Skip to content

Florida shooting: Why the NRA wields so much power

Every time there's a mass shooting in America there are calls for action to stop it from happening again. But any effort to introduce stricter gun laws always falters in the US Congress - and that's in large part because of the power of the National Rifle Association.

The BBC's North America Editor Jon Sopel looks at the group's influence on President Trump and other politicians.

16 February 2018

Explore More

A view from an EasyJet plane window as it flies above and to the side of an erupting volcano

Plane passengers film Iceland volcano lava from above

BBC News

East of England weather forecast

Composite image of Sir Keir Starmer and BBC Radio WM presenter Kath Stanczyszyn, who is pictured wearing headphones and speaking into a purple microphone

Will there be a Birmingham pub bombings inquiry?

Birmingham & Black Country

A huge Christmas tree on a flatbed lorry in font of the US Capitol building

US Capitol Christmas tree arrives in DC

Blurred still image from video clips shows people being taken out of a car

Migrants asked to rate trip in smuggler review videos

John Darvall sat on the left of a composite image, in a purple studio with a microphone in front of him. On the right is Keir Starmer with grey hair and brown glasses.

PM challenged on West's councils facing bankruptcy

BBC Newsline

BBC Newsline signed summary

BBC Scotland weather presenter Christopher Blanchett in front of a weather map of Scotland showing snow warnings.

Watch the Storm Bert weather forecast for Scotland

Mural of The Smiths bassist Andy Rourke unveiled

Parts of West Burton A power station being demolished

Power station demolition captured by drone

Man clinging to a cliff being rescued

Moment person clinging to cliff is rescued by helicopter

A woman in a hospital gown grins on the left and a monitor lit up with lungs is on the right of a split screen.

Woman gets first double lung transplant done by robot

Ryan Borgwardt

US kayaker who faked own death thought to have fled to Europe

Ruth Dodsworth in the BBC studios in Cardiff. She is sitting on an orange sofa. She has cropped blonde hair and is wearing a fitted mauve top,

Stalking was part of my daily life, says presenter

A Christmas tree with lots of blue and green lights. A building nearby has yellow lights and a red bow so it looks like a present. You can see people stood in front of the building.

Manx capital sparkles at Christmas lights switch-on

A woman has her make up done in a Swansea salon for Beaujolais Day

'Beaujolais day is Swansea's Christmas'

A woman polished a large Gromit statue at the launch of the Gromit Unleashed 3 trail in Bristol. The statue has a multicoloured sparkly pattern. The woman is wearing a red and white shirt and a black dress over the top and she has red hair cut in a bob style

Aardman unveils new Wallace and Gromit trail

Dylan Thomas, who is wearing a blue jumper and has brown hair, is smiling at the camera

Watch: Cardiff murderer's 999 call and arrest

Crowds of people walking streets at night

Thousands rush to US border before Trump takes office

Weather

Strong winds and flooding as Storm Bert arrives

Composite image of Donald Trump and Elon Musk alongside the Starship taking off

Trump joins Musk to watch Starship test launch

The president-elect visited the launch site in Texas to watch the spacecraft's sixth test flight.

Firefighters helping people stuck on ride.

Riders stuck midair for hours on California park ride

The spinning ride left 22 people stranded after it encountered technical difficulties.

Pete, Trump and Pam are next to each other.

A look at Trump's new top team... in 85 seconds

Among the allies the president-elect has chosen to join his administration are contentious figures, including among fellow Republicans.

Meteor lights up the night sky.

Meteor lights up night sky over parts of US and Canada

The American Meteor Society received at least 170 eyewitness reports of the falling star from both countries.

Kennedy is speaking a crowd while Trump looks at him.

Trump names vaccine sceptic RFK Jr for health secretary

The president-elect has nominated RFK to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Smoke is seen from the top of a building.

Watch: Thick smoke billows from New York skyscraper

Approximately 80 firefighters responded to a blaze in a luxury Manhattan apartment building.

Why is Kamala Harris still asking for campaign donations?

A week after losing the election, Kamala Harris's team are still appealing for funds.

Police officer smashing sunroof of vehicle submerged in pool

Police bodycam shows man being rescued from submerged car

The man told officers he "accidentally stepped on the gas too hard" driving the vehicle into a pool.

Sumi Somaskanda stands on the left and Trump stands on the right.

What a Republican trifecta means for Trump's second term

Republicans have won control of both chambers of Congress, yielding Trump limited congressional oversight for at least 2 years.

A huge cloud of dust sweeps over fields and trees.

Giant wall of dust sweeps across central California

The huge dust storm - also known as a haboob - limited visibility and left many residents in the dark.

Flame and smoke billow over train tracks

Watch: Moment large fire explodes on New York train line

A transformer fire in the Bronx has caused an explosion, suspending train services between New York and New Haven.

Donald Trump and Joe Biden in Oval Office

‘Welcome back’ - Watch moment Biden congratulates Trump

The president and president-elect shook hands as part of a long-standing tradition signifying the transfer of power.

Biden is on the left and Trump is on the right.

What we can expect from Trump and Biden's meeting

Given all the things they’ve said about each other, Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s meeting could be really awkward.

split screen of building damage and a man

Watch: Drone footage captures Kentucky explosion damage

An "unknown" explosion at factory in Louisville, Kentucky injured 11 people on Tuesday.

Firefighter crew drives down street with burning trees

Crews battle deadly Jennings Creek wildfire

A teenage park ranger was killed while battling the blaze over the weekend.

A large burst of fire is seen breaking out over a street with several cars

Moment vehicle explodes on quiet New York street

Officials are still investigating the cause of the blast, which damaged homes and vehicles.

Truck crashing into parked vehicle narrowly missing worker

Watch: Moment road worker dodges high-speed truck crash

Footage shows a truck crash and almost hit a highway worker on the side of an Interstate in New York.

Woman taking picture of a helicopter and wildfire smoke filling the sky

Smoke towers over homes as wildfire spreads near Los Angeles

The fast-moving fire has burned homes and engulfed more than 14,000 acres in Ventura County, according to officials.

Joe Biden wearing a suit holding up a fist

Watch: Biden urges Democrats to 'get back up' after Trump win

The president addressed Americans from the White House for the first time since Donald Trump's election victory.

A California firefighter battles deep red flames with a hose

Watch: Fast-moving California wildfire burns out of control

Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in Ventura County, near Los Angeles.