Gun control is the regulation of firearms. These are laws and policies set to regulate the sale of firearms, possession and use of firearms and the manufacturing of these guns, among other things (en.wikipedia.org1). The issue of gun control is relevant in the US today, with mass shootings covering the media almost every month. Therefore, the debate on whether or not gun laws should be stricter or more relaxed is currently happening, and lobbyist and interest groups have a lot of influence on this debate. The question is then: How much influence do these interest groups and lobbyists have on gun control in the US?
Interest groups are defined as "a group of people drawn or acting together in support of a common interest or to voice a common
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Even though the NRA is one of the most powerful gun lobbies in the US, the organization only represents less than a fifth of all American gun owners, according to buisnessinsider.com. They have become powerful by using the money they get from their sponsors, such as firearm manufacturers like Smith & Wesson, to influence the Congress to further their agenda. The NRA opposes almost all local, state and federal legislation that would restrict owning, selling or using guns, and they do so by spending around 3 million dollars a year on lobbying to influence such gun policy (bbc.com). They gain and establish a lot of their influence during presidential campaigns. During this time, they contribute several millions of dollars to candidates that support gun rights and share the same ideology as them. In 2016, the NRA supported Donald Trump by contributing 9.8 million dollars. However, they are also able to push their agenda by opposing candidates that push for gun control. Whilst giving a large amount of economic supporting to Trump, the NRA spent more money on opposing the Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton, in total spending 19.7 million dollars to oppose her. In addition, the NRA gives several thousands of dollars in support of Congressional candidates and members of Congress (nordic.buisnessinsider.com). The NRA is aligned with conservative Republicans in Congress to fight for more relaxed gun regulations. In summary, the NRA uses a lot of money and economic support to government officials to push their agenda of more relaxed gun laws and to oppose gun