The nation’s top gun-control group is falling far short of its 2020 election spending pledge with less than two weeks to go before Nov. 3.
Despite promising to spend $60 million in 2020, Everytown for Gun Safety—founded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg and backed primarily by wealthy donors—has spent less than $26 million, according to Federal Election Commission records. Even with the cash on hand reported by the group in its latest filing, it will only be able to spend less than half of its goal without a massive cash injection before the election.
The latest filing for Everytown’s super PAC, which has done nearly all of the group’s political spending in 2020, shows the group had just over $4.6 million remaining in the bank on Oct. 15. It brought in just over $1 million—with over 85 percent coming from large donors—in September. However, even if the group repeated its best 2020 performance when it brought in a $7 million donation from former Microsoft CEO and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer in April, it would still be tens of millions of dollars short of its pledge.
When the group has bought advertising it has shied away from gun control. In ads targeting swing-state Republicans, the group has focused on issues like health care and energy production. The downturn in spending coupled with the messaging shift could signal that liberal donors and strategists believe gun control is not a winning 2020 issue—especially with recent record gun sales and a rush of new gun owners across the country.
“I’m not surprised,” Joyce Malcolm, the Patrick Henry professor of constitutional law and the Second Amendment at George Mason University, told the Washington Free Beacon. “With calls to defund the police and a record-setting 11 million applications for purchase of guns in the first six months of this year (40 percent of which are first-time gun purchasers), Americans are more concerned with their safety and that of their families from violent riots and mayhem than gun control.”
Everytown did not respond to a request for comment on its political activities, but the spending picture in late October is much grimmer than when it announced the $60 million goal in January. The group said it would spend double what it did in 2018 and even surpass the $50 million the National Rifle Association spent helping elect Donald Trump and other Republicans in 2016.
“The gun-safety movement has never been stronger or larger—and we’re going to meet this moment with our most aggressive, well resourced, and grassroots-powered electoral program ever,” Shannon Watts, founder of Everytown subsidiary Moms Demand Action, said when announcing the program.
Instead, Everytown is being outspent by the NRA. The NRA’s PAC—which raised two-thirds of its haul from small donors—brought in more cash than Everytown in September. When combined with the NRA’s super PAC, the gun-rights group had a roughly $3 million cash-on-hand advantage over Everytown as of October.
NEWTOWN, Conn. – The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®) today released a new guide, developed in consultation with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), that helps parents recognize signs their children may be struggling with mental health issues and offers advice on how to talk to kids about suicide, make homes safer for those who may be at-risk and help reduce the risk of suicide among America’s teens.
The free resource – “A Guide for Parents: Understanding Youth Mental Health and Preventing Unauthorized Access to Firearms” – can be downloaded at NSSF’s Project ChildSafe® website or AFSP’s Project 2025 website.
“Mental health may seem like a difficult topic to raise with children, but it doesn’t have to be,” said Doreen Marshall, AFSP’s Vice President of Mission Engagement. “Talking openly with our young people about mental health, just as we would physical health, can help protect our kids and give them the support they need, long before a crisis occurs.”
Multiple studies show today’s teens are dealing with higher levels of stress, anxiety, depression and other mental or emotional health concerns than any generation before them. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a new set of challenges for teens, including loss of structure, separation from peers and increased feelings of isolation—adding to the stressors young people are already bearing.
“With these realities, it’s crucial that parents take steps to secure potentially lethal methods of harming oneself or others. That may mean rethinking how and where you store your guns and other possible methods of self-harm,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF President and CEO.
The new guide covers the health, environmental and historical factors that may lead to kids being more at-risk, as well as warning signs that someone may be contemplating suicide, and critical advice on how and when to take action. There are also recommendations on how to secure firearms, prescription drugs, harmful chemicals and other lethal means so they can’t be accessed by a person in distress.
“Keeping guns out of the wrong hands is a firearm owner’s most important priority, and securing a firearm is one of the most important steps parents can take to protect at-risk teens and others in the home,” Bartozzi said. “Our Project ChildSafe website offers several resources on how to determine the best safe storage option for your home and family.”
“Suicide is preventable—increasing our knowledge of adolescents’ mental health, combined with secure firearm storage options, is a powerful combination to save lives,” Bartozzi said.
Importantly, anyone experiencing a crisis is urged to reach out to any of the following resources:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)
Emergency Response: Call 911 or contact your local emergency room
About NSSF
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers nationwide. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.
About Project ChildSafe
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association of the firearms industry, launched Project ChildSafe in 1999 (originally as Project HomeSafe). Since then, the program has provided nearly 40 million free firearm safety kits and gun locks to firearm owners in all 50 states through partnerships with thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country. That’s in addition to the more than 70 million free locking devices manufacturers have included, and continue to include, with new firearms sold since 1998. While helping to prevent accidents among children is a focus, Project ChildSafe is intended to help adults practice greater firearm safety in the home. More information is available at projectchildsafe.org.
With various shooting clubs, competitions, and both local and national events drastically altered or paused, it was a breath of fresh air to get this pic back from some of our shooters. The folks on the 2019 IFC Team we sponsored to the NRA Nationals were able to grab their awards and snap a couple of quick pics in recognition.
From Left to Right: Douglas Roe, Jeff Happel, Paul Porter, Ralph Reid, Keith Busing, Stan Sorokowski
These shooters put in tremendous time, energy, and devotion to post scores at this level. Join IFC in thanking them for representing us so well!
