Why The Recent Criticism Of The NRA Is Justified

The National Rifle Association (NRA) deserves the recent backlash that it has received, as many of the policies that it supports should be reconsidered.

The NRA was created in 1871 by Col. Williams Church and Gend. George Wingate. The main goal of the association was to promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis. It also focused on training and marksmanship. However, over multiple years the principal purpose has changed.

“The NRA has donated millions of dollars to politicians who have then passed laws that make guns more accessible,” said Karina Perepelkina, a student at Green River College. These laws have created little control of who should and who should not use a firearm. For example, the most recent case that occurred on February 14, where a 19-year-old adolescent shot 17 people in Parkland, Florida with a semi-automatic AR-15 assault rifle, abused these lenient laws.

This event induced a national conversation, some people blaming the NRA for these violent events. Many companies are even beginning to cut ties with the association in light of the recent backlash.

Many in the population have also demanded that President Donald Trump propose solutions for the shootings; the main restriction being additional control of firearms. 

It is necessary to mention that some, but not necessarily all, aspects of the NRA can be controlled. A potentially flawed area to consider is the excessive financing that the NRA did in favor of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump will not end the problem, much less propose measures for the security of citizens in the face of massive shootings. His exposure to the public was insufficient and not very affable, giving a primarily negative response to the events.

Trump additionally claimed that guns should be provided to teachers in order to protect the children during a potential school shooting. This method is not effective and does not guarantee any kind of security. The only impact it would have and will have on the people is that it incites more conflict.

Comprehensive background checks may be a key point of re-evaluation, but ultimately they would only be a modification of a damaged system. The accelerators of the shots, however, should definitely be prohibited. The actual reduction of anything will be difficult, as both the government and the NRA benefit from their currently obtainable status.

The increase of age for the possession of weapons is reasonable. However, public safety does not depend on the age of an individual, but the mental health of each gun owner. Trump has been against stricter age constraints on firearms which, overall, he has made clear.

The NRA should absolutely be receiving backlash in light of recent events. If guns weren’t so easy to get, then it would have been a lot harder for the Parkland shooter to purchase the used weapon, which he bought earlier in the same day.

Companies have the right to cut ties with the NRA as they deem necessary. The public can see that the NRA has played a huge role in current gun laws, which many continue to find unsatisfactory.

The stores that broke from the NRA and implemented stricter gun rules in their stores, the most striking being the limiting of firearm purchases to those aged 21 and over, are just listening to their consumers. They are doing what’s best for their company and their buyers.