I. How the NRA Shapes the GOP
"The National Rifle Association has evolved from a sporting club promoting marksmanship to one of the most ferocious lobbying organizations in American politics. Last year, the NRA spent over $3.6 million on lobbying, and far more than that funding pro-gun politicians and publicity campaigns. That kind of money buys a lot of influence, most noticeable in the GOP's increasingly rightward shift on guns over the past 20 years." [1]
29% of Republicans believe that stricter gun laws could reduce deaths from mass shootings. Among Democrats, 79 % support that view.
32% of Republicans believe that stricter gun laws would reduce accidental gun deaths; in 1993, 61% of Republicans shared that view. The percentage of Democrats who feel likewise has held steady over the past two decades at roughly 75 %.
76% of Republicans believe that it is more important to uphold gun rights than to control gun ownership.In 1993, only 45% of Republicans agreed with that statement.
58% of Republicans believe that states should have the ability to ignore federal gun laws.
48% of gun owners cite protection as their main reason for having a gun in 2013, versus 26% in 1999.
II. NRA By the Numbers
$277M - Money spent by the NRA and its affiliates in 2010.
99 to 1 - How much that 2010 spending by the NRA and its affiliates exceeded that of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, the most active gun-control nonprofit in the country.
143 - Number of bills for which the NRA lobbied in 2015. [2]
III. Buyers, Guns, and Money
"After mass shootings like the one in Orlando, Florida, the share price of major gun companies like Sturm Ruger and Smith & Wesson tends to soar. The companies fan the fears of increased regulation, and buyers rush to stock up on weapons before sweeping gun-control laws are passed in the wake of new tragedy. (Typically, of course, their fears are unwarranted.) These purchases bolster the cycle of violence by feeding the gun industry, which has a powerful anti-regulation lobbying arm, and by putting more weapons in the homes of Americans." [3]
320% - Gains enjoyed by investors in Sturm Ruger and Smith & Wesson since 2010.
$551.1 million - Sturm Ruger's net sales in 2015 -- twice as much as the company saw in 2010.
8.5% - Increase in the share price of Sturm Ruger the Monday after the Orlando shooting.
23 million - The record-breaking number of background checks for firearm purchases initiated by NICS (the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System) in 2015.
IV. Environmental Racism
"A 1987 report found that race was the most significant predictor of a person living near hazardous waste. Communities that were located near multiple commercial hazardous-waste facilities or a landfill had three times the amount of minority residents as communities that were far away from such dump sites. The Government Accountability Office found in 1983 that black people made up the majority of communities near landfills. Decades later, a 2007 report found that things were actually worse: Communities near commercial hazardous-waste facilities consisted mainly of people of color. Finally, people of color are exposed to a level of nitrogen dioxide -- which emanates from cars and industrial sources and can cause respiratory problems -- an average rate 38 percent higher than white people." [4]
95% - Percentage of claims against polluters denied by the EPA.
2X - The number of times people of color are likely to live without potable water and modern sanitation.
Footnotes
[1] "How the NRA Shapes the GOP," The Nation, July 4/11, 2016.
[2] "NRA By the Numbers," The Nation, July 4/11, 2016.
[3] Joyce Chu, "Buyers, Guns, and Money," The Nation, July 4/11, 2016.
[4] Bryce Covert & Mike Konczal, "Environmental Racism," The Nation, March 7, 2016.
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