![]() ![]() Even this explanation, however, doesn’t suffice, since the same survey found that 72 percent of NRA members also supported universal background checks. One explanation is that the NRA only represents about 5 million of the 105 million Americans who own guns, which means they may have a skewed representation of gun owners. As a result, it would seem strange that the NRA has not come out in full support of universal background checks. In fact, according to a Public Policy Polling survey, 83 percent of gun owners support expanded background checks on sales of all firearms, including 72 percent of all NRA members. Given these statistics, a universal background check seems like a solution to the issue of gun violence in the United States. According to a 2015 study by the Harvard Injury Control Center, when adding the 34 percent of gun owners who bought their guns but didn’t go through a background check and the two thirds of those who obtained their guns from a transfer, such as a gift, inheritance, or swap from friends, about 40 percent of those who obtain firearms don’t have to go through a background check. According to the Gun Control Act of 1968, individuals qualified as private sellers if they sold four or less guns per year, but in 1986, the Firearms Owners Protection Act of 1986 more amended this definition to refer to people who don’t rely on selling guns as their principal source of income. Under current federal law, individuals do not have to obtain a background check when buying guns online or from private sellers at a gun show. Additionally, the NRA spends more money lobbying than its rivals on the other side of the issue, most notably the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. The NRA is one of the most powerful interest groups in American politics due to the millions it spends on campaign contributions and its cult-like role for its fervent members and voters. Two factors best can answer this conundrum: the expansive influence of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and a deep-seated fear in a faction of the electorate of any federal regulations on guns. ![]() Congress, however, does not, and in 2013 decided not to follow the course of action supported by an overwhelming majority of American people by voting down a proposal by Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Pat Toomey (R-Penn.) expanding the background check system. But while there exists a lot of disagreement over many gun control policies, there is one that Americans in wide margins agree on and that is the necessity of universal background checks. This divide makes it extremely tough for legislators to enact legislation to curb the multitudes of suicides, murders, and mass shootings due to gun violence. One of these issues is gun control, where Americans are split along ideological, geographical, and socioeconomic lines. over the last several decades has made it much harder for legislators to compromise and enact change on a variety of issues.
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