NRA and Another Spike in Gun Sales After Another Mass Shooting

Just as happened after other mass shootings in the United States, gun sales spiked after 49 people were killed in a gay nightclub in Orlando this month. The reason most often given for the spike is that gun owners become worried that the government will take some action to restrict gun sales, and so they decide to stock up. Their worry has been unfounded, since Congress has repeatedly failed to enact gun control legislation. And after this latest mass shooting, it’s more of the same, thanks to the National Rifle Association. Evan Osnos has looked into the history of the NRA’s clout and he writes about how the group managed to shift the conversation from hunters’ rights to self-defense for the latest issue of the New Yorker.