NRA: controlling guns or Congress?

Behind the passage of the Brady bill is a story as important as violence on the streets. Why did it take so long to pass so small a contribution to the sane regulation of firearms? And why, when it seemed recently that the bill would finally pass, did we have the spectacle of some senators exhausting the public's patience by preventing a vote?

The simple answer is money. A well-financed and well-organized lobby is able to thwart the wishes of a clear majority of the people. In the end, it was only because popular support was so overwhelming (over 80 percent of Americans supported this bill) that the lobby was defeated.

There could be no clearer example of the need for serious reform concerning the influence of money on government. John W. Chuckman, Manotick, Ontario

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