2aguy
Diamond Member
- Jul 19, 2014
- 111,952
- 52,205
- 2,290
The NRA is the leading Gun Safety training group in the United States.....you know..actually saving lives.
The NRA fights against democrat attempts to put more criminals back on the streets...you know, actually saving lives.
The NRA trains police officers all around the country...you know, actually saving lives.
And no, they are not the biggest spenders in Washington..not even close.....Planned Parenthood, the group that actually murders defenseless human beings outspends them by hundreds of millions each year...and a lot of that money is taxpayer money........
Politicians and Guns: Follow the Votes, Not the Money
The Washington Post and the New York Times laid out splashy reports chronicling how much money the NRA has given to Republican congressmen. Trump visits with survivors of Las Vegas shooting
“Since 1998, the National Rifle Association has donated $3,533,294 to current members of Congress,” the Post reported in 2016. The New York Times listed total NRA donations to certain GOP politicians alongside their statements offering condolences and prayers for the victims in Las Vegas. And the op-ed pages have been suffused with claims that the NRA has bought Republicans with blood money, stifling the popular will and thwarting democracy in the process.
There’s just one problem: It’s not true.
Oh, it’s certainly the case that the NRA and related groups have given a good amount of money to Republican politicians (and quite a few Democrats) over the years. But in the grubby bazaar of politician-buying, the NRA is a bit player.
Consider that $3.5 million in donations over nearly 20 years the Washington Post made such a fuss about.
According to Opensecrets.org, the legal profession contributed $207 million to politicians in 2016 alone.
Fahr LLC, the outfit that oversees the political and philanthropic efforts of billionaire anti-global-warming activist Tom Steyer, gave $90 million (all to Democrats) in 2016.
In terms of lobbying and political contributions, the NRA and the gun industry generally spend next to nothing compared with the big players.
According to OpenSecrets, the NRA spent $1.1 million on contributions in 2016 and $3 million on lobbying.
The food and beverage industry has spent $14 million on lobbying in 2017 alone.
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, spent $9 million on contributions in 2016. People who hate guns and gun rights cannot believe that people disagree with them in good faith.
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In fairness, NRA-related outside PACs do bundle a good deal more cash, but it’s still a fraction of what big labor and the trial lawyers pony up. All NRA-related outside expenditures in 2016 added up to about $54 million. A single liberal super PAC, Priorities USA, spent $133 million.
The NRA fights against democrat attempts to put more criminals back on the streets...you know, actually saving lives.
The NRA trains police officers all around the country...you know, actually saving lives.
And no, they are not the biggest spenders in Washington..not even close.....Planned Parenthood, the group that actually murders defenseless human beings outspends them by hundreds of millions each year...and a lot of that money is taxpayer money........
Politicians and Guns: Follow the Votes, Not the Money
The Washington Post and the New York Times laid out splashy reports chronicling how much money the NRA has given to Republican congressmen. Trump visits with survivors of Las Vegas shooting
“Since 1998, the National Rifle Association has donated $3,533,294 to current members of Congress,” the Post reported in 2016. The New York Times listed total NRA donations to certain GOP politicians alongside their statements offering condolences and prayers for the victims in Las Vegas. And the op-ed pages have been suffused with claims that the NRA has bought Republicans with blood money, stifling the popular will and thwarting democracy in the process.
There’s just one problem: It’s not true.
Oh, it’s certainly the case that the NRA and related groups have given a good amount of money to Republican politicians (and quite a few Democrats) over the years. But in the grubby bazaar of politician-buying, the NRA is a bit player.
Consider that $3.5 million in donations over nearly 20 years the Washington Post made such a fuss about.
According to Opensecrets.org, the legal profession contributed $207 million to politicians in 2016 alone.
Fahr LLC, the outfit that oversees the political and philanthropic efforts of billionaire anti-global-warming activist Tom Steyer, gave $90 million (all to Democrats) in 2016.
In terms of lobbying and political contributions, the NRA and the gun industry generally spend next to nothing compared with the big players.
According to OpenSecrets, the NRA spent $1.1 million on contributions in 2016 and $3 million on lobbying.
The food and beverage industry has spent $14 million on lobbying in 2017 alone.
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, spent $9 million on contributions in 2016. People who hate guns and gun rights cannot believe that people disagree with them in good faith.
----
In fairness, NRA-related outside PACs do bundle a good deal more cash, but it’s still a fraction of what big labor and the trial lawyers pony up. All NRA-related outside expenditures in 2016 added up to about $54 million. A single liberal super PAC, Priorities USA, spent $133 million.
