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A minuscule 0.81 percent of that the NRA's Political Victory Fund money went towards elections where the NRA's preferred candidate won.<ref>Harriet Rowan, "[httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/11/11855/winners-and-losers-big-secret-bucks-spending-war Winners and Losers in the "Big Secret Bucks" Spending War"] ''P.R. Watch'', November 16, 2012</ref>The NRA Institute for Legislative Action fared better, with a 10.25 percent return on their investment.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) became involved in the Wisconsin recall election between Governor [[Scott Walker]] and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett after the May 8 primary. The WDC estimates that the NRA has spent at least $800,000 as of May 30th through its registered PAC, the National Rifle Association of America (NRA-NRAA). The ad buys include radio, TV, and nearly omnipresent web banner ads. <ref> Will Dooling, [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/05/11555/citizens-united-unleashed-wisconsin-recall Citizens United Unleashed in Wisconsin Recall], [httphttps://www.prwatch.org PR Watch], May 31, 2012 </ref>

Walker spoke at the NRA national convention in St. Louis, Missouri where he asked for "help" and "support" in his upcoming recall election. He also received an award for "outstanding leadership and achievement on behalf of NRA members and gun owners" for signing legislation to allow people to carry concealed firearms and a bill inspired by the NRA-backed "Stand Your Ground" law that was cited initially to prevent the arrest of George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin in Florida. Both bills advance the gun agenda of the controversial [[American Legislative Exchange Council]]. <ref> [http://www.nraila.org/media-center/2012/4_13_12_am_leadership_scottwalker.aspx?y=2012 Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker], [http://www.nraila.org/ NRA-ILA], accessed June 1, 2012 </ref> <ref> Brendan Fischer, [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/04/11450/nra-gives-walker-award-signing-alec-inspired-stand-your-groundshoot-first-law NRA Awards Scott Walker for Pushing Concealed Guns and the ALEC-related "Castle Doctrine" (Shoot First) Laws], [httphttps://www.prwatch.org PR Watch], April 15, 2012 </ref>

Tara Mica, NRA-Institute for Legislative Action State Liaison, was the co-chair of ALEC's Public Safety and Elections Task Force from 2008 until the Spring of 2011. <ref> Ron Williams, [http://packet-media.com/2011/06/17/ron-williams-2/ District 39 State Representative Jeff Smith Garners NRA Endorsement] (noting Tara Reilly Mica's title), June 17, 2011, Columbus Packet, accessed July 9, 2011. </ref> <ref> [http://www.alec.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Private_Sector_Chair_Biography Tara Mica bio], ALEC website, accessed July 9, 2011. </ref> <ref> Randall G. Shelden, [http://www.cjcj.org/files/The_American_Legislative_Exchange_Council.pdf Research Brief: American Legislative Exchange Council], Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, April 2011, accessed July 9, 2011. </ref> (formerly known as the Criminal Justice and Homeland Security). <ref> [http://www.alec.org/Content/ContentFolders/PublicSafetyElections/PSEIntro/CJHS_TF_Intro.htm Criminal Justice and Homeland Security Task Force], ALEC website, accessed July 9, 2011. </ref> While the NRA was co-chair, that Task Force approved the controversial "voter ID" bill and the Arizona anti-immigrant legislation, SB 1070, as model bills, in addition to other gun laws.<ref> Lisa Graves, [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/03/11393/resources-investigating-alecnra-gun-bills Resources for Investigating ALEC/NRA Gun Bills] PR Watch, March 30, 2012 </ref>

<p>In 2008, ALEC filed an amicus brief in a U.S. Supreme Court case on the same side as the NRA.<ref>Lisa Graves "[httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/03/11393/resources-investigating-alecnra-gun-bills Resources for Investigating ALEC/NRA Gun Bills"] PR Watch, March 30, 2012</ref> Later, at the American Conservative Union's CPAC meeting, the NRA's Cam Edwards interviewed Michael Hough, ALEC's "Public Safety and Elections Task Force" director/staffer, to discuss "ALEC's strong relationship with the NRA and explain the support of gun rights and ownership." Hough told listeners that ALEC worked "with our partners, the National Rifle Association" on the brief. He also described the fruitful relationship between ALEC and the NRA on issues like the Shoot First legislation, which ALEC and the NRA call the "Castle Doctrine," stating:</p>

