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Gun Lobby Donations Are Driving the GOP’s Increasingly Extreme Opposition to Gun Control [1]

['Associate Director', 'Media Relations', 'Director', 'Federal Affairs', 'Senior Director', 'Safety', 'Justice Campaign', 'State', 'Local Government Affairs']

Date: 2023-01

Over the past 25 years, bipartisan support for the assault weapons ban has become increasingly unreachable. Earlier this year, when the U.S. House of Representatives voted on a stand-alone assault weapons ban, only two out of 210 Republicans—roughly 1 percent—voted for the bill.

One of these two GOP members, Rep. Chris Jacobs (NY), switched his stance in favor of the ban after 10 people near his district in Buffalo were gunned down. Jacobs framed his support as a matter of conscience, but that did little to stem the backlash he faced from his own party in response to his support of the ban. Jacobs ultimately decided to drop his bid for reelection.

Almost 30 years earlier, in May 1994, Congress debated a version of the assault weapons ban that eventually passed and remained in effect for 10 years. The rhetoric used that day is similar to today’s arguments for stronger gun control—but it was shared by both Republicans and Democrats. One Republican member, Rep. John Porter (IL), took to the floor in support of the bill: “These are weapons with no hunting, sporting, or other legitimate purposes and for which there is no reason for anyone to own except to aid in the commission of crime.” Porter not only backed the bill but also “helped lead the successful effort that created the 1994 assault weapons ban.”

Porter’s view certainly represented a minority of the GOP, but he was far from the only Republican to support the bill: On the vote for the stand-alone 1994 assault weapons ban, 37 out of 175 GOP members—roughly 22 percent, or 1 in 5—voted for the bill. This number isn’t high, but it’s a stark contrast to congressional Republicans’ waning support for gun control legislation today—most recently the mere two House Republicans who supported this year’s assault weapons ban.

While the Republican Party has almost universally turned against the assault weapons ban, gun control has never been more popular among voters, with 68 percent supporting stricter gun laws, according to recent polling. This column explores why a party would almost unanimously oppose an issue with such broad support, focusing on the connection between the gun lobby’s rising support for Republican candidates and the GOP’s almost unwavering opposition to gun control measures.

The gun lobby’s donations to GOP candidates have ballooned in recent years

Two powerful pro-gun political groups in particular have intensified their campaigns against gun control: the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and the National Rifle Association (NRA).

The NSSF, an organization that bills itself as the firearm industry trade association, started its own political action committee (PAC) in 2010. The NSSF’s PAC is funded by the giants of the firearms world, receiving donations from employees and executives of Sturm, Ruger and Co.; Smith and Wesson; Sig Sauer; and Colt, as well as from companies such as Silencer Central.

In the beginning, the NSSF PAC donated barely any money—just $7,900 in the 2010 cycle, according to OpenSecrets.org. During that first cycle, the PAC donated more money to Democrats ($4,900) than to Republicans ($3,000), but in 2012, it started its trend toward supporting the GOP: Of its $34,000 in donations, $27,500 went to Republicans and $6,500 to Democrats.

By the 2020 election cycle, the NSSF’s political donations exploded to slightly less than $521,000—with $512,000 going to Republicans and slightly less than $9,000 to Democrats.

Figure 1

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[1] Url: https://www.americanprogressaction.org/article/gun-lobby-donations-are-driving-the-gops-increasingly-extreme-opposition-to-gun-control/

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