The United States is often referred to as a 'gun culture,' not least because there are an estimated 250-300 million firearms in civilian possession. Yet a high level of gun ownership alone does not make the U.S. unique; arguably what does is that millions of Americans believe the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights codifies the individual right to keep and bear arms, and should render federal gun control legislation 'unconstitutional'. Organisations defending this right and fighting gun control legislation such as the National Rifle Association (NRA) are among the most powerful in the country, with strong ties to the Republican administration in 2006. Because of this influence, most literature on the gun control debate describes the 'gun lobby' as a special interest group protecting not merely gun owners but also the gun industry.