![Brady Blog [image]](http://www.bradycampaign.org/common-images/page-headers/brady-blog.jpg)
As more figures come in, the extent of the NRA’s campaign losses becomes even clearer. They spent over 2.1 million dollars in independent expenditures in 51 federal campaigns during the 2006 election cycle according to data reported so far to the Federal Election Commission. These expenditures made the NRA seventh on the FEC’s list of non-party related Political Action Committees.
If you add the money they spent in the races for Governor in Colorado and Wisconsin, their total independent expenditures came to nearly 2.6 million dollars.
So what kind of “bang” did the NRA get for these bucks?:
- 83 percent of the money went to losing campaigns.
- 88 percent of the money spent on U.S. Senate campaigns went to losers
- In the Colorado (an open seat in, yes, a western Rocky Mountain state) and Wisconsin (site of the NRA National convention this year) races for Governor, the NRA spent 442,000 dollars and lost both races soundly.
- Over 2.1 million dollars was spent on 14 statewide races (for Senator or Governor) and the NRA still lost nearly 80 percent of those races.
- In the 11 races where the NRA advertised heavily on TV, radio and in newspapers, they helped only two candidates win.
- In most of these races where the NRA lost, there was a clear public difference between the competing candidates on the issue of common sense gun violence prevention measures, a difference that hurt the NRA-backed candidates in the polls.
The challenge now is for our elected officials to realize that
supporting things like Brady background checks to keep criminals and
terrorists from buying guns from legitimate sources, and enforcing the
laws applicable to gun dealers to make sure they don’t contribute to
the market in illegal guns by allowing straw purchases, makes good
sense from a political as well a policy perspective.
20 Comments
Sorry, comment limit exceeded for this entry.
![www.godnotguns.org blog [image]](/xshare/modules/images/gngblog.gif)
![[image]](/xshare/modules/images/gun-violence-map.gif)
![Paul Helmke [image]](/xshare/modules/images/brady-joinus-red-2007-10-12.gif)
![Gun Industry Watch [image]](/xshare/modules/images/gunindustrywatch-description.gif)
![Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence [logo]](http://www.bradycampaign.org/bradyreport/email/common-images/bc_logo.gif){kind=logo}
Thank you, Paul, for this insightful perspective. Hopefully, you will send this analysis to every elected official in Congress as well as to every candidate considering a run for the presidency. Also, forgive me for revisting the 2000 elections, but it was pretty much the same story (despite the NRA spin to the contrary.) Let’s not forget that many of the NRA financed stalwarts were soundly defeated (including U.S. Sen. John Ashcroft of Missouri, U.S. Sen. Spencer Abraham of Michigan and U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton of Washington, among others.) That year the NRA also poured millions of dollars into the states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa to ensure a victory for its candidate George W. Bush. But despite the NRA efforts, Al Gore still carried all four states. Also lost in the NRA propaganda is the fact that Al Gore — who supported common sense meansures to keep guns out of the wrong hands — also won the popular vote. Again, thanks for putting the 2006 in its proper perspective and letting me vent about 2000.
You may be misinterpreting the results of the election. I don’t think that gun control was in most voters’ heads when they decided to vote out the Republicans. I voted for Democrats and Libertarians because the Republicans had failed to preserve civil liberties, had gotten us stuck in Iraq, and massively increased the size and cost of government. Not to mention the scandals. None of that changes the fact that I am opposed to most gun control measures.
Uh, little Paulie, gun control had very little to do with the lost campaigns in Congress. Very few of the contenders so much as mentioned gun control in their campaigns. You know why? People are sick and tired of jerks like you that lie to get people’s civil liberties taken away. You know, like the GOP and the Patriot Act and like the Democrats and the Assault Weapons Ban. Your idiotic little bills poison political campaigns. That’s why no one mentions gun control anymore. Now, go back and hide in your little hole along with the rest of the tyrants.
I agree with Joel C. Normally I vote Republican but switched to Libertarian because of my disgust with Bush’s attacks on civil liberties and the war.
It would be a mistake for the Brady Campaign to consider this a referendum on gun control. Some very pro-rights Democrats (such as Nick Lampson who is rated “A” by the NRA) were elected to office. Also, John Dingell (another pro-rights and NRA board member) will probably chair the Energy and Commerce Committee.
We all need to remember what happened in 1994 after the passage of the Assault Weapons ban. The House changed hands from Democrat to Republican. The same thing could happen again.
