We're in something of a golden age of gun rights. Through the courts, we have notched a series of important victories, to the point that even the nearly century-old National Firearms Act has been gutted, leaving it a shell of its former regulatory self. All over the country, people are buying suppressors over the counter and slapping short-barreled uppers on their AR lowers. They're sawing off barrels on shotguns. They're having a grand old time.
But we're having to trust the courts to win these fights.
Right now, we're losing an important war, and that's the fundraising war.
We've already talked about how much Everytown and other gun rights groups are spending this election cycle. Our side isn't spending nearly that much, and it's a problem.
This week’s copy of TheReload. reports a substantial financial advantage for gun-control PACs in the 2026 midterm cycle: Everytown, Giffords, and Brady collectively spent $9.7 million, compared with $3.8 million for the NRA, National Shooting Sports Foundation, and National Association for Gun Rights. Everytown and Giffords also announced $10 million each in additional advertising plans. The article was written by Julie Miller and published Oct. 8.
Fundraising and cash available
The article’s overall comparison which generally reflect filings through August 2026:
Financial measure Three gun-control PACs Three gun-rights PACs Receipts/fundraising during the cycle Nearly $18.8 million $5.8 million Spending to date $9.7 million $3.8 million Cash remaining Just over $13 million $3.8 million What this matters in 2026 and beyond
Miller describes a reversal of the NRA’s former financial dominance. The NRA had raised nearly $20 million in each of the previous three midterm cycles, but its current PAC receipts are slightly under $4.8 million. The article attributes the organization’s deterioration to the prolonged corruption scandal involving former CEO Wayne LaPierre, while noting that NRA insiders say its overall finances have stabilized under reform leadership. No other gun-rights organization has filled the resulting political-fundraising gap.
As a former NRA-ILA Executive Director, I see a roughly 75% drop in NRA PAC fundraising as an alarm the Second Amendment community cannot afford to ignore. The representatives and senators who have stood up for gun owners are getting less financial backing and less of the grassroots support that helps them win elections and legislative fights. We will pay for that weakness in Congress and state legislatures. Over the past decade, the Second Amendment community has devoted substantial resources to successful—but costly—litigation in federal and state courts. Those battles matter. But courtroom victories cannot replace political strength. Neglect the political front, and the consequences will last for years.
Author Tanya Metaksa brings up an excellent point, because the truth of the matter is that we're trusting the courts with our victories, and that's not the best recipe for long-term success.
After all, with a firm control of Congress, we wouldn't need the ATF to just shrug and say, "Whatever." We could actually change the damn laws. We could have had this with the Big Beautiful Bill, but that didn't happen then and we don't have the money to make sure it can happen in 2027. We're spending peanuts compared to our opponents, not that it'll stop them from pretending that someone like Brandon Herrera is "bought and paid for by the gun industry" despite having been in the gun industry as a manufacturer for years.
Folks, we need to up our game.
Like it or not, elections run on money. A massive drop in spending on an important election is damaging. The NRA has been the 800-pound gorilla in the room for decades, and now it's more like a 40-pound chip with ADHD. That's not good for anyone.
It's possible that other groups are spending a lot more money than is recorded here, but it's not likely. Most of them are focused on other avenues of attack that are just as important as winning elections.
Court cases (and victories) are great, but we still need laws repealed so completely that there's no interpretation possible. I want a national preemption law and a permanent hold on Congress so there is nothing to be done by anti-gun states for the rest of our lifetimes. That doesn't happen in the courts. That happens when we turn out and vote.
Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their extreme gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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