Over the last ten years and more, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has poured millions of dollars to Republican senators, contributions that have cast a shadow over the discussion over new gun laws in the wake of the mass killings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas.
According to OpenSecrets, the NRA provided around $149,000 to Senate candidates in the 2020 election season, with virtually all of the funding going to Republicans.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) led the list with $16,029 from the NRA in that cycle, followed by Sens. Bill Haggerty (R-Tenn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) with $10,550 and $10,459.
The lobbying group gave Senate Republicans more than $35,000 in the 2018 election season, up from $139,000 in 2016.
The National Rifle Association isn’t the only one that spends a lot of money.
According to OpenSecrets, a competing gun-rights group, Gun Owners of America, donated $45,100 to Senate candidates in the 2020 election season, with 100% of the money going to Republicans.
The National Association for Gun Rights is also a good place to start. In the 2020 Senate election season, the organization spent $20,000 on five Republican Senate candidates.
The expectation is that legislators who accept money would side with the gun industry and oppose legislation that aims to place further limitations on weapons, especially as public outrage grows over horrific killings.
The gun lobby, according to Democrats, is to blame for the lack of action on weapons.
Requests for comment were not returned by the NRA.
A large proportion of people are in favor of tougher gun laws. According to a recent Politico/Morning Consult survey, 41% of registered voters believe it is very essential for Congress to enact stronger gun regulations, while 18% believe it is somewhat important.
Other polling data, on the other hand, indicates the issue’s complexity and why many Republican politicians oppose gun control legislation.
In a Gallup survey taken in 2021, 52 percent of respondents thought additional gun control legislation is needed, while 35 percent said rules should stay the same. Eleven percent of respondents stated they support looser laws.
The GOP base is thought to be more pro-gun than the general election opposition, and most Republicans are more concerned about primary challengers than general election opponents. This is especially true in the House, as proven by a Republican representative who favored gun-control regulations withdrawing from his reelection run on Friday after facing intense pressure from local Republican leaders, but it is also a concern for Senate candidates.
Republicans who want to run for president continue to show up at NRA gatherings.
While the NRA’s financial reputation has dwindled over the years as a result of a few court fights, the event demonstrated the organization’s enduring strength.
Gun rights groups spent $190.4 million on lobbying between 1998 and 2022, according to OpenSecrets, whereas gun control groups spent only $28.9 million.
If the votes on gun legislation are any indication, such investments have paid off.
Toomey has earned $1.4 million from the NRA throughout the course of his career, according to OpenSecrets.
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