National: Oakland shootings show uselessness of 'gun control'
- Seattle: 65 House Democrats stand against gun ban renewal; WA reps not among them. Why not?
- St. Louis: Militia members are not terrorists
- Wisconsin: If you open carry - Wisconsin laws you must know
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Constitutional rights ·
media bias ·
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
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