<p>* The library of NRA/ALEC gun bills can be accessed [httphttps://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/Bills_related_to_Guns,_Prisons,_Crime,_and_Immigration here].</p>

<p>The Center for Media & Democracy's [httphttps://www.sourcewatch.org/images/1/1b/BloodforMoneyFINAL.pdf infographic] (PDF) shows some of the connections between the NRA, ALEC, and the effect of the ALEC/NRA Shoot First law.</p>

<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;">[httphttps://www.alecexposed.org/w/images/6/6c/7J0-ALEC_Resolution_on_McDonald_vs._Chicago_Exposed.pdf ALEC Resolution on McDonald vs. Chicago Exposed]</li>

<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;">[httphttps://www.alecexposed.org/w/images/9/90/7J1-Campus_Personal_Protection_Act_Exposed.pdf Campus Personal Protection Act Exposed]</li>

<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;">[httphttps://www.alecexposed.org/w/images/7/7e/7J2-Castle_Doctrine_Act_Exposed.PDF Castle Doctrine Act Exposed]</li>

<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;">[httphttps://www.alecexposed.org/w/images/9/98/7J3-Concealed_Carry_Outright_Recognition_Act_Exposed.pdf Concealed Carry Outright Recognition Act Exposed]</li>

<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;">[httphttps://www.alecexposed.org/w/images/a/a2/7J4-Concealed_Carry_True_Reciprocity_Act_Exposed.pdf Concealed Carry True Reciprocity Act Exposed]</li>

<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;">[httphttps://www.alecexposed.org/w/images/1/15/7J5-Consistency_in_Firearms_Regulation_Act_Exposed.pdf Consistency in Firearms Regulation Act Exposed]</li>

<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;">[httphttps://www.alecexposed.org/w/images/2/2d/7J6-Criminal_History_Record_Check_for_Firearm_Sales_Act_Exposed.pdf Criminal History Record Check for Firearm Sales Act Exposed]</li>

<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;">[httphttps://www.alecexposed.org/w/images/0/08/7J7-Defense_of_Free_Market_and_Public_Safety_Resolution_Exposed.pdf Defense of Free Market and Public Safety Resolution Exposed]</li>

<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;">[httphttps://www.alecexposed.org/w/images/0/09/7J8-Emergency_Powers_Firearm_Owner_Protection_Act_Exposed.pdf Emergency Powers Firearm Owner Protection Act Exposed]</li>

<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;">[httphttps://www.alecexposed.org/w/images/4/43/7J9-Resolution_on_Child_Firearms_Safety_Exposed.pdf Resolution on Child Firearms Safety Exposed]</li>

<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;">[httphttps://www.alecexposed.org/w/images/3/37/7J10-Resolution_On_Firearms_Purchase_Waiting_Periods_Exposed.pdf Resolution on Firearms Purchase Waiting Periods Exposed]</li>

<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;">[httphttps://www.alecexposed.org/w/images/0/00/7J11-Resolution_on_Semicopy_Exposed.pdf Resolution on Semicopy Exposed]</li>

<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;">[httphttps://www.alecexposed.org/w/images/6/64/7J12-Resolution_on_the_Second_Amendment_to_the_U_Exposed.pdf Resolution on the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution Exposed]</li>

<li style="margin-bottom: 10px;">[httphttps://www.alecexposed.org/w/images/4/43/7J13-Youth_Firearm_Safety_Resolution_Exposed.pdf Youth Firearm Safety Resolution Exposed]</li>

<li>The retail sale of machine guns has been barred by federal law since the gangster era but, as [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/05/11508/cmd-special-report-new-documents-confirm-koch-was-alec-crime-task-force-led-nra uncovered] by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), one year ago at ALEC's &quot;policy summit&quot; in Arizona, the NRA obtained unanimous support from the corporate and lawmaker members of ALEC&#39;s Task Force for &quot;amending&quot; ALEC&#39;s &quot;Consistency in Firearms Regulation Act&quot; to expressly bar cities from banning &quot;machine guns.&quot; Other provisions of that bill prevent cities from banning armor-piercing bullets and from banning efforts to alter guns to make them more deadly if the state does not do so. It also bars cities from suing gun manufacturers for gun deaths based on the theory of liability used by governments to sue tobacco manufacturers for smoking deaths.</li>

