In April 2013, the National Rifle Association (NRA) wrote an open letter to United States Senators Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell, requesting a constructive debate on the issue of gun control. Signed by more than 30 wildlife and shooting organisations, the letter states that these bodies actively support professional wildlife management and the advancement of the nation’s hunting and recreational shooting heritage. The letter argues that economically, the companies in the United States that manufacture, distribute and sell firearms, ammunition and hunting equipment employ as many as 98,752 people in the country and generate an additional 110,998 jobs in supplier and ancillary industries. The letter’s authors claim that in 2012 alone the firearms and ammunition industry was responsible for as much as $31.84 billion in total economic activity in the US. The letter states that the significant contributions these companies are making to the nation’s economic recovery should not be sacrificed to unnecessary and ineffective restrictions and bans, no matter how well-intended their proponents may be.