Post-Newtown, NRA coffers keep growing
Last month, President Obama in his State of the Union address forcefully called for new gun control measures. At the same time, National Rifle Association's political action committee was having a blockbuster fundraising month.
The NRA's Political Victory Fund yesterday reported raising nearly $1.6 million in February. The month before, the NRA raised $1.1 million, leaving the group with $4 million in cash on hand by the end of February.
By comparison, the group raised $14.4 million in 2011 and 2012 combined.
In its Federal Election Commission report filed yesterday, the NRA reported giving $30,500 to federal candidates and political committees last month. The group gave $1,000 to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., who will oversee the development of gun legislation in the House, and $2,500 to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
- NRA raises $1.1 million in January
- Assault weapons ban dropped, gun control supporters move on
- NRA's LaPierre: I'm not the crazy one
NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre hasn't been shy about the group's efforts to push back against the gun control measures making their way through Congress. He called Mr. Obama's State of the Union remarks, which stressed keeping children safe in schools, a "charade," and told the Conservative Political Action Committee this month that "the NRA's nearly five million members, and America's 100 million gun owners, will not back down, not ever."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., plans to bring legislation on reducing gun violence to the Senate floor soon, but he said this week that for now, he's putting aside a bill to ban assault weapons -- one of the measures opposed by the NRA.
