A day after the mass shooting in Boulder, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) bristled at gun restrictions proposed by Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee. “What happens in this committee after every mass shooting is Democrats propose taking away guns from law-abiding citizens, because that’s their political agenda,” he said.
That sentiment may be leading gun rights supporters to join smaller gun lobbying groups, which say they are expanding as the NRA has been contending with allegations of mismanagement.
“While the NRA may be distracted, gun owners and their advocacy organizations are not,” said Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, in an interview last month, adding that his group has seen “significant growth in membership.”
The NRA’s legal setback won’t affect the policy debate, he said, because “most members of Congress already have their minds made up on what they will support or not support” when it comes to gun legislation.
Like others lobbying on the issue, Gottlieb predicted that little, if any, legislation will move through Congress to regulate firearms this year.
The push by Democratic leaders to pass background check and other legislation creates more resistance, he said: “All they end up doing is selling more guns.”
— Tom Hamburger and Mike DeBonis in The NRA just had a major legal setback. But its hold on the gun-control debate endures.
