Did Gun Control Groups Buy New Mexican Lawmakers?

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Over and over again, we keep hearing how elected officials who received donations from the National Rifle Association were bought and paid for by the group. It’s virtually impossible to find a gun control advocate who doesn’t seem to believe that the NRA isn’t buying politicians. It seems to be a core part of their identity, a core belief necessary for inclusion into the anti-gun club.

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With that logic, the recent gun control measures being advanced in New Mexico are clearly the result of politicians being bought and paid for by groups like Everytown, Brady, and Giffords.

Everytown for Gun Safety, a national gun-control advocacy group affiliated with former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, contributed nearly $400,000 to New Mexico Democrats and Democrat-friendly political action committees in last year’s election.

As the 2019 legislative session nears its end — marked by gun-control legislation that has incensed some New Mexicans, especially in rural areas — these big campaign bucks may play into gun-control opponents’ narrative about an out-of-state billionaire riding roughshod over gun owners by throwing money around.

On the other side of this divisive issue, the National Rifle Association spent only a fraction of Everytown’s amount. According to the Institute on Money in Politics, the NRA gave slightly more than $21,000 to New Mexico candidates last year.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham a week ago signed Senate Bill 8, which requires background checks for most firearms purchasers. Supporters, who made the legislation a priority, said the new law will help keep guns out of the hands of people barred from owning firearms.

So, a group advocating in favor of certain laws “donates” a huge sum of money to candidates in a state, then those candidates take office and begin acting in accordance with that group’s agenda?

According to the anti-gunners, that’s proof they’re bought and paid for.

Are they?

No. They got the money because they advocated for a similar position to Everytown. The Bloomberg-backed group gave them money because they were already anti-gun.

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This is just like how the NRA makes donations.

Time and time again, anti-gunners talk about purchased politicians. They seem to claim that the only reason anyone opposes gun control is that the NRA gave them money, yet somehow politicians supported by their groups are motivated by pure intentions. They can’t seem to grasp that anyone could disagree with them.

So, I’m done arguing with them over it.

Instead, I’m going to point out that their logic shows their side is purchasing a whole lot more politicians than the NRA. After all, the trend isn’t just in New Mexico. The NRA was outspent by anti-gunners pretty much everywhere in 2018. As such, groups like Everytown bought more politicians than the NRA supposedly did.

Again, it’s not that I believe this. But since some do, I want them to explain to me how their guys can be pure while our side is full of nothing but corrupt politicians looking for a payday. The mental contortions should be interesting to watch if nothing else.

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