Gun Owners of America has far fewer members and much less money than the better-known NRA, but the group is emerging as an influential voice in Washington.

A gun rights group working feverishly to prevent the passage of several gun control bills in Congress has apparently caught the ear of several lawmakers. No, it’s not the National Rifle Association.

Gun Owners of America, a lobbying organization that’s been around since 1975, doesn’t get nearly as much media attention as the larger, better-funded and better-known NRA, but its voice is increasingly being heard on Capitol Hill.

The group recently blitzed Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., with emails and calls after learning he was talking with Democrats about a bill to expand background checks for gun buyers, The New York Times reported. The result: Coburn, a gun rights advocate, backed away from negotiations with Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., deeply damaging the prospects of the bill.

The organization is led by Executive Director Larry Pratt, 70, a former Virginia state legislator who has long been active in Republican politics. Coburn said he backed off because he didn’t like a provision that would have required private gun sellers to keep records. But Pratt believes his group’s campaign contributed to Coburn’s decision.

“His staff admitted that it kind of irritated the senator,” Pratt told The New York Times. “We were told, ‘He’s getting tired of this.’ But when we hear complaints like that, we know we are close to success. We are happy he changed his mind.”

http://news.msn.com/us/gun-owners-of-america-for-when-the-nra-hasnt-gone-far-enough