A Study Into The Members Of The National Rifle Association Of America

The National Rifle Association of America(NRA)is the most influential single-issue interest group that focuses on gun rights and has great influence over the gun issue in the United States.This thesis selects the NRA as the research object,studies one of the important factors of the NRA's strength--the highly motivated members of the NRA,analyzes the strategies used by the NRA to manage its members,and discusses the NRA members' influence on the U.S.gun policies and laws.First,the NRA members are highly motivated.The nearly 5 million members have made both financial and political contributions to the NRA.Second,the group uses highly effective membership management strategies to attract,retain and mobilize members.In terms of attracting members,the NRA provides selective material benefits and targets those who are easily attracted,such as veterans,to boost the size.In terms of retaining members,the NRA employs propaganda tactics to shape its image and launches diverse programmes to strengthen ties among its members.In terms of mobilizing members,the NRA influences members' voting choices in the first place and then calls for their actions to help fulfill the group's tasks.Finally,this thesis analyzed the NRA members' influence over several specific gun issues,including social gun debates,gun-violence researches,political elections and the U.S.gun laws.Hopefully,this study on the members of the National Rifle Association of America will enrich the domestic research on this gun advocacy group and do some useful complement in analyzing the gun issue in the United States.