As the year progresses and the fatalities from mass shootings continue to rise, gun control is for good reason one of the most talked about issues today. People from all walks of life have unfortunately become victims, forcing the public to address the fact that these tragedies are increasing in frequency and severity. As we all know, proponents of gun control are eager to discuss this matter and push lawmakers towards legislation that would attempt to reduce the amount of freedom available to Americans when purchasing guns, whereas more conservative people tend to want to keep gun laws as they currently are in order to protect the right to bear arms.

Unsurprisingly, the world of country music has always been firmly rooted in more right-wing ideals, considering the kind of audience that it attracts and the subjects of most songs. Certainly, evidence supports the fact that the genre draws more conservative fans than any other, with sixty percent identifying in that way according to a Gallup poll from 2004. The National Rifle Association noticed this correlation as an opportunity, and so in 2010 NRA Country was founded in order to more effectively reach out to country music fans and garner their support for the organization. The mission of the organization is differentiated from the NRA, though, in the fact that they focus more on a “light-hearted, fun and open conversation about the outdoor lifestyle and not so much about the controversial, heated conversation about the Second Amendment.” NRA Country focuses on their Artist of the Month campaign

All of this does not necessarily mean that the artists that make up the genre are all on board with the NRA’s platform, and this is becoming evident especially in recent past. Previously, country artists that spoke out about more liberal views often faced criticism for fans and jeopardized their careers, like the Dixie Chicks, who said that they were “ashamed” that President George W. Bush was from Texas. These comments led to significant backlash from fans and drove them out of the mainstream. Now, however, more liberal artists are actually quite common, and very popular. Tim McGraw and Garth Brooks are just a few of the most vocal. Nowadays, these artists are able to speak their minds publicly and still sell their music widely.

NRA Country used to be so firmly connected to the artists, but within the past month (probably in light of the Parkland school shooting), they have pulled the page from their website where they list the specific artists that they have worked with in the past. One has to wonder, does this mean that the industry is officially moving away from its ties to the NRA? Interestingly, Brantley Gilbert, an avid supporter of gun ownership, refuses to associate himself with the organization so as to make sure he is the only person that controls the public image of his beliefs. This kind of viewpoint is usually lauded, because it makes it easier to define for oneself what kind of boundaries gun control can push and what it must preserve. NRA Country has refused to comment on the significance of this restructuring of their website.

Most notably, the shooting at the Jason Aldean concert in Las Vegas last year probably had the largest impact on how many country music stars think about their position with the NRA. This incident was the deadliest shooting in modern American history, with 59 deaths. The country music community seemed to be almost completely silent for weeks, but eventually slowly began to speak out, if not gingerly. Evidently, it is difficult for a community that is culturally rooted in gun ownership to speak out against even the most extreme cases, like how civilians are allowed to purchase AR-15s even though these are military-grade weapons. Hopefully, whatever their opinions are, artists will feel more comfortable in the future with articulating their viewpoints on such a sensitive topic, and perhaps try to bridge the gap between the NRA and the left by engaging in meaningful dialogues about gun control and how to protect the 2nd amendment rights of Americans.

Sources: https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2018/03/20/595327341/is-country-musics-relationship-with-the-nra-shifting

https://www.rollingstone.com/country/news/inside-country-musics-uneasy-relationship-with-gun-control-w514170