“A predecessor once characterized the NRA as being ‘one of the world’s great religions,’ and 64-year-old LaPierre [the NRA executive vice president] is a strange fit to be its pope,” said Rolling Stone’s Tim Dickinson.

Mass shootings are an epidemic and a highly American one. From Columbine to San Bernardino, actions to research the problem have been highly limited by the National Rifle Association.

Government teacher Mr. Kevin Wittman said “Several years ago, the CDC was researching gun violence and the NRA did not like it because they thought it was being used for political purposes. So the NRA… cut the funding for the CDC the amount that that study was costing.”

“Therefore, that effectively sent the message to all federal and state agencies that would study gun violence that if you study gun violence, the NRA is going to target you and have your funding cut. No federal agency wants their funding cut.”

Due to the actions of the NRA to censor anyone trying to research gun violence, there are no hard statistics that could help curb the trend of mass shootings. Are they carried out by the mentally ill? Are their guns legally acquired? We do not know because we can not find out.

The NRA claims that it stands for gun owners, but silencing opposition like this makes it seem more like they represent gun manufacturers who do not want their business affected by (potentially) damning statistics.

Journalist Jordan Weissmann from The Atlantic said, “In recent years, the group has become more aggressive about seeking donations, both from individuals and corporations, and that in turn has led it to become more deeply entwined with the gun industry.”

What is the NRA really protecting by censoring research about gun violence, the American people or the profits they receive from the gun industry?
In a time of such panic and fear in the wake of so many mass shootings, it is time for the NRA to stop playing political games with people’s lives.