First, I just want to point out that America is not a democracy.. It is a Constitutional Republic. Why is this important? A democracy is a one-vote system and a Constitutional Republic is a 3-vote system. Three votes to check tyranny, not just one. Our Founders knew to put in multiple layers of safeguards as legislators would invariably, over time, seek out ways to chip away at the freedoms that we enjoy.. which is another reason why the 2nd Amendment is in place. That is truly the last line in the sand and the final safeguard to our freedoms. Now, about the NRA as a lobby group. In short, I’m fine with it. The Constitution is the law of the land and I think it would be great if we had a lobby group as powerful as the NRA to protect all of our freedoms. Instead, our leaders continue to unlawfully sign away or try to sign away our rights to privacy with warrantless wiretapping, indefinite detention, UN weapons ban treaty, etc.. all of this goes on unchecked.. whose lobbying for our other rights other than the 2d Amendment?? These things barely get mentioned iif they get mentioned at all by our talking heads government sponsored media. Appreciate the thoughtful debate KIBU.