The so called “analysis” by Ms. Thomases misses the point. Al Gore should have won the 2000 election easily given the economy and the popularity/incumbency of Bill Clinton. Political observers argue he lost West Virginia and other states because of his support for a ban on semiautomatic firearms (mentioned on a Larry King Live broadcast)as well the activities of the Million Mom March. The Brady Campaign is out of touch to think the election was not impacted by Rosie O’Donnell’s emotional tirade about gun owners needing to be jailed to stop future Columbine High School massacres or the image of “moms” carrying signs with pictures of guns with red slashes through them. The message being sent was clear - get rid of guns and gun owners because they cause crime(which is apparently what is deemed “common sense” in your organization).
In the latest American Rifleman, the NRA is claiming a 88% success ratio in the elections. While 83% of their money may have gone to losing campaigns, much of that was in areas where the NRA candidate was the underdog.
The real measure of success is which candidate is elected, not how much money was spent. There is still a pro-rights majority in Congress, although not as much as before.
Paul, your assertion the nation needs “Brady background checks to keep criminals and terrorists from buying guns from legitimate sources” is absolutely absurd. I have never heard of a terrorist, or criminal for that matter, paying retail price for a gun. Only law-abiding citizens pay the premium required to own a new firearm. A criminal or “terrorist” will most likely purchase their firearm from an illicit source, at the lowest price possible… I mean come on man, why would a criminal willingly pay sales tax?
If the NRA spending and lossing, then why bother with them. Why can’t I sue Ford since it was their product that hit me and not the driver.
I’m a Fed LEO. I teach gun safety and encourage the moral responsibiliy of gun ownership. I think your group needs to look at why more people die from malpratice in hospitals (people we are supposed to trust) and why our courts refuse to enforce the guns laws that are on the books now. They are very good laws and made for the person who violates them, why should the public suffer as a whole. We need to put the moral’s back into the home and take the responsibily of our actions and stop hugging each other and blaming everyone else.
In short. Put the criminal away for his actions and stop trying to turn law abiding citizens into criminals because we want to go to the range and shoot paper targets. You ENFORCE the CURRENT LAW and we will do just fine.
The NRA just celebrated it’s “2O millionth child” educated by the Eddie the Eagle Gun Safety Program. What has the Brady Campaign done besides trying to infringe upon my rights and polarizing this country’s citizens by force-feeding them biased statistics?
The NRA may have lost some pro-gun politicians in congress, but the NRA also spends millions on gun safety, education, and outreach programs. Now THAT is money well spent.
The NRA also has 4 million members and growing, the Brady Campaign, 500,000. The NRA has given 10 times the amount of money to the GOP, that the Brady Camp has given to the Democrats. Regardless of the election results, the fact remains that the NRA has big political clout, always will. It didn’t surprise me that even the most liberal, elitist candidates this election cycle stayed away from the gun issue, otherwise they would LOSE! Only the Brady Camp can spin the election results this way. One more thing, this election had NOTHING to do with guns, it was all about IRAQ AND CORRUPTION.
Very nice site! Good work.
mmm.. nice design, I must say..
Du musst ein Fachmann sein - wirklich guter Aufstellungsort, den du hast!
i’am really impressed!!
luogo grande:) nessun osservazioni!
Great site! Good luck to it’s owner!
I voted AGAINST Bush and his team of liers. the lack of ethics has sunk this country into a moral quagmire. You just can not believe this guy at all, and those are on issues that we are aware of, God knows what else they are still hiding.
I will go against you because your intent is to deprive good, law abiding citizens from having the ability to defend themselves against criminals, who do not go by the rules, and go by the law of the jungle, they will pray on the weak, the old, the unaware.
Get a grip on reality! 911 is after the fact, we can not have a cop in every place while some crazy idiot is stabbing, beating, or whatever else, a defenseless individual.
That is what in my view is all about, having the choice to have the ability to save my life and my loved ones lives.
J. Vallejo
i am a democrat and a nra member. i think you gun control people are just hurting the people who obey the laws. people who support gun ban and gun control are only helpiing the criminals.
paul are you an american? do you believe in our constitution? it seems to me people like you want to destroy our rights. it seems to me all of the world dictators including hitler pushed for gun bans. i would be proud if i was you. why don’t you move to cuba where the people don’t have any rights.
do you think the criminals follows the gun laws. it is time we pushed to put the crimials behind bars not ban any more guns from the people who obey the laws.