Guns, Government, and $Guap: To Know Why It’s So Hard To Pass Tougher Gun Laws, You Have to Follow the Money

In America, mass shootings have become an epidemic, and there appears to be no movement on how we should control guns getting into the hands of people who should not have them. Some lawmakers and proponents of gun rights organizations have tried vigorously to convince the public that tougher gun laws mean the government is trying to infringe on an individual’s right to carry a fire-arm. Those of us who understand the current plight of this country know that this is not the case.

So why are certain political representatives so adamant about keeping guns in the hands of whoever wants them? Perhaps its because these politicians are able to carry on with their luxurious lifestyles by being supporters of filthy rich pro-gun organizations. When you want to know why it seems to be so difficult to make common sense laws regarding gun rights, all one has to do is follow the cash.

Research organization called Center For Responsive Politics conducted some eye-opening research regarding who’s getting high dollar kickbacks from pro-gun groups in the U.S. In 2016, over $5.9 million in contributions were donated to Grand Old Party’s campaigns compared to only $106,000 to democratic contributions.

$5,900,000 $106,000

given to Republicans in 2016 election cycle given to Democrats in 2016 election cycle

Pro-gun groups love Republicans so much, that more than half of the members of the House of Representatives (235 out of 435) received money from the NRA and Gun Owners of America. Out of the 235 members of the House who received funds, only 9 were Democrats.

The Center For Responsive Politics gathered data for the last 30 years to examine what campaign contributions from pro-gun groups were allocated to Representatives while in office. The amounts are significant.

Check out the details below. Senator Paul Ryan, who has been in office over 18 years, has received the most money from pro-gun groups – over $300,000 during his career. Also, the 2016 political cycle saw more campaign contributions from pro-gun organizations than they have seen in the last 30 years. So, the next time you start wondering about why the government seems to be fighting against tougher gun legislation – just remember to follow the money.

Name	Amount	Party	District	Years in office
Paul Ryan	$336,597	Republican	Wisconsin, District 1	18
John Boehner	$231,265	Republican	Ohio, District 8	24
Don Young	$195,272	Republican	Alaska, At-Large District	44
John Thune	$181,215	Republican	South Dakota, At-large District	18
Pat Toomey	$167,051	Republican	Pennsylvania, District 15	12
Ken Calvert	$144,466	Republican	California, District 42	24
Roy Blunt	$143,543	Republican	Missouri, District 7	20
Denny Rehberg	$138,959	Republican	Montana, At-large District	12
Steve Pearce	$129,250	Republican	New Mexico, District 2	6
Saxby Chambliss	$128,950	Republican	Georgia, District 8	12
George Allen	$127,556	Republican	Virginia, District 7	8
Richard Burr	$124,550	Republican	North Carolina, District 5	22
Richard Pombo	$122,694	Republican	California, District 11	14
Pete Sessions	$121,776	Republican	Texas, District 32	14
Jim Inhofe	$121,100	Republican	Oklahoma, District 1	31
John Kline	$119,887	Republican	Minnesota, District 2	14
Rick Santorum	$115,942	Republican	Pennsylvania, District 18	16
John Doolittle	$111,193	Republican	California, District 4	16
Ed Royce	$111,120	Republican	California, District 39	24
Dean Heller	$108,515	Republican	District 2	4
Ron Paul	$108,453	Republican	Texas, 14 and 22	12
Michele Bachmann	$108,218	Republican	Minnesota, District 6	4
Rob Portman	$107,727	Republican	Ohio, District 2	20
Bob Goodlatte	$104,900	Republican	Virginia, District 6	24
Martha McSally	$104,445	Republican	Arizona, District 2	2
Mike Coffman	$101,693	Republican	Colorado, District 6	8
Bob Barr	$101,473	Republican	Georgia, District 7	8
Collin Peterson	$98,500	Democrat	Minnesota, District 7	26

Source: Politico