Organized in 1871 to promote training and marksmanship, the NRA has become a vocal lobbyist for the Bill of Rights 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. Its journals (American Rifleman, American Hunter, American Guardian), public spokesmen like Charlton Heston and members defend guns as a means of self-defense as well as for recreational hunting. Due to the rise in violent crime involving guns in recent decades, however, they also find themselves engaged in a highly passionate and polarized debate in which the NRA is viewed as a right wing/conservative group, while those who support gun control are often considered left wing or liberal. The latter may believe the 2nd Amendment anachronistic or challenge NRA interpretations. As a result of widely publicized mass shootings as well as liberal efforts, gun control has gained currency in American politics.

To combat even this limited trend, the NRA lobbies politicians (typically Republicans) for their support against gun-control legislation. It is, by all accounts, the largest obstacle to the gun-control cause.