inroads this decade into the once solidly Republican suburban vote.For Republicans, the gun control issue has become more difficult as American sentiment has shifted. Their core conservative supporters include many people who feel strongly about the Second Amendment's guarantee of the right to bear arms. And the NRA was one of the advocacy groups that House Republicans credited with helping them win the majority in 1994. It is also a major donor to Republicans. In 1998, for example, the NRA's political action committee donated $1.35 million to the Republican Congressional candidates and $283,000 to Democrats. That means that, particularly in the House, where the two parties are fighting for control in 2000, Republicans must carry out a difficult balancing act, doing nothing to offend these conservatives while not imperiling the moderate Republicans from the northeast. (FEC data)1998 Election CycleC00053553 NRA POLITICAL VICTORY FUNDFEC Filing Status: MONTHLYContributes to DEM Candidates: $283,200Contributes to REP Candidates: $1,355,111Contributes to OTHER Candidates: $0Through a combination of money and energetic lobbying and voting strategies, the pro-gun side has continued to thwart the desire of the vast majority of American voters. The NRA and its allies gave more than eight times as much to candidates for Congress as handgun-control advocates in 1995-96. The NRA's PAC was the largest ideological donor in both 1993-94 and 1995-96. While the gun-control side may have the people on their side, the NRA has the cash. (Alterman, 1999) The role of the media and the information it conveys is very important to politics. Media informs an entire nation of people about politics and policies. However, the media contains several potentially conflicting roles. The media is main source of issue information, it provides entertainment, and its primary interest is to make a profit. Thus, there is concern whether hard news will take a back...