Below is the letter offered to the public from Cedar County Sheriff, Warren Wethington. Sheriff Wethington is a board member of the Iowa Firearms Coalition. Sheriff Wethington was honored with a Special Recognition Award from the Iowa Association for Justice in recognition of his “Principled Public Stand against Police Misconduct” in November of 2019.
During these difficult times, we need leaders who are willing to make hard decisions. Leaders who will protect their constituents first. We have too many politicians now, who base the decisions on how it may affect their next election. A leader should always put the people they represent first, and their own political safety should not enter into their thinking.
I’m writing this letter in support of our State Representative Bobby Kauffman in this November election. The Sept.2 issue of the Tipton Conservative had several letters to the editor showing support for Bobby’s opponent. It is true Bobby’s challenger in this election has 35-year law enforcement career, the last 15 years as the Johnson County Sheriff.
I have had the opportunity to work with Lonny over the last 13 years I have been the Cedar County Sheriff. I like Lonny as a person; however, we are two opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of law enforcement theory. I sit as an executive board member of the Iowa Firearms Coalition. During Lonny’s 15 years as sheriff, he has been one of the most outspoken anti second amendment sheriffs in Iowa when pro-gun legislation is purposed.
Lonny has been a strong supporter of Sanctuary Cities. Publicly stating that his office does not inquire as to a person’s citizenship status, or condition of their visa. “If an illegal alien feels they may be taken into custody, they are less likely to report they are the victim of a crime”. This may be true, but if you are an illegal alien you have entered this country illegally. That makes you a criminal. I have worked with people of different ethnicity and enjoy them very much. I have great respect for the work ethic they bring with them. We need more hard-working, good people in this country; but there are laws in place dictating how to enter the country legally
The most disturbing example of putting his political career above the safety and security of not only his own constituents but the safety and security of every person in the area. In recent months Iowa City has been plagued with Social Justice Protests. Some protests turning into riots. I fully support anyone and everyone engaging in the act of peaceful protests. However, when a peaceful protest includes blocking interstate 80, this is unacceptable. Iowa State Code prohibits a person from standing in the middle of I80. Allowing this to happen places every person in the area in danger. These rioters made it impossible for people who required emergency care to access any of the hospitals.
The Office of Sheriff carries a great deal of power/responsibility. The Office of Sheriff is the only law enforcement entity provided for in the U.S. Constitution. All other L.E. entities are created through administrative code. The sheriff is elected. Elected because it is important that the sheriff answers to no one person, board, or committee. We answer to you the citizens every 4 years in November.
The Johnson County Sheriff had the authority, responsibility, and duty to stop this riot from blocking I80 but choose not to. This decision place a large number of people in danger. An example of how this decision affects everyone is while the interstate was closed by rioters, I received a call from the Mechanicsville ambulance service. The ambulance responsible for serving Mechanicsville and Stanwood was stuck on the Dodge Street exit. In the ambulance was the Clarence paramedic. Clarence covers Lowden. This means all of Hwy 30 was without an ambulance service because rioters were allowed to close I80. I called Lonny who was on scene and he made arrangements to get the ambulance out of the confusion. But again, the rioters should not have been allowed on I80 to begin with.
During the recent wind storm Democrat Iowa State Senator Zach Wahls and Republican Iowa State Representative Bobby Kaufman both reached out to me asking what we needed and how they could help. I have a great deal of respect for both Zach and Bobby. Bobby has demonstrated his willingness to work with his Democratic colleagues for the best Iowa possible. I feel he and Zach have a good working relationship.
Iowa’s recently completed annual pheasant survey is great news for hunters – statewide, Iowa averaged 20.2 birds per 30-mile route, up significantly from 2019, with six of the nine survey regions averaging more than 20 pheasants per route, the most since 2007.
“Pheasant hunters should expect significantly better pheasant numbers in 2020,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “Pheasant hunting this fall could be some of the best the state has seen in a decade.”
Bogenschutz credits the 2020 winter with its mild temperatures and little snowfall that led to higher hen survival and coupled with a dry spring to more successful nesting and an increase in the population. The southeast region led the way with a 163 percent increase, followed by the northeast region with a 115 percent increase and east central region with a 55 percent increase.
While those numbers are very good, the statewide numbers would have likely been better if not for the drought conditions impacting much of the state.
“In the western and central regions where we counted fewer birds, we struggled to get good survey conditions so the results are not likely representative of actual numbers,” Bogenschutz said. “Pheasant populations in these regions appear higher than last year, according to casual staff reports, even though the survey says the population is essentially unchanged.
“Given this year’s statewide index of 20 birds per route Iowa, pheasant hunters should harvest approximately 250,000 to 350,000 roosters this fall,” he said.
Iowa’s quail population was essentially unchanged from 2019 with the highest quail numbers coming from southwest Iowa. While the counts were unchanged, it is still double the number of quail counted from a decade ago. Hunters can expect to harvest more than 20,000 quail this year.
Iowa’s partridge population was up slightly over last year with higher counts coming from northcentral Iowa. Iowa’s rabbit population was nearly identical to 2019 with better populations across southern and east central Iowa. “Cottontail hunters can expect excellent hunting across most of the state this fall,” Bogenschutz said.
Iowa’s pheasant season is Oct. 31-Jan. 10, 2021
Iowa’s quail season is Oct. 31-Jan. 31, 2021
Iowa’s partridge season is Oct. 10-Jan. 31, 2021
Iowa’s cottontail rabbit season is Sept. 5-Feb. 28, 2021.
Media Contact: Todd Bogenschutz, Upland Wildlife Biologist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-979-0828.
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