Hi all – On the heels of several devastating mass shootings, many 2024 Republicans are making another pilgrimage to the NRA Convention in Indianapolis this week. Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Chris Sununu, Kristi Noem, and Asa Hutchinson are among the 2024 hopefuls rubbing shoulders this week with the gun lobby as part of their race for the MAGA base. Their appearances this week serve as a reminder to Americans, once again, that the Republican Party puts the gun lobby ahead of the safety of our communities, schools, and children. In the ten-plus years since the Sandy Hook shooting, the NRA has spent over $130 million to help elect Republicans who will support their agenda and against gun safety measures: During the 2022 midterm elections, the NRA spent more than $15 million to help elect Republican candidates. In 2020, the NRA spent $16.5 million campaigning in support of Trump and against President Biden.
2024 GOP contenders have spent their political careers pandering to the NRA, parroting their talking points, and proudly praising the gun lobby. Donald Trump has called himself the “biggest fan” of the NRA and cravenly caved to the NRA in the wake of the Parkland shooting in 2018. Trump’s speech this year follows his appearance in 2022, where he unashamedly spoke at the NRA convention just days after the tragic school shooting in Uvalde. Just last week in a closed-door ceremony surrounded by NRA representatives, Ron DeSantis signed dangerous legislation that could make it easier for criminals to carry weapons – despite opposition from some Florida law enforcement officials. DeSantis was also recently caught on tape pledging that he would “absolutely” support open-carry legislation and has consistently earned high ratings from the NRA throughout his political career, including an “A+” rating last year. Mike Pence has a long career of supporting dangerous policies pushed by the gun lobby, including helping solidify the NRA’s influence in the Trump-Pence administration by spreading its talking points and even receiving an award from the NRA in 2018. Nikki Haley has received an “A+” rating from the NRA. After the devastating school shooting in Nashville, Haley’s immediate response was refusing to support gun safety legislation. Haley also opposed expanding background checks in the wake of the tragic shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church when she was governor of South Carolina. Tim Scott had received more NRA money than any other sitting South Carolina politician in the last decade as of 2022. Scott also voted last summer against the most significant bipartisan action on gun reform in nearly three decades and has regularly dismissed calls for common sense gun reforms. Asa Hutchinson has long been tied to the NRA — including serving as an NRA consultant and task force chair and encouraging the NRA to move its headquarters to Arkansas while he was governor of the state. Kristi Noem has spent her entire political career pushing an extreme agenda on guns, even offering to host the NRA convention in South Dakota following the horrific 2018 Parkland shooting. Chris Sununu has received an “A” rating from the NRA and been endorsed by the NRA Political Victory Fund in past elections. The very first bill Sununu signed into law as governor was anti-gun safety legislation that the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police called “dangerous.”
The NRA has spent millions of dollars to help get 2024 Republicans elected to past and current positions and, in turn, they’ve spent years pandering to and standing with the gun lobby. As 2024 Republicans race for the MAGA base, we expect to see them continue to push for more and more extreme and dangerous gun laws. As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.Best,
Ammar Moussa
National Press Secretary and Rapid Response Director |