After John Thune, attacks like those of Las Vegas can also be prevented without a tightening of US gun laws. "I think people need to take precautions in ir own lives to protect mselves," said Republican senator from South Dakota of an NBC reporter. In case of cases, it is necessary to get to safety quickly. As? "Make yourself small."
With his statements, Thune is on line of arms lobby of National Rifle Association (NRA) after deadliest assault with firearms ever made in United States. This could also be because organization has supported him for years: since 2005, Thune received a total of 630,000 dollars from NRA. In politically important ranking of arms lobby, his loyalty was rewarded with a flawless a, i.e., one. With scores, NRA regularly evaluates MPs to make it clear how often y have voted in ir sense – a verdict that can decide in Washington about future career.
In United States, re is no lobby group that would be more influential or more aggressive than NRA. In 2016 election campaign alone, she spent nearly $55 million on political lobbying. Today organization has about five million members. With annual sales of more than $430 million, it has great financial resources to fund campaigns against unwelcome lawmakers, support loyal MPs – and bring ir candidates to White House. Anyone who wants to know why politicians reacted to gun violence with "warm thoughts and prayers", who only had to look at NRA's fundraising books, wrote Los Angeles Times with a view to statements made by US President Donald Trump after attack in Las Vegas.
Association of environmentalists and huntersThe NRA did not always have this position. SIE1871 was founded as a party association of environmentalists and Friends of hunting sports, who first taught former Confederate soldiers and later scouts how to deal with rifle. The civil rights movement of 1960s made organization a political one. At that time, Congress adopted Gun Control Act after denAttentaten on Martin Lur King Jr. and John F. Kennedy, reby severely restricting almost free access to handguns for first time. Weapons could no longer be sold across borders of States, minimum age for possession was raised. "Murders by mail," said President Lyndon B. Johnson at time, alluding to fact that weapons could be ordered by catalogue, should belong to past.
The hard core of NRA resisted. Influential members, such as MEP John Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, warned against impending end of Second Amendment to Constitution, which guarantees possession and carrying of firearms. As a reaction, organization 1975 its own Lobbyarm, closed to moderate members from management level and focused fully on political influence in Washington. As early as 1986, full effect of effort was shown: not even 20 years after Gun Control Act Congress passed Firearm Owners ' Protection Act – and thus turned back much of regulations.
Since n, despite numerous attempts by weapons opponents, little has changed. The NRA's advance of Bill Clinton, after attack at Columbine High School 1999, enforced sharper reviews of arms buyers, as well as later proposals to more regulate sale at trade fairs or machine guns from shelves of To banish large supermarkets. Every little concession is seen by functionaries as gateway, which inevitably leads to total disarmament. "There's only black and white when it comes to freedom," said NRA chief Wayne Lapierre 2002 in a speech. Because of alleged defense of constitutional rights, organization also likes to call itself "oldest civil rights movement in country".
USA-weapons tourism in Las Vegas, tourists can practice at many shooting ranges with pistols and machine guns. However, after assassination of at least 59 deaths, re is criticism. © Photo: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters Date Of Update: 06 October 2017, 12:06
