It is only natural that in todays society of conflicting interests, people
with similar interests and views have banned together to garner influence
through their numbers. As James Madison noted in the Federalists Papers,
like-minded people naturally aggregate together. Two of the most
influential of such modern groups are the National Rifle Association (NRA)
and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). Driven by the
common interests of their supporters, each of these organizations has
involved itself in government and society to become powerful voices in
The National Rifle Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
promoting the legal use of firearms and protecting the right of United States
citizens to keep and bear arms.
In addition to sponsoring numerous
education and training programs for gun owners, the NRA lobbies in
government to oppose gun control legislation (The National Rifle
Association Home Page: web). The NRA was founded in 1871 by a group
of former Union army officers who were irritated with the shooting skills of
their soldiers. The organization's initial efforts focused on marksmanship
training. During the 1960s the role of the NRA began to change from an
organization promoting shooting skills to one of protecting the right to keep
and bear arms (The NRA Home Page: web). The assassinations of
President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F.
Kennedy, and Martin Luther
King, Jr., convinced many Americans that tighter controls on firearms were
necessary. A group of influential NRA members urged the organization to
increase its political activities to defeat proposed gun control laws. Today,
the NRA objects to any restrictions on gun ownership, arguing that most
people use guns in a lawful fashion and that private ownership of weapons
is essential for personal safety. With a membership of about 3.
5 million and
an annual budget of $80 million, the organization is governed by a
75-member board of members and has organized units in every state (The
NRA Home Page: web). The NRA bases its position on the Second
Amendment to the Constitution of the United 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." The NRA argues that
this amendment confers upon individual citizens the right to possess
firearms without government interference or regulation.
The organization's opposition to the Brady Bill, a federal handgun law
first proposed in 1985, helped to delay its passage for seven years (The
NRA Home Page: web). Presently, the NRA lobbies vigorously for the
passage of state laws allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons.
Furthermore, the NRA has warred to enact legislation in 13 states
prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufactures for the misuse of their
products.
Just this October, a Cincinnati judge dismissed one such
lawsuit. The defense, of course, was assisted by the NRA (The NRA
Nonetheless, the NRA has recently seen a decline in membership as
school-shootings have terrorized the country and pushed gun manufactures
away from the NRA (James, NY Times 5/25/99: web). Following the
Littleton shooting, gun manufactures agreed to meet with government
officials to discuss certain gun restrictions. The NRA, adamantly opposing
new restriction on gun owners, refused to join them (Glaberson, NY Times
5/30/99: web). In all, negative publicity and a rift between the NRA and
gun manufacturers has weakened the organization. It has intensified its
membership drive that exploits fears about federal restrictions on gun
ownership.
However, it has contributed to the loss of some members who
support the NRA's traditional sport and safety programs but do not accept
the organization's focus on gun control legislation (Butterfield, NY Times
3/3/99: web). Among those resigning their NRA membership was former
U.S. President George Bush (James, NY Times 5/25/99: web).
The NRA is guided by two influential affiliates. The Institute for
Legislative Action, the NRA's lobbying arm, advises lawmakers and builds
public support for the rights of gun owners through advertising and
direct-mail campaigns. The NRA's Political Victory Fund is a political
action committee that raises money to support political candidates who
endorse the organization's objectives (The NRA Home Page: web).Because of its great financial resources and ability to mobilize its
membership, the NRA has become one of the most effective single-issue
interest groups in the United States.
Through fund-raising programs like
Friends of the NRA that seek out private individuals and corporations such
as Miller Brewing Co., Sturm Ruger ; Company and Kawasaki, the
NRAs Political Victory Fund has been able to grant millions of dollars to
political candidates (James, NY Times 5/25/99: web). In the 1993-1994
election cycle, the NRA, longing to repeal a ban on the manufacture of
certain semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity ammunitions clips,
donated $5.6 million to candidates sympathetic to their cause.
