Rhetorical Analysis of Rukmani Bhatia
Student’s Name: Bidur Poudel
Professor’s Name: Marcella Hunyadi
Course: ENGL 1310 Section 705
Date: 04/29/2022
Rhetorical Analysis of Rukmani Bhatia
“Exposing the NRA’s Messaging Playbook”
The article by Rukmani Bhatia concentrates on exposing the National Rifle Association (NRA) for using messaging approaches implemented by dictators as well as demagogues in advancing its gun privileges across the United States. At the time of the article’s publication, the author expressed concerns over a growing problem in health along with the strength of the United States democracy. The NRA was established in 1871 as an organization designed to offer training for hunters in addition to marksmen on how to use guns safely. However, the greatest conundrum identified in the article is that the body has undergone a transition process where it has become a more political lobby in contemporary American politics. The information available in the article affirms that the NRA is currently utilizing messaging strategies to facilitate advancements in the gun rights narrative in the United States. Clearly, the establishment has lost its footing by moving away from supporting gun safety matters and focusing on advocating for gun rights. Such decisions by the body give it a chance to increase profitability despite risking so many lives. The main concern revolves around the fact that the NRA is using unethical measures to spread and engrain its message. In “Guns, Lies, and Fear – Exposing the NRA’s Messaging Playbook”, the author Rukmani Bhatia successfully employee’s knowledge and understanding of the current changes in the field of gun rights and unregulated gun ownership to appeal to the public about the role of the National Rifle Association (NRA) in advancing for gun rights, which increases its profitability margin and endangers those incapable of affording firearms.
The main purpose of the article is to enlighten the public about the misconduct by the National Rifle Association (NRA) that entails using messaging strategies to advance gun rights. By endorsing the rights instead of concentrating on the idea of safety, it is arguable that the institution is more focused on making more profit instead of endorsing public safety (Bhatia 3). The transition from supporting gun safety to transforming into an establishment that participates in initiatives that advocate for gun rights is not a peculiar thing. Bhatia writes the article expressing personal negative views regarding the current approach to responsibilities by the NRA. The decision to change from being an organization that observes gun safety to focus on gun rights implies that the main purposes were diverted. Measures such as advocating for gun rights while NRA resists any possible encroachment on matters it considers inalienable privileges to unhindered demonstrates a questionable mode of business.
The masterful construction of the narrative based on gun privilege propaganda and evoking images of societies that devoid from the law and dwell under consistent threat of attack originating from the unidentified and ever existing enemy warrants analysis. The political sector arguably seems to have fallen prey to the business demands of NRA that is using its position to exert systematic discreditation of any possible opposition that may pause a threat to securing its business goals. Therefore, an analysis of the article is necessary since it increases public understanding on the inability of NRA to remain focused on its primary responsibility that comprised of propagating gun safety (Bhatia 4). In the end, it is clear that NRA has undertaken deceitful tactics that led to destruction of the gun and firearm possession decision across the U.S. As a result of NRA’s action, various communities are subjects of endless acts of gun violence with the communities of colour being the leading victims. Furthermore, the American youths has been ravaged due to the slight transition in objectives by the NRA. Bhatia says that “each day, more than 95 people die from gun violence,” (4) which is an indication of the growing levels of danger paused by the organization that was solely established to be on the lookout for gun safety.
Regardless of the growing harsh realities aligned with gun violence, the American political division continues to make inappropriate attempts of passing legislative solutions intended to address the predicament over several decades. The author is on the right path attacking the NRA for skilfully employing its ability to control the gun market by changing the narrative associated with gun rights through influencing lawmakers. Unfortunately, efforts to continuously block common-sense legislation from the local, state, in addition to federal levels warrants scrutiny of misplaced priorities at the NRA. The report focusing on examining ways that the NRA has effectively created an identity of the American law-abiding gun owner as well as denigrated those in government, civil society, in addition to the academic sector putting in effort to reform gun rights is necessary especially in the present day (Bhatia 5). Minority communities are leading victims to cases of firearm related tragedies, which calls for a significant change in position taken by the NRA because it is failing a significant number of American citizens who are falling prey of gun owners. Gun laws are in place to ensure that no firearm is used to endanger innocent American lives.
