MatthewVanitas
Member
I've noted that a lot of anti-gunners believe that the NRA is driven by the all-powerful Gun Industry, which manipulates law and public fear of minorities to sell more death-dealing products. Thus, the NRA isn't interested in civil rights, it's just interested in moving more product for its financiers. At least, according to the "Guns Are Big Business" post on Democratic Underground.
I'm pretty sure this is incorrect.
Doesn't the NRA derive most of it's funds from, say, members? Are massive wads of cash regularly ponied up by Ruger to help the NRA pass relaxed gun laws in Florida?
Here's the main reason I don't buy that argument (ever so popular on DU): the amount of money in the gun industry must be miniscule compared to other American industries.
Sure, a few folks out there own 100 or more firearms. But your average person owns one or a couple, and they last for century if you take good care of them. Heck, if you spend $500/yr on guns, you'd have a sizeable collection by middle age. Compare this to the tons of families who spend $50/wk at McDonalds, or $19,000 every five years on a new car, or put $30 in the gas tank every week of their lives.
These antis would have us believe that the NRA has somewhow become "the most feared lobby in Congress" due to its interests in the financial success of an industry which is probably pulls in less cash than the Fashion industry (which is well-known for ending the political careers of the anti-clothers).
Can anyone direct me to any good source of statistics which we could use to prove how financially miniscule the U.S. firearms industry is compared to the dozens of industries that Americans pay into every single day of their lives?
-MV
I'm pretty sure this is incorrect.
Doesn't the NRA derive most of it's funds from, say, members? Are massive wads of cash regularly ponied up by Ruger to help the NRA pass relaxed gun laws in Florida?
Here's the main reason I don't buy that argument (ever so popular on DU): the amount of money in the gun industry must be miniscule compared to other American industries.
Sure, a few folks out there own 100 or more firearms. But your average person owns one or a couple, and they last for century if you take good care of them. Heck, if you spend $500/yr on guns, you'd have a sizeable collection by middle age. Compare this to the tons of families who spend $50/wk at McDonalds, or $19,000 every five years on a new car, or put $30 in the gas tank every week of their lives.
These antis would have us believe that the NRA has somewhow become "the most feared lobby in Congress" due to its interests in the financial success of an industry which is probably pulls in less cash than the Fashion industry (which is well-known for ending the political careers of the anti-clothers).
Can anyone direct me to any good source of statistics which we could use to prove how financially miniscule the U.S. firearms industry is compared to the dozens of industries that Americans pay into every single day of their lives?
-MV