How Does The NRA/GOA etc. Spend Your Money?

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Check out http://www.OpenSecrets.org for information on how the various RKBA groups are spending your donations:

Here is the page showing Gun Rights giving as a whole:

The NRA was the 22nd top donor of all the various interest groups, donating $13,373,887 to federal candidates and political parties since 1989. No other pro-gun organization made the list. Unions and trial lawyers made up 9 of the top 10.

PAC Contributions in 2004 Election Cycle. All Gun Rights donors listed:

1. National Rifle Association: $330,573
2. Gun Owners of America: $8,577

Soft Money Contributions for Gun Rights in the 2002 election cycle (no 2004 data yet). All Gun Rights donors listed:

1. National Rifle Association: $752,873
2. National Shooting Sports Foundation (gun manufacturer lobby): $211,850

Lobbyist Spending for 2000 (most recent data available). Opensecrets considers "Americans For Gun Safety" a gun rights organization - I do not so I omitted them, all other gun rights organizations that have records of donating are listed:

1. Gun Owners of America: $4,130,000*
2. National Rifle Association: $1,150,000**
3. Citizens Committee to Keep and Bear Arms: $1,020,759
4. National Shooting Sports Foundation: $200,000
5. NRA - Insititute for Legislative Action: $80,000**
6. Safari Club International: $40,000
7. Fifty Caliber Shooters Poicy Institute: $20,000

*GOA spends the most on lobbying; but spreads the wealth over their 5 in-house lobbyists. NRA and NRA-ILA combined hired 35 lobbyists and 6 different firms, spending $490,000 on their in-house lobbyists. CCRKBA spent all their money on a single full-time in-house lobbyist.

** NRA and NRA-ILA combined spent $1,230,000. The $80,000 ILA donation went to Harold Volkmer's lobbying group.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Exactly how money should be spent too. Grease the political wheels, get the politicos into your corner and get them to write or fight the legislation you want. Politics is a vile and necessary creature and we should all learn from Texas. They should assemble only every other year and that will reduce the cost of government.

 

[Mulliga]

Lobbyists, "campaign contributions" - it'd be nice if we didn't have to do these things to ensure our freedom, but unfortunately, we do. It's money we shouldn't have to pay, but short of armed rebellion, we won't get anywhere not playing the dirty game.

"Americans for Gun Safety" claims they are a "moderate group," but, of course, they want to close the "gun show loophole" and probably wouldn't mind renewing the AWB. Either they are really misguided about the threat from the antis or they are a creation of the Brady camp trying to woo gun owners with a "sensible" message.

Just like the old saying...

They won't take your deer rifle away. They'll call it a sniper rifle first.

 

[BenW]

I'll tell you where the NRA spends too much money: I just got my fourth "join the NRA today!" mailing in the last three months. You would think they'd have a database of who is ALREADY A MEMBER so they could use the money they waste on these redundant mailings for other stuff.

 

[MicroBalrog]

GOA spends the most on lobbying; but spreads the wealth over their 5 in-house lobbyists.

Several hundread thousands each!

CCRKBA spent all their money on a single full-time in-house lobbyist.

The one-million-dollar man?

Seriously, ***?

 

[Shooter 2.5]

Gee Ben, you don't have four friends you can pass those envelope to?

Remember, when one person is complaining of the NRA's mail, another member is pulling out his checkbook.

 

[cracked butt]

The top two groups on the money donor list are governmetn employees.

 

[braindead0]

The problem with this information is that it's really pretty useless. We need to see what % of gross income is spent on these items by the various groups, which should make it easier to determine where to send you money.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

The problem with this information is that it's really pretty useless.

I welcome the efforts of anyone in our community to assist in improving and adding to the information listed above. Do you have information you would like to add?

 

[BenW]

Gee Ben, you don't have four friends you can pass those envelope to?

Not that aren't already members themselves or else give a damn. I could pass them around to the anti-gunners at work to tick them off, but I would prefer that the NRA save up the funds to use in legislative endeavors.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Just a bump to make sure everyone gets the chance to check out the numbers on their favorite organization.

 

[Samurai Penguin]

Lobbyists, "campaign contributions" - it'd be nice if we didn't have to do these things to ensure our freedom, but unfortunately, we do. It's money we shouldn't have to pay, but short of armed rebellion, we won't get anywhere not playing the dirty game.

I hear ya. Part of me realizes these things are part of a peaceful solution to a complex problem, nation, and government...

But there's that bit of Anarchist in me screaming: "*** does greasing some washed-up, well-connected lawyer's palm have to do with my rights as a human being? Where the hell did the American people lose control over their very lives?"

Then I have a beer, take some of those funny pills the men in the white coats gave me, and things look much better!!

 

[Ed Straker]

I always thought the NRA spent their money on mailings to get more money to spend on mailings to get more money to spend on mailings to get more money to spend on mailings to get more money...