Abstract
Most people wouldn’t think that a gender equity interest group could learn anything from the NRA. I disagree. Since the NRA is a large organization that influences gun policy, Americans United for Gender Equity (AUGE) can become equally as influential over policies regarding gender. The NRA wasn’t always as big as it is today, and AUGE can learn a lot from the strategies the organization used. In a similar sense, it can also learn what not to do from the NRA. By looking at the history of the NRA, it is easy to understand how a group can become overly political and out of touch with the original reason it was founded. Though AUGE does strive to influence political policy involving gender, it’s not meant to be a political group, much like the NRA today.
Keywords: legislation, laws, politicians, groups
What We Can, and Cannot, Learn From the Success of the National Rifle Association
As a democrat, I do not support the NRA. I believe that assault rifles should be banned, there should be thorough background checks for everyone that wants a gun, and that there should be longer waiting periods. Despite its opposition, however, the NRA is the most one of the most effective civil rights groups in the United States today. It hasn’t always been like this and has taken years for the association to achieve its status. Though the NRA was founded in 1871 (Spitzer & Political Science Department, 2018) and Americans United for Gender Equity (AUGE) was founded this year, there is still a lot that this interest group can learn from the NRA that can lead to national success.
Though the NRA was founded almost two centuries ago, it didn’t begin political endeavors until the 1970s. In 1977, dedicated and uncompromising members of the NRA took control of its annual convention and formally committed the association to defending the Second Amendment. First focusing on the states, the NRA lobbied to change state laws to protect the right to possess and carry guns. The organization realized that most gun laws were enacted by states, not the federal government, and that it could win significant victories there. This tactic would be effective partially by mobilizing NRA members, partially by incorporating the local affiliates it had in every state, and partially because opposition at the state level was largely absent. About thirty years later in 2008, the Supreme Court decided to overturn the District of Columbia ban on handguns in District of Columbia vs. Heller. It was a five-four landmark court decision that seemed to support concealed carry gun rights. The NRA also enlisted an academy that awarded grants and prizes to legal scholars for writing about gun rights. This program helped to gradually transform the culture surrounding guns in the United States. As the NRA continued to rise in politics during the 2000s, they supported more and more politicians, mostly conservative, who in turn passed legislation in favor of the NRA (Cole, 2016).
What can AUGE learn from this? AUGE can learn how to take a strong stance on gender equity. Like gun regulation, many gender laws are and can be mandated by the states. For example, California has a law that mandates female representation on public company boards (AllBusiness, 2018). AUGE can lobby in an appropriate and effective manner to get laws like this one passed in all states. AUGE can also create a program that gives out grants and prizes to scholars that write and do work involving gender equity. In time, this would help change how people view women in the workforce. This would help to influence individuals with authority such as politicians to create legislation that is in favor of gender equity. AUGE, like the NRA, should support all people that are in favor of their beliefs, no matter their party affiliation. With these strategies, AUGE has the opportunity to become just as successful and as well known as the NRA.
Though the NRA has become an influential organization involving gun legislation, the group did make some mistakes that hurt their progress. Before the mid 1970s, the NRA mostly focused on hunter safety and marksmanship. During that time period, the group supported gun regulation, such as waiting periods, that it does not support now. Before the 1970s, the NRA was not so much concerned with “the right to bear arms” as it was with educating hunters and teaching people how to shoot guns for sport and other recreational activities. In 1977, the group decided that it was losing the national battle against guns by not being political enough. The group started to pull away from supporting gun control, despite the fact that the laws pertaining to the five day waiting period and background checks overturned in 1993 were successful. (Spitzer & Political Science Department, 2018). As a result, it is easier for people who should not have guns obtain them and commit crimes such as mass shootings.
Though AUGE will most likely never have to worry about something as serious as mass shootings, the organization should still refrain from becoming too political. AUGE is an interest group focused on the equity for women in the workforce, and should stick to lobbying for legislation that is in favor of this. AUGE should also support any politicians, no matter their party affiliation, that are in favor of the group’s ideals. Most of these politicians would probably be democrats, but there are still plenty of republicans that are in favor of women equity in the workforce. AUGE would also have to remember not to become greedy with membership. Good things take time, especially with legislation. If AUGE pushes too hard for this legislation, then the organization risks facing lots of controversy like the NRA. Lastly, AUGE shouldn’t stop supporting laws because of politics. If certain laws in place are working, then they should stay in place. AUGE cannot risk making these mistakes that the NRA made because it will create a negative stigma around the group, mostly in the eyes of republicans.
Though the NRA and AUGE are very different groups, there are still plenty of things that AUGE can learn from the NRA. At the same time, there are also plenty of things the NRA has done that AUGE has to be careful to avoid. AUGE can easily become as effective as the NRA in a much smaller time frame if it uses the strategies that the NRA used and avoids the mistakes that the group made. By doing so, legislation favoring gender equity will be passed, and women in the workforce will be treated equally and given the same opportunities as men. This will give women a voice in fields that women aren’t traditionally involved in, such as computer science and engineering. Hopefully, this will improve the future of these fields by having another group of brains at work.
References
AllBusiness, E. A. (2018, October 04). California Mandates Female Representation On Public Company Boards. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/allbusiness/2018/10/01/california-mandates-female-representation-public-company-boards/#22eb3ecd1775
Cole, D. (2016, March 11). What Liberals Can Learn From the N.R.A. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/11/opinion/what-liberals-can-learn-from-the-nra.html
Spitzer, R., & Political Science Department. (2018, September 19). The NRA’s journey from marksmanship to political brinkmanship. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/the-nras-journey-from-marksmanship-to-political-brinkmanship-92160