Public human rights organizations

Read Time:1 Minute, 57 Second

Public organizations are also being formed to preserve what they consider to be the constitutional rights of Americans. For example, the National Rifle Association was founded in 1871 to protect the right to own firearms, as well as to provide firearms training for police and self-defense courses, improve firearm safety, improve shooting techniques, and promote hunting in the United States.

Today, the National Rifle Association is better known as one of the main political forces advocating for reducing restrictions on gun ownership and defending Second Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution. The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, on the other hand, works to pass and enforce federal and state laws, regulations, and public policies that would provide stricter controls on gun use and ownership.

Both of these organizations, along with thousands of other civic organizations, play an important role in the gun control debate currently underway in the United States following the tragedy that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, late last year.

Many civil society organizations, especially those that advocate for civil liberties, are devoting a great deal of attention to criticizing our authorities. The American Civil Liberties Union is a prime example. The purpose of this organization is to defend and preserve the rights and freedoms of the individual, as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and in American laws.

Representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union work daily in courts, legislatures, and with the public to protect and preserve individual rights and freedoms.

Civil Liberties Union (CLU) civil society organizations oversee the actions of the government. Civil rights organizations in the U.S. monitor elections and campaign promises, investigate and expose corruption, and actively advocate on behalf of minority communities.

One function of NGOs is court monitoring, where U.S. citizens monitor decisions.
For example, WATCH, a Minnesota NGO, describes its purpose as improving the efficiency and responsiveness of the court system in cases of violence against women and children. This organization is a member of the National Association of Judicial Monitoring Programs, which provides training and materials to organizations in various states.

Because the U.S. Constitution guarantees openness of the courts to the public, members of community-based organizations that monitor the courts have no difficulty accessing the courts and observing what is going on in a court case.