RSS
Home
Putting the ‘gun lobby’ in its place
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Previous articles noted that gun rights groups contribute very little money to federal election campaigns, and that there appears to be a link between law firm contributions and Nancy Pelosi’s support for firearms registration. Looking at the entire House of Representatives, pro-rights voting records and law firm contributions negatively correlate, meaning that as law firm money comprises a greater percentage of a candidate’s total campaign fund, the more likely they are to vote against the civil right of self-defense.
All winning 2008 House candidates’ campaign contributions (total and lawyer/law firm) were correlated with the National Rifle Association’s grading system (as an indicator of relative pro-rights voting records). The focus on winning House candidates is because only those winning a seat can vote, and it is the link between campaign contributions and voting records that need examining.
Since total campaign contributions varied from $117,097 for Bill Delahunt of Massachusetts to $7,353,034 for Colorado’s Jared Polis, the percent of total is a more accurate indicator of influence, assuming candidates are most beholden to those who gave them the greatest piece of their campaign pie. Races “cost” various amounts to win, based upon many factors such as rural versus urban, hotly-contested contests, etc. Law firm contributions comprised between 0.4% for Blaine Luetkemeyer of Missouri (NRA grade “A”) and 29.1% for Bruce Braley of Iowa (NRA grade “D-”). Total amounts are included for comparison purposes only.
Lawyer $ vs. NRA Grade | ||
NRA Grade | Average Lawyer Total | Percent of Total |
A | 60,595 | 4.2 |
B | 83,083 | 5.1 |
C | 80,481 | 5.4 |
D | 142,021 | 7.4 |
F | 100,064 | 7.3 |
C+ | $80,880 | 5.5 |
When dividing House members into quintiles based upon the percent of lawyer contributions, the correlation becomes more dramatic: The lowest percent has the highest NRA grade; progressive quintiles have lower grades; the quintile with the lowest NRA grade is also the one where lawyer contributions comprise the highest percent of total campaign contributions.
Lawyer % of Total vs. NRA Grade | |||
Average Contribution | Ave. % Total | ||
Quintile | Grade | ||
1 | A- | 25,888 | 1.8% |
2 | B | 45,458 | 3.4% |
3 | B- | 70,269 | 4.8% |
4 | C- | 102,204 | 6.5% |
5 | D | 160,584 | 10.2% |
Overall | C+ | 80,880 | 5.5% |
When it comes to acting on convictions, the correlation increases. Recently, 65 House members sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, asking him to abjure from pressing for a new “assault weapons” ban:
[W]e would actively oppose any effort to reinstate the 1994 ban, or to pass any similar law. We urge you to abandon this initiative and to focus instead on effective enforcement strategies to enforce our current law against violent criminals and drug traffickers.
Overall, Democrat members of the house obtained 6.8% of their campaign contributions from lawyers and law firms. Those who signed this letter received 6.2% of their total from lawyers, while those who did not sign the letter averaged 7.0%.
Holder ‘Assault Weapons’ Letter Signers | |||
Average Total | Average % Total | Ratio to Party (%) | |
All Democrats | 103,636 | 6.8 | 100.0 |
AWB Letter Signers | 106,335 | 6.2 | 92.1 |
Non-Signers | 102,691 | 7.0 | 103.0 |
Keep in mind that assault weapons were banned in 1934 and that any future bans are social engineering to make people comfortable with the government banning more firearms. Therefore, standing up to this initiative now is not about hardware but about civil rights.
Greater percentages of lawyer money correlates with less support for the civil right of self-defense. The question is: If the rest of us lose our rights, what will happen to the industry that contributes the most (lawyers and law firms) to federal campaign coffers?
References
Candidates’ NRA grade and campaign contributions collated from: Open Secrets and Political Victory Fund, Endorsement Archive, National Rifle Association. Email request for Excel spreadsheet.
*******************************
For in-depth analysis of who truly influences gun control policy in Washington, read Howard’s book Four Hundred Years of Gun Control: Why Isn’t It Working?, which deconstructs the gun control agenda and motivates more people to support our civil right of self-defense.
Check out other Gun Rights Examiners:
- Atlanta: Mainstream media misleads on the gun permit issue
- Austin: Nancy Pelosi: Now a word from her sponsors…
- Boston: The Educated Patriot: 2A Today for The USA
- Charlotte: Repealing racist gun laws
- Cleveland: What's the matter with you people, can't you see the sky is falling?
- DC: San Diego District Attorney says LA DA's memo on open carry is wrong!
- Denver: Don't be blinded by the exceptions
- Los Angeles: If I Only Had A Gun to air on ABC tonight: What will I be looking for?
- Milwaukee: Vote today for Constitutional justice- Vote Koschnick
- Minneapolis: A Cowboy's Easter
- National: Why are so many 'conservatives' following Michael Savage?
- Seattle: WA senator's 'open season on criminals' remark misrepresented, but not 'lead enema'
- St. Louis: Why the changing story on a new federal 'assault weapons' ban?
- Wisconsin: New judge in town
Related Articles:
Comments
The Washington Post reports that yesterday’s record snowfall resulted in an impromptu mass snowball fight in downtown Washington DC. While some …
Most Americans think we have two major political parties: Democrats and Republicans. However, there is a third party whose influence extends beyond …
- National - David Codrea
- Cleveland - Dan White
- Los Angeles - John Longenecker
- St. Louis - Kurt Hofmann
- Charlotte - Paul Valone
- Denver - Dan Bidstrup
- DC - Mike Stollenwerk
- Minneapolis - John Pierce
- Seattle - Dave Workman
- Atlanta - Ed Stone
- Wisconsin - Gene German
- Boston - Ron Bokleman
- Grand Rapids - Skip Coryel
- Cheyenne - Anthony Bouchard
- Phoenix - Douglas Little
- Knoxville - Liston Matthews
- David Hardy - Arms and the Law
- Gun News Daily
- War on Guns
- The High Road
- Say Uncle
- NRA News
- Free Republic
- Jeff Soyer - Alphecca.com
- Snowflakes in Hell
- Nicki Fellenzer - The Liberty Zone
- Dave Kopel
- Massad Ayoob
- A Keyboard and a .45
- The Real Gun Guys
- Wake Up America
- Clayton Cramer - Civilian Gun Self-Defense Blog
- Oleg Volk - A Human Right
- National Rifle Association
- Texas State Rifle Association
- Keep and Bear Arms
- California Rifle and Pistol Association
- Gun Owners of America
- Second Amendment Foundation
- USA Carry
- Canadian Shooting Sports Association
- Canada's National Firearms Association
- Ted Nugent
- Georgia Carry
- Open Carry
- Armed Females of America
- Future of Freedom Foundation
- Second Amendment Sisters
- Liberty Belles