In contrast,
anti-gun organizations could only donate $500,000 to candidates. This
ultimately led to the repeal of the ban, as 190 of the 206 representatives
who had received NRA money voted to repeal (Clymer, NY Times
3/23/96: web). Representative Charles Schumer angrily noted that the
repeal was a payback for the NRAs contributions, while Vice-President Al
Gore said: This is not complicated. This is an IOU to the NRA
(Clymer). In the end, however, the NRA, in a tremendous show of political
The NRA also has donated more than $17 million to sponsor gun
safety programs, personal protection training, shooting competitions, hunter
education, wildlife conservation research, shooting range development, and
law enforcement. The "Eddie Eagle" program develops gun-safety
educational materials for preschool and elementary students, the
CrimeStrike program works to reduce crime and advocate harsher penalties
for people who use firearms to commit a crime, and the Youth Hunter
Education Challenge offers courses in marksmanship and gun safety (The
In many ways, the aged in the United States are victims both of the
youth orientation of modern times and of a tendency toward denial of
death.
As a result, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
was founded in 1958 by Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus to reverse the stereotype
of old people as weak and dependent, and to improve the status of the aged
(The American Association of Retired Persons Home Page-web). AARP is
a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping older Americans.
AARP's motto is: "To Serve, Not to Be Served."
Today, the organization has more than 30 million members and
maintains more than 4000 chapters across the United States. Membership
is open to all persons over the age of 50, whether working or retired and
membership dues serve to financially support the organization (The AARP
Home Page-web).
AARP monitors local and national legislation of interest
to its members. However, AARP is a nonpartisan organization that does
not endorse political candidates. AARP has combated age discrimination
in employment by supporting the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.
It has funded programs to educate people about its guidelines and has
urged Congress to remove any loopholes in the bill that may lead to age
discrimination. AARP has also fought to better transportation for the
elderly. Citing that public transit should encompass more routes along
which the elderly travel and offer better facilities, AARP has pressured
Congress to better fund the Intermodal Transportation Efficiency Act (The
AARP Home Page: web).
It has advocated for extended pedestrian
walkways, better paratransit and more driver education programs for the
elderly. As a result of this drive, cities throughout the country have
adopted paratransit system that accommodate old peoples commuting
AARPs greatest efforts, however, lie in its struggle to reform
Medicare. AARP has helped to bring Medicare fraud to the forefront of
national policy.Their investigations have shown that Medicair doctors
regularly file false reports to collect government money, that Medicare
help-lines are often disconnected and that Medicare treatment is often
sacrificed by doctors for the sake of making more money (Pear, NY Times
2/21/99: web). In all, AARP has co-sponsored a campaign to cease the
Medicare fraud and abuse that has cost the government $12.6 billion in
improper payments and has increased patient premiums (Lawlor & Pear,
NY Times 5/25/99 & NY Times 2/21/99: web).
AARPs campaign
encourages people to closely monitor Medicare doctors and to report any
suspicions of abuse to a Medicare fraud hotline (Pear). Furthermore,
AARP has urged Congress to better enforce the False Claims Act against
Medicare abuse. This has resulted in 326 criminal convictions last year, up
from 140 in 1994 (The AARP Home Page: web).
AARP also runs an extensive nationwide volunteer network aimed at
improving the self-worth and self-reliance of senior citizens. More than
160,000 volunteers are involved in various AARP projects.
The
Grandparent Information Center provides information and support to
grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, Tax-Aide provides help
with taxes, and the 55ALIVE/Mature Driving program offers members
courses in safe-driving (The AARP Home Page: web). AARP also offers
training for lawyers who represent the elderly and the association's Andrus
Foundation awards grants for research in gerontology.Finally, AARP, through its AARP/VOTE program, maintains a web of
representatives throughout the country (The AARP Home Page: web).The
representatives are especially trained to discuss issues relevant to the elderly with
government officials.
They also hold public issue forums on the state of national
policy. Because of their publicity and fanfare, these forums act as means of
AARP and the NRA are clearly influential organizations in the United States.
Although they have offended many individuals for their seemingly selfish,
narrow-minded pursuits, these organizations provide orderly and comprehensive
backdrops for Americans to express themselves. However, the enormous influence
that the NRA draws from its monetary resources is a frightening testament to the
governments dependence on private cooperations that hold disproportionate
amounts of power.Campaign funding laws must be enacted to prevent such
governmental dependence, or the government will ultimately become a mere
Bibliography:
www.nra.com
www.aarp.com
