Firepower: How the NRA Turned Gun Owners Into a Political Force

"Firepower explores how the NRA gradually transformed itself from a relatively small organization with close ties to the federal government and a mission dedicated to marksmanship, competitive shooting, and military preparedness to what it is today: A political juggernaut that pushes a right-wing, populist world view and enjoys a prominent position in the Republican Party coalition.

As Lacombe shows, NRA members and supporters participate in politics at unusually high rates, and have for decades, successful opposing gun regulations despite the shockingly high rates of gun violence in the U.S. relative to other countries and deep, durable public support for stricter rules on gun ownership.

Understanding how and why this came to be can not only teach us about the evolution of one of the most influential interest groups operating today, but can also shed light on how interest groups more generally can marshal the political behavior of thei