Gun Control and Protecting Ourselves

However, despite the widespread of public support, the U.S. Congress failed to pass any federal gun policy legislation. .
             It was not due to the lack of motivation to support the federal gun policies but rather the U.S. governmental structure that caused it to fail. All states, regardless of population size, are equally represented by two senators; so, senators from rural states with small populations and high rates of gun ownership exert the same amount of influence as senators from states with large populations and lower rates of gun ownership (Webster 677-678). Although many campaigns have been funded to prevent gun violence, such as the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, those who are in favor of strengthening gun laws have historically been out-funded by the pro-gun Nation Rifle Association (NRA). In 2012, the NRA spent more than $ 24 million on political contributions, lobbying, advertising, and other communication activities intended to influence policy outcomes (Webster 691-692). Even though the NRA population only accounts for 2% of the U.S. population, they still seem to have a large enough influence to reject any of the anti-gun policies due to the fact that the pro-gun advocates tend to be more politically active than others. Moving forward, for advocates for stronger guns laws, it will be critically important to energize and increase the political participation of the large majority of gun owners who support policies- like universal background checks- to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people (Webster 718-720). .
             Although federal laws regarding gun control were not created, some state legislation created their own. A number of states strengthened laws designed to keep guns from criminals and other high-risk groups in 2013. Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, and New York each enacted legislation to extend background check requirements when guns are sold by unlicensed sellers.