NRA’s Donations TRIPLED after Parkland’s Mass Shooting

On the following couple of weeks, after the devastating school shooting in Parkland, Florida, the National Rifle Association (NRA) noticed a significant increase in their donations. The Federal Election Commission even reported the NRA’s Political Victory Fund tripled from January to February!

The Parkland Shooting Effect

Last February 14, 2018, a terrible mass shooting erupted in Stoneman Douglas High School which left 17 students dead. The culprit was a former student named Nikolas Cruz, an expelled student due to several disciplinary issues. His former batchmates reported him of threats and bullying.

The perpetrator developed a grudge against the school’s management to the extent of insinuating a terror attack. The school dismissed his said threats for the past two years until the unthinkable happened.

Nikolas Cruz was charged with 17 counts of premeditated and attempted murder

The Spike of NRA’s Donations

Just a few days after the incident, the students of the school established a gun control organization called Never Again MSD. This group aims to enforce tougher firearm regulations to prevent such violence from happening again. Since the organization advocates firearm regulations and safety, they have initiated to raise the gun debate after the incident. Aside from that, they responded to the group’s plea by submitting a legislation that aims to raise the age requirement for weapons acquisition from 18 to 21. Due to these initial victories motivated individuals to fight for gun control regulations.

The NRA is known to back influential political figures in the United States

Last January, the organization only collected around $248,000 from the individual contributions. The next month, they collected an astounding amount of $779,000. The Center for Responsive Politics, on the other hand, monitored the itemized contributions days before and after the shooting incident. Their data displayed an astounding increase of 500% just a week after the tragedy.

The NRA stated they still didn’t know the cause of donation spikes. They only speculate three reasons so far, either due to the organization’s outreach, their initiative to toughen gun control measures, or President Trump’s underlying message stating that he “might”support firearm regulations.

NRA Draws Criticisms From the Public

Despite the organization’s vision and mission to promote responsible gun rights, many politicians and commentators lamented the NRA due to their affiliation. During the 2016 elections, the institution spent an astounding $50.2 million to back six Republican Senate Candidates.

Aside from that, they also contributed to Trump’s Presidential Campaign. The Democrats claimed that the NRA gains a conflict of interest since they supported Trump when he loves guns. The public also blamed the organization for high-profile mass shootings such as the Stoneman Douglas High and Sandy Hook Elementary School incidents.

The Debate and Battle for Gun Control

In February 2013, the prominent USA Today editors criticized the NRA for changing or flip-flopping its expansions and policies on implementing a thorough background check to private and gun show sales.

The editors reiterated that future gun owners should undergo screening to determine their eligibility for gun possession. The applicants must possess no criminal records, dangerous psychological or emotional behavior, and mental illness to qualify for firearm acquisition. The NRA must also set a limitation in acquiring guns to avoid violence and future mass shootings from happening. If a certain individual wants to acquire a dozen of firearms, they must pass legal documents and permits stating the legitimate purpose of the said purchase.

NRA Boycott 2018

FedEx remaines affiliated with NRA

Prior to the Parkland Shooting, most giant corporations enjoy NRA’s discounts through its affiliate programs. But after the incident, these “affiliate companies” got targeted by the mass public calling out to boycott their businesses for supporting NRA. As a result, NRA suffered disaffiliation from prestigious companies such as Delta and United Airlines, Hertz, MetLife, and Symantec.