I’m fine with individuals contributing money to the NRA and collectively using their large numbers to use as leverage in getting legislation they are in favor of. The problem lies in that a very large portion of their budget is funded by gun manufacturers. I think technically any money they spend on lobbying has to come from private donations but it’s a very blurred line to me.
How is the NRA different in this aspect from any other lobbying party? Most lobbyists are heavily subsidized by those with skin in the game.
I'm all for removing lobbyist as long as it's across the board.
I think most people share this sentiment.
If there is one thing I'd like to see change in this country during my lifetime it is the complete overhaul of the campaign finance system. Something like this:
1. Have some bare minimum requirement to be a candidate that anyone could meet but would be a significant barrier to entry (like 10,000 physical signatures within their district or a bunch of financial disclosures and background check authorizations)
2. The government allots each candidate equal opportunity to share their message like on a government website, circular, or CSPAN type tv network
3. Multiple rounds of voting to narrow down the pool
4. Candidates are not allowed to spend money to promote themselves and they cannot direct others to (no, "I approved this message"). Alternatively, you could do a salaray-cap type system.
#4 is definitely the trickiest. Ideally you would stop any kind of private interest spending, but I think that definitely runs into free speech issues which is bad. Obviously lots of candidates would try to cheat to quietly cut deals with groups like the NRA to promote them in their magazines/news letters, but I still think we can make vast improvements to the current system which is incredibly money-centered.
Don't get me wrong. I am all for private interest groups speaking up, but it is incredibly depressing that right now it seems guaranteed that you cannot win a major election without having millions of dollars to spend (whether your money or someone else's).
