Rob Portman, Republicans, and the power of the NRA

$3.06 million

That’s how much money the National Rifle Association has given Senator Rob Portman since 1990.

According to information from Matt Grossmann, director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research at Michigan State University and other information gathered by the Dispatch, there are many things at play when it comes to politics and gun control. Let’s break them down:

The objective of the NRA’s generous political contributions is not to influence lawmakers to oppose gun control but rather their goal is to make people who may consider gun control never even get a seat in the first place.
Very few Republicans stray from the party’s stance against gun regulations
Gun control isn’t the top item on Democrats’ agenda
Gun rights groups spent about $54 million in 2016 campaigns while gun control groups spent only about $3 million- Center for Responsive Politics
President Trump directly collected just shy of $1 million from gun advocates during the 2016 election. They chipped in an additional $11.4 million for things like ads supporting Trump.
Rob Portman’s spokeswoman said Portman supports Second Amendment rights but wants a stronger national background check system to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.

Heartbreaking news out of Florida. Jane and I send our prayers to the school, the community, and the victims of this tragedy.
— Rob Portman (@senrobportman) February 14, 2018

Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old accused of shooting and killing 17 people at the South Florida high school passed a background check and purchased his AR-15-style rifle legally last year.