Americans bought nearly 20 million firearms in 2021, the second highest sales in history. They also experienced more than 20,000 firearms deaths, not counting suicides. The average cost of a gun is $500. So, it's a 10B/yr industry. Add on ammunition sales and other auxiliaries; it's a multiple of that. The gun rights groups spent $15.8M in lobbying in 2021, a record but a mere 0.15% of the gun sales revenue. Each firearm death translates to $700 in lobbying cost and half a million dollars revenue in gun sales alone. It's the bargain of the century - and no surprise that it's hard to stop!
It's the same story over and over again, not just for gun control, but also for criminal justice, healthcare & pharma, banking, fossil fuel industry, etc.; wherever there's big economic interest at stake.
Sad to say it aloud, but America is de facto an oligarchy as our courts, congress, state houses, laws and regulations have been captured and dominated by corporate interest and their wealthy owners. Even 90% overwhelming public support for a lifesaving measure - to save the CHILDREN, no less - isn't enough to make it happen, as the 90% got the short end of the stick.
Now that they've won, they want to make it permanent by making it harder for ordinary people to vote. Don't let it happen. Please do EVERYTHING you can to turn out voters. That's the most powerful and only tool we have to break free of the system. #GOTV #VoteThemOut #EndCitizensUnited
-Ning, Founder and President [bio]