The National Rifle Association’s political wing saw its biggest fundraising month in 15 years this March, as the national debate around gun control rages on.
According to Federal Election Commission filings, the NRA’s Political Victory Fund raised $2.4 million in March, the largest haul for the gun-rights group since June 2003. Many of the donations were under $250, and came from retirees.
Before March’s record haul, donations to the NRA had tripled in February, in the aftermath of the Parkland high-school shooting. The NRA received almost $800,000 in donations in February, compared to almost $250,000 in January.
The Parkland shooting prompted survivors to organize the ‘March for Our Lives’ movement, which saw 500,000 protesters descend on Washington DC calling for stricter gun-control laws.
The movement was joined by several prominent businesses and financial institutions. Bank of America announced this month that it would stop lending to companies that manufacture ‘assault-style’ weapons. Dick’s Sporting Goods and Walmart – two of the nation’s leading gun sellers – said they would raise the minimum age of purchase to 21 and stop selling ‘assault-style’ weapons.
The pushback against the Second Amendment has not been welcomed by all. Membership in gun-rights groups also spiked after the Parkland tragedy, and two weeks ago the NRA announced that it aims to sign up 100,000 new members in the next three months.