Politicians Who Cross NRA Feel the Wrath

The Washington Post looks at politicians who bucked the National Rifle Association and were punished harshly despite years of past support.

“For longtime NRA members, the Senate vote was not surprising. The group has turned the debate over gun control into a clarion call for constitutional rights. Any perceived assault on the Second Amendment is met with a withering counterattack. Even conservative lawmakers who cross the NRA are labeled as traitors. The NRA has been so effective over the years that gun-control groups are now trying to adopt some of the same tactics.”

“Well-organized NRA members and affiliated groups of gun owners hold rallies and pour resources into political campaigns. They flood local and national legislative offices with e-mails and phone calls. They make unannounced visits to the offices of lawmakers. The NRA’s lobbying arm posts myriad ‘Alerts,’ calling on millions of members across to the country to rise up at a moment’s notice.”