The failure of gun-control legislation isn't about the NRA's massive campaign coffers. It's about a small band of single-issue voters who manage to subvert meaningful public policy. For all the national outrage at the school house massacres in Littleton, Colo. and elsewhere, the sentiment could not keep gun-control legislation from dying on the House floor. As with so many other issues, majority support does not necessarily lead to action in Congress.
Some reformers say the answer is money.
Their enemy is the National Rifle Association and its campaign cash. These numbers appear persuasive, and undoubtedly, the NRA spends its money for a reason. But money is of secondary importance for explaining its influence. The simple fact is that the NRA's money has power because there is a critical mass of voters out there who are attracted to its message. They often are classic Reagan Democrats, including some union members, who fear infringement on gun ownership.