<li>In 2008, as [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/05/11512/cmd-special-report-alecs-gun-agenda-flourished-koch-industries-board-other-koch-f noted] by CMD, in the aftermath of the tragic massacre of students and professors by a heavily armed Virginia Tech student, ALEC adopted a model bill to remove state prohibitions of guns on college campuses and to allow students to bring guns to class.</li>

<li>Also in 2008, as CMD has [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/03/11393/resources-investigating-alecnra-gun-bills documented] ALEC also weighed in on litigation challenging a handgun ban in the city of Chicago. ALEC filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in that case, <em>McDonald v. Chicago</em>, on the same side as the NRA.</li>

<li>In 2005,[httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/03/11393/resources-investigating-alecnra-gun-bills at an ALEC task force meeting co-chaired by Walmart], corporate lobbyists and politicians voted to approve the NRA&#39;s request that a law it spearheaded in Florida with ALEC members become a &quot;model&quot; for other states.&nbsp; That ALEC bill was misleadingly named the &quot;Castle Doctrine,&quot; but is also known as the &quot;Stand Your Ground&quot; or &quot;Shoot First&quot; or &quot;Kill at Will&quot; law. That Florida law, was initially invoked by law enforcement to prevent the arrest and prosecution earlier this year of high-school student Trayvon Martin&#39;s killer. The law&nbsp;creates legal immunity for shooters claiming self-defense, going well beyond the reach of the traditional rights of self defense to create what some call a &quot;license to kill.&quot;</li>

<li>[httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/03/11393/resources-investigating-alecnra-gun-bills CMD] [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/node/11366 connected those dots] and [httphttps://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Castle_Doctrine documented] that the NRA&#39;s lobbyist Marion Hammer pushed this bill through the Florida legislature in early 2005. She then brought the law to the closed door ALEC task force meeting in Texas that summer to become a priority for ALEC legislators. According to the NRA at that time, her pitch was warmly received and &quot;unanimously&quot; adopted by the private and public sector members at that meeting. The list of special interest reps attending that meeting is not publicly available, but it is known that the nation&#39;s largest retailer of ammunition and long guns, Walmart, was the corporate leader of that task force; earlier this year, Walmart announced it was resigning from ALEC.</li>

<li>Also around that time, ALEC pushed a variety of legislation to require reciprocity between states for &quot;concealed carry&quot; laws, laws that result in more people carrying concealed firearms in public places, as CMD has [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/04/11433/bloomberg-denounces-nraalec-shoot-first-laws noted].</li>

<li>In 2000, as CMD has [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/05/11512/cmd-special-report-alecs-gun-agenda-flourished-koch-industries-board-other-koch-f reported], when Koch Industries was the chair of ALEC&#39;s corporate board, ALEC&#39;s crime task force adopted the &quot;Defense of Free Market and Public Safety Resolution&quot; as a national template for states across the country. That resolution was an effort to thwart law enforcement from using contracts -- to buy firearms for police officers -- to favor gun manufacturers that adhered to a code of conduct. As part of a lawsuit settlement, gun manufacturer Smith &amp; Wesson (S&amp;W) had agreed to penalize S&amp;W retailers who sold guns that tended to end up used in crimes, barred S&amp;W retailers from using the gun show loophole to avoid conducting criminal background checks on prospective buyers, and forbade dealers from releasing more than one handgun to a purchaser per day. It also&nbsp;required retailers to sell all of its handguns with mechanical trigger locks to help protect kids from accidentally killing themselves or others.&nbsp;ALEC&#39;s resolution sought to bar states from rewarding S&amp;W with contracts for police weapons or creating an incentive for other gun manufacturers to adopt similar voluntary codes of conduct.</li>

<li>In 1995, ALEC promoted as model legislation a bill that would create state-based criminal background checks for firearms purchases different from the federal Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, which established the National Instant Check criminal background check system at the FBI. As [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/05/11512/cmd-special-report-alecs-gun-agenda-flourished-koch-industries-board-other-koch-f analyzed] by CMD, ALEC's bill expressly exempts firearms sales at gun shows from its background checks (creating a &quot;gun show loophole&quot;). It also exempts holders of &quot;concealed carry&quot; permits from a background check, even though the Brady Law attempts to protect the public through background checks regardless of whether a person had previously obtained a permit to carry a gun, such as from people who subsequently become fugitives or persons adjudicated to be mentally unstable.</li>

