The National Rifle Association has long been a powerful lobbying group in Washington D.C., and every time there’s a mass shooting in the U.S. -- which is quite often -- leaders point the finger at the NRA.
After an 18-year-old gunman walked into an elementary school in Texas this week, killing 18 children and two teachers, President Joe Biden said, “As a nation we have to ask: When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When in God’s name are we going to do what has to be done?” Biden asked. “Why are we willing to live with this carnage?”
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But the prospects for any reform of the nation’s gun regulations appeared dim. Repeated attempts over the years to expand background checks and enact other curbs on guns have run into Republican resistance in Congress.
According to Open Secrets, in 2020, Republicans in Congress accounted for 97% of donations from the NRA in the election cycle, with Democrats only taking 1.97%. That amounted to about $638,035 in campaign donations from the NRA to Republicans in 2020, and about $12,800 to Democrats.
The NRA Victory Fund spent $18 million in the 2020 election to oppose Democratic candidates, compared to $1M to oppose Republican candidates. $11M of that was spent on campaigns against Biden.
Here are the Michigan lawmakers that received donations from the NRA in the 2020 cycle:
- Lisa McClain (R-MI 10)
- John Bergman (R-MI 1)
- Tim Walberg (R-MI 7)
- Peter Meijer (R-MI 3)
- Bill Huizenga (R-MI 2)
- John Moolenaar (R-MI 4)
More: School massacre continues Texas’ grim run of mass shootings