Listen: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/americandemocracyminute/episodes/2022-05-25T07_26_04-07_00

Today’s Links:
Articles:   Open Secrets “Gun rights groups set new lobbying spending record in 2021”
                 The Trace “How Much Did the NRA Spend to Support Republicans in 2020?”
Gun safety groups:   Everytown for Gun Safety,  The Brady Center, Giffords.org PAC, Moms Demand Action

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Lacking in the news reports about the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas were the totals spent by the gun lobby to influence our U.S. Congress and Senate into inaction.

A May 16th article by money-in-politics research organization Open Secrets, details the lobbying and campaign contribution efforts since the Sandy Hook elementary massacre in 2012.

Gun rights groups have spent over $190 million dollars lobbying in Washington since 1998 but $114 million of that has been spent since 2013. That doesn’t include lobbying expenses for state legislation. Just in the last year, gun rights groups spent a record $15.8 million on lobbying in 2021, and $2 million in the first quarter of 2022.

Then there’s the campaign contributions. Gun rights groups, including the NRA, use their Super PACs to elect gun-friendly candidates. Open Secrets says that from 1989 to 2022, $50.5 million dollars was contributed to federal candidates and party committees – 99% of direct contributions went to support Republican candidates.

In recent years, gun control groups have also started to spend money, and contributed $26.3 million during the same period. Contributions from such organizations as Everytown for Gun Safety and Giffords PAC supported almost entirely Democrats.

We have links to the Open Secrets article as well as ways to take action at our website, AmericanDemocracyMinute.org/

Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we have, it’s something we DO.”

For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.