<li>As CMD has [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/05/11512/cmd-special-report-alecs-gun-agenda-flourished-koch-industries-board-other-koch-f shown], ALEC also strongly opposed the 1994 &quot;Assault Weapons Ban,&quot; which sought to expand the long-standing federal bar on fully automatic machine guns by preventing the purchase of rapid-firing &quot;semi-automatic&quot; assault-style weapons. Certain military-style firearms -- such as the .223 Bushmaster rifle reportedly found at the scene of the Connecticut school massacre and similar to the one used in the sniper shootings that terrorized D.C. in 2003 -- include versions for sale in the U.S. that were modified by manufacturers for the civilian market along with versions that allow three-shot bursts of fire with each pull of the trigger for law enforcement rather than their faster-firing military-style kin like an M4 or AK-47, in light of the federal assault weapons ban. The ban was allowed to expire during the George W. Bush administration, which had very close ties to the NRA.</li>

ALEC has a model bill called the Castle Doctrine Act that states have used as a template to adopt their own "[[Stand Your Ground]]" legislation. The bill was originally offered to ALEC by the NRA. NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer assisted in writing the bill, and subsequently lobbied heavily for its passage in Florida. Following the passage of the bill into law, Hammer introduced the bill to ALEC's Criminal Justice Task Force (which became the [[Public Safety and Elections Task Force]]). Since ALEC's adoption of the model bill (which passed unanimously) <ref> Brendan Fischer, "[httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/03/11366/alec-and-nra-behind-law-may-protect-trayvon-martins-killer ALEC Ratified the NRA-Conceived Law That May Protect Trayvon Martin's Killer"] PR Watch, March 21, 2012) </ref>, 16 states have passed legislation that draws directly from the Castle Doctrine Act. <ref> Brendan Fischer, "[httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/03/11366/alec-and-nra-behind-law-may-protect-trayvon-martins-killer ALEC Ratified NRA-Conceived Law That May Protect Trayvon Martin's Killer"] PR Watch, March 21, 2012 </ref> ALEC's senior staffer on gun policy, Michael Hough, boasted on NRA radio that this legislation was "one of our model bills we have states introduce." <ref> Lisa Graves, "[httphttps://www.prwatch.org/node/11393 Resources for Investigating ALEC/NRA Gun Bills"], PR Watch, March 30, 2012 </ref> On April 17, 2012, ALEC claimed to have disbanded their Public Safety and Elections task force, but a chair of the task force made it clear that work would merely be shifted elsewhere in the organization. <ref> PRW Staff "[httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/04/11479/alec-leader-admits-last-weeks-announcement-was-pr-stunt ALEC Leader Admits Last Week's Announcement Was a PR Stunt"] PR Watch, April 25, 2012) </ref>

The retail sale of machine guns has been barred by federal law since the gangster era, but at ALEC's "policy summit" in Scottsdale in December, 2011, the NRA successfully obtained the approval of the ALEC crime task force for a modified "model" bill that would ban cities from barring the sale of "machine guns," expressly. The Center for Media & Democracy documented this in its two-part [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/05/11508/cmd-special-report-new-documents-confirm-koch-was-alec-crime-task-force-led-nra-p special report] on how the NRA's gun agenda has [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/05/11512/cmd-special-report-alecs-gun-agenda-flourished-koch-industries-board-other-koch-f thrived] while Koch Industries has helped lead ALEC through its seat on ALEC's corporate board and on its crime task force last year. (Koch continues to bankroll and back ALEC.)

ALEC also strongly opposed the 1994 "Assault Weapons Ban," which sought to prevent the U.S. sale of semi-automatic weapons, similar to the notorious AK-47 -- a rapid-fire style weapon that has been used in numerous mass murders in the U.S. That ban has since expired. ALEC also filed [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/node/11393 papers] with the courts calling for city bans on guns to be struck down as unconstitutional. ALEC's move in January, 2012 to urge state legislators to prevent city officials from limiting access to machine guns comes in the wake of an earlier decision by new justices on the U.S. Supreme Court who struck down D.C.'s gun ban, in part at ALEC's request.

