Almost $240 million was spent by the NRA from 1990-2019; $54 million in the 2016 cycle alone
Over 100 gun safety proposals were introduced but not passed from 2011-2016 while Republicans held the House majority
The National Rifle Association (NRA) recently formed a new super PAC, NRA Victory Fund Inc., according to an FEC filing on March 10. As a super PAC, the NRA Victory Fund can raise and spend an unlimited amount of money to advocate for or against political candidates. The outsized influence of groups, like the NRA Victory Fund, is the reason President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have failed to support any measures on meaningful gun safety legislation.
Inaction on the gun violence epidemic is nothing new. Since the 2010 Citizens United decision, the NRA has spent nearly $125 million to bankroll Republicans who oppose common sense gun safety reforms. In 2016, the NRA spent over $30 million on Donald Trump’s election. The disastrous Supreme Court decision allows outside groups like the NRA to threaten members of Congress who consider gun safety legislation by funding their primary opponents and running independent expenditures against them. Between 2011 and 2016, over 100 gun safety proposals were introduced but not passed while Republicans held the House majority.
“Our broken campaign finance system is the reason Congress can’t pass any meaningful reforms to address gun violence,” said Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United. ”When a mass shooting occurs in the U.S., President Trump’s first call is not to grieving families – it’s to the NRA’s Wayne LaPierre. We need to stop the gun violence that’s terrorizing our communities and to do that, we must remove the NRA’s super PAC money out of our politics.”
Despite the fact that 85% percent of Americans are concerned about gun violence in the U.S., 2017 saw the highest number of deaths from gun violence in nearly 50 years. That increase coincided with an influx of spending from gun rights groups, mostly supporting Republican candidates. Almost $240 million was spent by the NRA from 1990-2019; $54 million in the 2016 cycle alone.
End Citizens United has been working to expose the NRA’s influence over our government and elections. In August 2019, End Citizens United (ECU) Action Fund and Brady hosted “Mission Critical: Reforming our Democracy to End Gun Violence” at the National Press Club. With keynote addresses from Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Representative Lucy McBath (D-GA), the event focused on how comprehensive anti-corruption and money in politics reform is critical to passing vital gun safety legislation.
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