Essay Cinco

A) There are many ways that a group politics in order to try to push their opinions. Litigation is one way to do this. Litigation is simply taking legal action and can be used by interest groups to change interpretations of the constitution. This can also get huge media attention and in turn get issues on the policy agenda. Giving money to a campaign is another good way to push a group's opinions. In this approach, a group gives a candidate who supports their ideas money in the hopes that they will get elected and then vote for policies that positively effect the groups interests. If a group were to use grassroots lobbying or mass mobilization they gain the advantage of public support. This puts an idea into the minds of many people which helps the idea get media attention and political consideration.

B) The primary technique used by the NRA to influence government is campaign contributions. They use campaign contributions to help elect candidates who are in favor of the NRA's beliefs (like the second amendment and less government restriction on guns/gun ownership). The NRA uses this technique over litigation because they know that it is doubtful that anything in the Constitution will change in their favor. They prefer campaign contributions to litigation on a smaller scale because in the current political situation, many people are advocating for stricter gun laws and more regulation. The NRA doesn't use grassroots lobbying or mass mobilization as much because the issue that they advocate for already has a fairly clear-cut line. The chances of grassroots lobbying making someone change their mind about guns is very low and would therefore not be nearly as effective as campaign contributions.