The document discusses the influential figures in the gun control debate, highlighting the top individuals and their affiliations, primarily separating those who advocate for gun control from those who support gun rights. Key players include Barack Obama and Wayne LaPierre, with notable commentary on the differing strategies and influence of gun rights and gun control advocates. The analysis showcases how national tragedies, such as the Sandy Hook massacre, have shifted momentum and the public's focus towards gun control measures.

1. BIG GUNS OF THE GUN DEBATE
Top 20 individuals by affiliation
Democratic Gun Control Republican Gun Rights
Politicians Advocates Politicians Advocates
No. of Influencers 12 2 1 5
Most Republican politicians stand on the sidelines while letting
the NRA take the lead in establishing viewpoints; Chris Christie
is the only Republican exerting influence on the issue
Name NIS* Title
Barack Obama 268 US President (D)
Wayne LaPierre 240 CEO, National Rifle Association (NRA)
Dianne Feinstein 227 Senator, California (D)
Joe Biden 226 US Vice President (D)
Michael Bloomberg 215 Mayor, NYC, Mayors Against Illegal Guns
Andrew Cuomo 214 Governor, New York (D)
“We need to sit down and have a
David Keene 212 President, NRA common-sense discussion and
move in a reasonable way. ...
Joe Manchin 206 Senator, West Virginia (D) Everything has to be on the table”
Dannel P. Malloy 195 Governor, Connecticut (D)
Mike Thompson 194 Congressman, California (D)
Andrew Arulanandam 192 Director of Public Affairs, NRA “As a hunter and gun owner, I
believe that we should protect the
Eric Holder 192 US Attorney General (D) Second Amendment right...
I also believe that we have a
Bill Clinton 191 Former US President (D)
responsibility to make our
Dan Ross 191 President, Brady Center schools, streets and communities
safe.”
Harry Reid 190 Senator, Nevada, (D)
Chris Christie 189 Governor, New Jersey (R)
“What I’d like to have a real
Chuck Schumer 188 Senator, New York (D) conversation about, and I intend to
start very, very soon, is not just
Richard Blumenthal 188 Senator, Connecticut (D) about gun control. That’s part of it.
But it’s also about violence
Larry Pratt 186 Director, Gun Owners of America control.”
Richard Feldman 185 President, Independent Firearm Owners Association
Democratic Politicians Republican Politicians
Gun Control Advocates Gun Right Advocates
*NIS or Net Influence Score is a measure of a person’s influence in the context of a certain topic (gun control)
Gun Rights Advocates Have More Stamina Than
Gun Control Advocates
Standardized
1 NIS*
Sandy Hook NRA Gun Rights
Massacre Press Conference Gun Control
Obama Introduces
Gun Control Exec. Actions
The tragedy at Sandy Hook gave
gun control advocates a push to
amplify their influence
0
12/10 12/17 12/24 12/31 1/7 1/14 1/21 1/28
Gun Rights advocates are After Obama’s introduction of his
influential in the absence executive actions, momentum
of national tragedies shifts for pro gun rights
Gun Rights Advocates: military coordination with laser focus
Gun Control Advocates: too many head chefs in the kitchen
Top 20 influential political activists NRA owns half of the 10 most traveled** opinions, while the
by affiliation pro gun control groups search for their collective voice
Mayors Against Number of Opinions
Illegal Guns
NRA
Obama 2
Americans for 15%
Responsible
Solutions 35% Gabrielle Giffords
10% & Mark Kelly
2
Brady Center
to Prevent Gun
5%
Violence
Brady Campaign 1
20%
15%
NRA 5
Other Gun Control Other Gun Rights
Advocacy Groups Advocacy Groups
10 most traveled** opinions in the gun debate
“ The NRA, which says it has about 4 million members, took aim at Obama “ The NRA proposed having armed officials in schools throughout the
in a stinging TV ad, accusing him of being "just another elitist hypocrite" for country and has said the media and violent video games shared blame
accepting Secret Service protection for his two daughters but turning down for the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, the second-deadliest
the lobby group's proposal to put armed guards in all schools.” – NRA school shooting in U.S. history." – NRA
“ We were disappointed with how little this meeting had to do with “ Achieving reforms to reduce gun violence and prevent mass shootings will
keeping our children safe and how much it had to do with an agenda mean matching gun lobbyists in their reach and resources, they wrote in the
to attack the Second Amendment.” – NRA column.” – Gabrielle Giffords & Mark Kelly
“ The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence says 40 percent of gun “ They will be joined by children from around the country who wrote the
sales are conducted with no criminal background check, such as at gun president letters in the wake of that tragedy expressing their concerns about
shows and by private sellers over the Internet or through classified ads” gun violence and school safety, along with their parents, ‘he explained.”
– Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence – Jay Carney, on behalf of President Barack Obama
“ I would say that the likelihood is that they are not going to be able “ The politically powerful NRA has vowed to fight any measure that would
to get an assault weapons ban through this Congress, Keene said on limit access to guns and ammunition, a hardline position that could sway
CNN's 'State Of The Union.’” – David Keene, President of NRA some Republicans and conservative Democrats.” – NRA
“ Giffords and husband Mark Kelly wrote in an op-ed published Tuesday in USA “ I believe most gun owners agree we can respect the second
Today that their Americans for Responsible Solutions initiative would help raise amendment while keeping guns out of the hands that
money to support greater gun control efforts.” – Gabrielle Giffords & Mark Kelly destroy ownership for a few.” – Barack Obama
*NIS or Net Influence Score is a measure of a person’s influence in the context of a certain topic (gun control)
** Most traveled opinions are calculated based on number of publications that refer to the same opinion
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