The NRA's gun agenda helps protect and expand the market for the firearms sold by the weapons companies that bankroll its multi-million dollar lobbying and influence operations. Although ALEC's crime task force no longer officially exists, ALEC is doing nothing to undo the damage done through its many years of advancing the wish list of the gun industry through laws like SYG, pushing for guns on college campuses, and even opposing codes of conduct for gun makers and sellers. <ref> Lisa Graves, "[httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/07/11650/trap-shoot-must-go-guess-wholl-be-shootin-alec-members-salt-lake-nra-and-machine- The Trap Shoot Must Go On: Guess Who'll Be Shootin' with ALEC Members in Salt Lake?"] PR Watch, July 19, 2012 </ref>

ALEC conventions also often promote shooting events for ALEC legislators and corporate lobbyists that are sponsored by the NRA.<ref> Lisa Graves, [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/03/11393/resources-investigating-alecnra-gun-bills Resources for Investigating ALEC/NRA Gun Bills] PR Watch, March 30, 2012 </ref> The NRA hosted its regular annual shooting event at ALEC's 2012 summer convention. For the past several years, on the Saturday of ALEC's annual meeting, the NRA has regularly hosted an outing for ALEC legislators and lobbyists to go shooting together -- with complimentary guns and ammo plus plenty of food and drink. <ref> Lisa Graves, "[httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/07/11650/trap-shoot-must-go-guess-wholl-be-shootin-alec-members-salt-lake-nra-and-machine- The Trap Shoot Must Go On: Guess Who'll Be Shootin' with ALEC Members in Salt Lake?"] PR Watch, July 19, 2012 </ref>

== Historical Information Poll Shows National Accord on Gun Control==A [http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/poll-07-24-2012.pdf national poll] commissioned by the bipartisan group Mayors Against Illegal Guns was conducted by [[Frank Luntz]] in May, 2012. It found a great deal of common ground in the U.S. between gun-rights advocates and gun-control advocates. The outlier in these policies is the NRA's leadership.<ref>Mayors Against Illegal Guns Press Release "[http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/media-center/pr006-12.shtml MAIG Press Release"] MayorsAgainstIllegalGuns.org, July 24, 2012</ref>The poll found 87 percent of NRA members agree that support for Second Amendment rights goes hand-in-hand with keeping guns out of the hands of criminals. 74 percent of NRA members and 87 percent of non-NRA gun owners support requiring criminal background checks of anyone purchasing a gun. 79 percent of NRA members and 80 percent of non-NRA gun owners support requiring gun retailers to perform background checks on all employees – a measure recently endorsed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms industry. NRA members strongly support allowing states to set basic eligibility requirements for people who want to carry concealed, loaded guns in public places, with 91 percent of NRA members stating states should decide. By contrast, the NRA leadership’s top Federal legislative priority – national reciprocity for concealed carry permits – would effectively eliminate these requirements by forcing every state to allow non-residents to carry concealed guns even if they would not qualify for a local permit. 75 percent of NRA members believe concealed carry permits should only be granted to applicants who have not committed any violent misdemeanors, including assault.74 percent of NRA members believe permits should only be granted to applicants who have completed gun safety training.68 percent of NRA members believe permits should only be granted to applicants who do not have prior arrests for domestic violence.63 percent of NRA members believe permits should only be granted to applicants 21 years of age or older. The NRA rank and file also supports barring people on terror watch lists from buying guns (71 percent) and believe the law should require gun owners to alert police to lost and stolen guns (64 percent). The NRA’s Washington office strongly opposes both measures.  Another national poll commissioned by Mayors Against Illegal Guns was conducted by [[Frank Luntz]]'s firm, The Word Doctors, in 2010. It found the vast majority of gun owners not only believe that law-abiding Americans have the right to own guns, but they also believe that government ought to be doing more to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.<ref>Frank Luntz & Tom Barrett, "[http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/82436102.html New poll at odds with gun rhetoric"] ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', January 23, 2010</ref> The poll's respondents indicated 69 percent of NRA members and 86 percent of non-NRA gun-owners support closing the "gun show loophole." The loophole allows some vendors at gun shows to sell guns without conducting the federal background checks that all licensed gun dealers perform. Gun shows provide hunters, collectors, sportsmen and gun enthusiasts with a place to shop - but as the Department of Justice has reported, 30 percent of guns in illegal gun-trafficking cases are linked to gun shows.

(this section relates The poll also found support among NRA members and other gun owners for numerous other policies to strengthen safety, security and law enforcement, including allowing the FBI to block gun sales to material about individuals on the NRA prior terror watch list, requiring gun owners to report lost and stolen guns to 2004; it is under review for updated informationpolice and providing local police departments with more data analysis of gun trafficking patterns.

==NRA and tobaccoTobacco==

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