12-14-2018, 01:11 PM
Gun Control/Safety Activists Achieve Gains in 2018
![[Image: 180324-march-for-our-lives-nola-ew-903p_...-2000w.jpg]](https://media4.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2018_47/2375501/180324-march-for-our-lives-nola-ew-903p_38e3dd68fde01c891f1e055d5c64c12f.fit-2000w.jpg)
For gun control advocates, the 2018 midterm elections were largely a success.
They defeated at least 15 House Republicans with “A” National Rifle Association ratings, unseating them with Democrats holding an “F,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
They outspent the NRA and pro-gun rights groups for the first time, $10 million to $8 million, per data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. And they had voter sentiment on their side — 59 percent of all voters in the election said they supported stricter gun measures, according to the national exit poll.
It wasn't all good news for these groups, however, as candidates in favor of fewer restrictions on guns won key Senate and gubernatorial contests in purple and red states. And gun control groups are fully aware that the NRA could make a comeback in 2020.
The midterms played out amid multiple mass shootings in 2017-18 — in Pittsburgh (Oct. 27, 2018); Annapolis, Maryland (June 28, 2018); Sante Fe, Texas on (May 18, 2018); Parkland, Florida (Feb. 14, 2018); and Las Vegas (Oct. 1, 2017).
Revenue at the NRA dropped by $55 million, or 15 percent, in 2017, according to IRS filings.
Still, the NRA mobilized enough support to secure significant victories for Republicans and pro-gun rights supporters. NRA-backed candidates triumphed in gubernatorial races in Georgia and Florida — two of the marquee contests of 2018.
The NRA also invested in GOP Senate candidates in Indiana, Missouri and North Dakota — all of whom ousted Democratic Senate incumbents.
Given these wins and losses, and with 2020 in the not-so-distant future, gun control advocates say they’re focusing on mobilizing young voters, women and minorities to ensure “their voices are heard.”
Ref: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/electio...20-n947156
For gun control advocates, the 2018 midterm elections were largely a success.
They defeated at least 15 House Republicans with “A” National Rifle Association ratings, unseating them with Democrats holding an “F,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
They outspent the NRA and pro-gun rights groups for the first time, $10 million to $8 million, per data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. And they had voter sentiment on their side — 59 percent of all voters in the election said they supported stricter gun measures, according to the national exit poll.
It wasn't all good news for these groups, however, as candidates in favor of fewer restrictions on guns won key Senate and gubernatorial contests in purple and red states. And gun control groups are fully aware that the NRA could make a comeback in 2020.
The midterms played out amid multiple mass shootings in 2017-18 — in Pittsburgh (Oct. 27, 2018); Annapolis, Maryland (June 28, 2018); Sante Fe, Texas on (May 18, 2018); Parkland, Florida (Feb. 14, 2018); and Las Vegas (Oct. 1, 2017).
Revenue at the NRA dropped by $55 million, or 15 percent, in 2017, according to IRS filings.
Still, the NRA mobilized enough support to secure significant victories for Republicans and pro-gun rights supporters. NRA-backed candidates triumphed in gubernatorial races in Georgia and Florida — two of the marquee contests of 2018.
The NRA also invested in GOP Senate candidates in Indiana, Missouri and North Dakota — all of whom ousted Democratic Senate incumbents.
Given these wins and losses, and with 2020 in the not-so-distant future, gun control advocates say they’re focusing on mobilizing young voters, women and minorities to ensure “their voices are heard.”
Ref: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/electio...20-n947156