One ideal example of Bhatia’s position in the complaint against changes in gun laws is based on gun violence prevention advocates. The main objective of the group entails building on current public momentum that demands stronger gun regulations evident in the state along with federal levels. Such approach taken by the author is to ensure that the reader understands the existing depth of negative implications associated with gun laws by comparing the previous and current objectives of NRA as it influences gun laws. By understanding Bhatia’s position on the matter, readers are able to comprehend the concern over a powerful establishment like NRA affecting the laws implemented to regulate gun ownership and propagate the rights to owning firearms. Victims of uncontrolled acts of gun violence need protection from the government, which seems like an impossible task due to the influence NRA has on lawmakers (Bhatia 7). Actions by NRA to transform the U.S. into an authoritarian nation continue to make it less impossible for various political leaders to exercise strategies that would lessen gun violence at community level.
An appeal to the mutated support by the National Rifle Association from gun safety to transition into supporting gun rights demonstrates the author’s ability to build character. By stating the duration that the organization has existed is an appropriate indication on the importance of making certain goals are duly taken into consideration. A comparison between the past and present roles of the National Rifle Association is important because it expresses the degree of harm caused as a result of the changes in goals. The saddening articulation from the article is that over the first 10 decades, NRA concentrated on its mission that involved educating gun owners about firearms without making any kind of indication to the Second Amendment. Clearly, the author seems agitated by the sudden integration from the NRA to advance political agenda as well as establish the body within the debate on gun rights, which deploys aggressive messaging approaches identical to dictators consolidating as well as securing power.
The problem distinguished in the article is that the body has gone through a change interaction where it has turned into a more political campaign in contemporary American governmental issues. Data accessible in the article certifies that the NRA is presently using informing procedures to work with progressions of firearm privileges story in the US. Obviously, the foundation has lost its balance by getting away from supporting weapon wellbeing matters and focusing towards pushing for firearm privileges. Such choices by the body allow it an opportunity to increment productivity notwithstanding endangering such countless lives. The primary concern spins around the way that the NRA is utilizing unscrupulous measures to spread and engrain its message (Bhatia 9). By supporting the freedoms as opposed to focusing on the possibility of security, it is doubtful that the establishment is more engaged towards creating more gain as opposed to embracing public wellbeing. The progress from supporting firearm security to change into a foundation that partakes in drives that supporter for weapon freedoms is certainly not something curious. Bhatia composes the article communicating individual negative perspectives with respect to the ongoing methodology in obligations by the NRA.
The choice to change from being an association that notices firearm security to zeroing in on weapon privileges infers that the fundamental purposes redirected. An examination of the article is fundamental since it increments public comprehension on the powerlessness of NRA to stay zeroed in on essential obligation involved proliferating weapon security. Eventually, obviously NRA has embraced underhanded strategies that prompted annihilation of the weapon and gun ownership choice across the U.S. Because of NRA’s activity, different networks are subjects of vast demonstrations of weapon brutality with the networks of variety being the main casualties. Besides, the American young people has been desolated because of the slight progress in goals by the NRA. The creator is on the correct way going after the NRA for skilfully utilizing its capacity to control the weapon market by changing the account related with firearm privileges through impacting legislators. Tragically, endeavours to persistently obstruct sound judgment regulation from the neighbourhood, state, notwithstanding government levels warrants examination of lost needs at the NRA.
The report zeroes in on inspecting ways that the NRA has actually made a personality of the American honest weapon proprietor as well as stigmatized those in government, common society, notwithstanding the scholarly area investing energy to change firearm freedoms is fundamental, particularly in the current day. Minority people groups are driving casualties to instances of gun-related misfortunes, which requires a tremendous change in place taken by the NRA since it is bombing a critical number of American residents who are succumbing to firearm proprietors. The principal objective of the gathering involves expanding on current public force that requests more grounded firearm guidelines obvious in the state alongside government levels. Such methodology taken by the writer is to guarantee that the peruse comprehends the current profundity of negative ramifications related to weapon regulations by looking at the past and current targets of NRA as it impacts firearm regulations.
Work Cited
Bhatia, Rukmani. “Guns, Lies, and Fear- Exposing the NRA’s Messaging Playbook.” April 24, 2019.