Serious question

[OkieLib41]

I have a serious question and it may have be addressed before on DU.... however, I'm going to ask again if so.
Since the NRA has turned from a gun safety and responsible owners group, to this gun paranoia, right wing conspiracy wingnut group. Why hasn't there been a national organization formed to actually promote all the ideas over the last 10-15 yrs to combat the crazy shit spewing out of the NRA's leaderships mouth?
Maybe I'm making way to simple or just not understand why, if there is one, the "liberal" politicians, actors, athletes and media haven't funded it's backing? I'm 47 and I children that have seen nothing but mass shootings all their lives and the only organization they know about guns from is the NRA. I live in a red state and the NRA is the only gospel people know. I just wish money was committed to a new organization that actually promoted real reform, sensible laws along with gun safety for this generation. The money is there, but where is the will?

[jberryhill]

1. It's fairly simple...

It's easy to say "The money is there", but the fact of the matter is that the money is not there.

The NRA is funded out of donations made by companies which have a profitable enterprise going, and they know that their NRA funding is good for their bottom line.

There are all kinds of groups which advocate for gun law reform. They depend on purely donative - i.e. not financially interested - contributions, and they don't attract anywhere near the amount of money which the NRA has.

The Brady Campaign - named after Ronald Reagan's aide injured in the Hinckley shooting, has been around for quite a long time. If you look at their annual report for 2014, posted at their site, they received around 6M and change in donations and 6M and change in donated services for a total of around $14M. http://www.bradycampaign.org/annual-report

The NRA, on the other hand, runs on around $250M per year (for their various organizational entities, since, e.g. the lobbying arm is a separate organization from, e.g. their gun education arm).


I just wish money was committed to a new organization that actually promoted real reform, sensible laws along with gun safety for this generation.

Why a new organization? What, in your opinion, have been the flaws of the Brady Campaign that has been around for decades? If the answer is "they haven't gotten results" on less than 1/10 the budget of the NRA, then of what useful effect is dividing the pool of "gun control donors" between different organizations?

[OkieLib41]

2. I understand all that

I never said the Brady Campaign had flaws, as a matter of fact, that's the prefect organization that I'm talking about. The Brady Campaign has been around for decades and most people under 30 probably doesn't know they exist. And as far as money not being there...why isn't it? There are millionaires and billionaires on the left also that should be able to combat all the corporate money and something isn't connecting with the right people for them to only be working off the stated amount. Look, I'm not arguing your point, my question is WHY with all so-called liberal and centrist gun advocates can't they get a defined message and push it hard like the NRA does.

[jberryhill]

3. Heres the thing about that

The 2008 Obama campaign raised over 700 million dollars. 47% of that was from contributions of $200 or less.

If it is up to spectacularly wealthy donors to solve this problem, then it is just not going to happen.