Make no mistake–the NRA is an obnoxious organization. It takes extreme positions, and hardly ever backs down. It appears to think guns belong everywhere: stadiums; bars; schools, whatever. It continues to generate new access issues in order to give itself a reason for existence. It contributes practically nothing positive to American society.
And yet, it is not to blame for the legislative deadlock on gun issues, because it doesn’t spend that much money on lobbying. It doesn’t have to. The NRA is successful because a large percentage of the Reactionary faction of the GOP views guns, not as objects, but icons: symbols of strength, cultural pride, traditional religious beliefs, individualism, and limited government. Taking away guns is similar to spitting on the cross for these people.
That is why it is so hard for them to compromise, even in the face of repeated school massacres. You can make deals about objects, but symbols are a different matter altogether.