After the most recent school shooting in America, the debate on our current Gun Control regulations in America has been reignited. Last week, in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida, a former student of the school wreaked havoc when he killed 17 adults and children and injured countless more. According to CNN, the shooter was a 19-year-old male who had been expelled from the school the previous year.

Prior to the attack he had made threatening comments online and had managed to procure 10 firearms.

Gun control

As is the case after every mass shooting in America, there has been public outcry about the current firearm regulations, which are lax enough to allow a teenager to purchase several of them with minimal effort. There was similar controversy after there was a mass shooting in Las Vegas only a few months ago, in which a man killed 50 people from his hotel room using a firearm. This was the largest shooting in US history, surpassing the Orlando shooting only one year prior, which saw 49 people killed in Pulse nightclub. However, although every massacre causes a significant backlash against our current gun control laws, public outrage tends to simmer off after the initial shock and horror wear off.

However, the controversy over this shooting may not be as easy to quash. Parkland students are organizing walk-out protests, where they leave class and hold periods of silence in memory of their lost classmates, in support of gun reform. Many students across Florida and even the US are joining in as solidarity with the affected. As teenagers are becoming more socially aware and politically active, lawmakers will be forced to listen, especially since many will soon have a vote in upcoming elections. However, this did not stop Florida lawmakers from rejecting a motion to tighten gun laws in the state, only days in the wake of a shooting that has left school children dead. It is obvious that the NRA stranglehold on politics remains as strong as ever.

NRA

The National Rifle Association (NRA) is one of the many gun lobby groups that heavily invest in, and therefore influence, US politics. According to Open Secrets, the NRA spent over $31 million on the 2016 presidential election alone - $11,438,118 in support of Donald Trump and $19,756,346 against Hillary Clinton. However, presidential candidates are not the only ones receiving funding from gun lobby groups. Members of Congress have also received money from such organizations. Here is a list of the ten congressmen who have earned the most from the NRA, according to the Center for Responsive Politics and the New York Times.

Top 5 Senators

John McCain (R, AZ) – $7.74 million

Richard Burr (R, NC) – $6.99 million

Roy Blunt (R, MO) – $4.55 million

Thom Tillis (R, NC) – $4.42 million

Cory Gardner (R, CO) – $3.88 million

Top 5 Representatives

French Hill (R, AR) – $1.09 million

Ken Buck (R, CO) – $800,544

David Young (R, IA) – $707,662

Mike Simpson, (R, ID) – $385,731

Greg Gianforte (R, MT) – $344,630