Essay Sample on Tackling Gun-Related Issues in America: The Influence of Lobbying

Introduction

The 2012 Newtown, Connecticut mass shooting resulted in a massive need for strict legislation to control gun possession and utilization in America (DiMaggio et al., 2019). However, implementing the policy changes in America remains a difficult task due to the lack of federal laws or legislations that is unanimous across the country (Zurcher, 2019). The increasing influence of lobbyists such as the National Rifle Association, which invest a massive amount in lobbying and direct contribution to politicians, hinders the implementation process of strict gun policies (Zurcher, 2019). For instance, in 2016, the National Rifle Association spent more than $50 million of political advocacy, $4 million on politicians’ contributions, and $30 million on President Donald Trump’s election (Zurcher, 2019). It actively influences the political decision on policies geared towards strengthening the firearms regulations, which makes it difficult to adopt policy changes (Zurcher, 2019).

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The Judicial System

Moreover, the judicial system also makes it difficult for the executive to implement gun control and related policy changes citing the constitutional rights of Americans to own guns (Zurcher, 2019). For instance, despite the increasing urge to adopt more strict measures like banning assault weapons in states like Newton, Maryland, Connecticut, and New York, the US Supreme Court has continuously suppressed such effort by quoting the Second Amendment (DiMaggio et al., 2019). It contends that “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” (Zurcher, 2019).

The Consistent Concern

Despite the consistent concern about the dangers of guns in America, the country has not succeeded in enacting a recent federal gun policy change (DiMaggio et al., 2019). The only significant national gun policy change occurred approximately 25 years ago, specifically in 1994 under President Bill Clinton (DiMaggio et al., 2019). The policy, Federal Assault Weapons Ban, prohibited the manufacture, production, sale, and possession of specific military-like weapons such as the AR-15 for only a decade (DiMaggio et al., 2019). Within the temporary ten years period, when the policy was active, America experienced a substantial reduction in the number of mass shootings across the country. Nevertheless, since 2004 after the temporary Federal Assault Weapons Ban expired, the United States has not had a unilateral federal policy change concerning gun control, but different states strive to establish their independent policies to control gun use, accessibility, and sale (DiMaggio et al., 2019).

Conclusion

Conclusively, the dangers of gun manufacture, sale, and possession are eminent across the country. However, the implementation of strict gun policy changes remains a challenge due to the influence of powerful lobbyists like the National Rifle Association and judicial system.

References

DiMaggio, C., Avraham, J., Berry, C., Bukur, M., Feldman, J., Klein, M., & Frangos, S. (2019). Changes in US mass shooting deaths associated with the 1994–2004 federal assault weapons ban: Analysis of open-source data. Journal of trauma and acute care surgery, 86(1), 11-19. doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000002060

Zurcher, A. (2019). US gun laws: Why it won’t follow New Zealand’s lead. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41489552