Interest Groups

Gun Control in America

Photo Credit: The Daily Beast (The 3 Worst Arguments Against Gun Control)

     Gun Control has always been a hotly regarded issue in America. Before us, we have two vastly different interest groups. In one corner, we have the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. In the other, we have the Firearms Policy Coalition.

     The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence is a liberal interest group, founded by Micheal K. Beard, who has worked for Democratic leaders previously. Founded in 1974, the CSGV is the oldest gun violence prevention organisation, or so they claim. An excerpt of their about page reads, "CSGV’s guiding principle is simple: We believe gun violence should be rare and abnormal. We pursue this goal through policy development, advocacy, community engagement, and effective training.” Additionally, they claim that they advocate for and develop evidence-based solutions to reduce the numbers of gun injury and death, although there is no evidence to support this.

     The artifact that I have chosen that showcases the beliefs of the CSGV are on a piece of merchandise I found on their shop:

Found at the CSGV shop

     I think that this artifact represents the CSGV very well. They are against assault weapons, which is why they want to ban guns like the AR-15. Also, just like the lack of data on their website, this is also seen here. They use the intimidating look of the rifle, and don't ever present anything meaningful. The location of their name is reflective of the tier rating I would give them: bottom. When they claim they want to "reduce gun violence", I don't think they understand that gun violence can happen with any type of gun. They just want to target this specific one because it is the typical position politicians hold. It's too bad that most of the gun violence that occurs in the United States is done with pistols, as seen below. We can deduce that the CSGV is unwilling to compromise, and is extreme in their beliefs. They want to ban ARs, but don’t provide evidence that suggests ARs are dangerous. I can't believe people would buy this piece of garbage for five dollars. Do you know how many Big-Macs I can buy with five dollars? Okay, maybe just one, but still, I would much rather take that processed meat than this useless button. 

Picture Credit: The Trace (Most Active Shooters Use Pistols, Not Rifles, According to FBI Data)

Final Verdict: Unconvincing and Flawed

     The Firearms Policy Coalition is a conservative interest group that focuses on expanding gun ownership. We do not know who the founder is, but we do know that this group is described as a "grassroots organisation". Their mission is “To protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and the People’s rights, privileges and immunities deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition, especially the inalienable, fundamental, and individual right to keep and bear arms;” It is clear that the FPC hold beliefs that are opposite to the CSGV. The FPC believes that all citizens should be able to participate in gun ownership. 


     The artifact that I chose that represents the FPC is this image that the FPC sends to its email list:      

      The FPC regularly sends emails that detail the actions they are taking. Images like this are plentiful, and the firearm shown can alter, as the FPC does not shy away from giving them away. They oppose restrictions on guns, and this is made clear when they want to raffle away these guns. The fact of the matter is that guns don't kill people; rather people kill people. A law-abiding citizen who is mentally healthy should never be denied the right to gun ownership. The 2nd Amendment was written to protect the citizens if a tyrannical government were formed. We need good people with guns, and an argument can be made for that. According to Sheriffs.org, the average police response time as of February 28, 2016, is eighteen minutes. Similar to the CSGV, we can safely assume that the FPC is also biased and is unwilling to compromise, though I don't have a problem with that as they are supporting the correct side. They want to make sure gun rights are protected, and we can deduce that they believe gun restrictions are unconstitutional. 

Picture Credit: Found on PolitiFact, the image contains a quote from a Founding Father

Final Verdict: Logical and Persuasive

Influence of Interest Groups

     Interest groups may influence people's beliefs by presenting arguments that are convincing, using the appeals of logos, pathos, and ethos. In my opinion, the appeal to logos, or logic, is the strongest argumentative and persuasive appeal as logic can refer to data. Following next would be ethos, or the appeal to credibility, although even if you are well-known and respected, you could have no idea what you are talking about. Still, I think the weakest appeal is pathos. Pathos is the appeal to emotion, and emotional arguments are usually not backed up with strong data or statistics. 

     With this background knowledge, I think that the CSGV is not as persuasive as the FPC. The reason for this is the use of emotional arguments used by the CSGV. On the website, the CSGV wants to ban assault weapons, but does not give data to support this claim. What makes assault weapons so dangerous? Maybe it's the scary, blacked-out look. There are no numbers presented that imply banning assault weapons will lower gun violence. 

The lobbying spending of CSGV. There is no data on the past four years, but we can see that they spend a lot of money.

     On the other hand, the FPC has an extensive list on recent legal actions they have taken. We can see that this group is very active, as there are many court cases they have been involved with, including one from the first of October, 2019. They also have a news tab, that fills in on important events that have happened regarding gun restrictions and more. They have taken action not just at the federal level, but for each individual state, plus the District of Columbia. They have a list on their "Take Action" page that just goes on and on.  This is contrasted by the CSGV, where legal cases are very hard to find and are not as numerous. The money spent vs. legal action for the FPC is astounding, although I'm sure some data is left out as many people donate to them and that may or may not be counted as part of lobbying efforts. 

We only have data for 2019, which is strange as the FPC has been around since 2013.

Conclusion

     The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and the Firearms Policy Coalition differ greatly in their goals and political agendas. The CSGV is a liberal interest group that want to lower gun violence by banning a specific type of gun, which they call “assault rifles”. On the other hand, the FPC is a conservative interest group that wants to expand gun ownership. As you have seen in this blog, the lobbying spending also differs greatly between the CSGV and the FPC, as the CSGV spends much more money than the FPC; however, the FPC has an extensive resume, filled with many legal cases in all states and the nation’s capital. While these two interest groups differ in beliefs and political activity, they do have similarities. These interest groups are both extremely biased, and do not want compromise. They want their side and their beliefs to win, which is understandable; however, because these groups are unwilling to compromise, this can lead to many years of stalemate where nothing gets done.