Looking to build on the gains made in 2014, the National Rifle Association is preparing a massive 2016 voter outreach strategy and it seems like the timing could not be better.
According to Pew Research Center, a majority of Americans now support gun ownership over gun control. This is the first time a majority has held that position since 1993 when Pew started asking the question.
Pew Research’s poll showed a broad increase among almost all segments of the population, with the largest increases belonging to women, blacks, and Republicans.
The NRA used this broad increase of support to their advantage in the 2014 election. The NRA spent more than $28 million in 2014 and was successful in over 90 percent of their races, according to The Washington Times.
One of those elections was Arizona’s 2nd Congressional where the NRA poured in more than $20,000.
By focusing on rallying their members, they helped Rep. Martha McSally unseated an anti-gun incumbent by just 161 votes out of nearly 220,000 total votes cast.
This was an especially important victory as it was the seat held by former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), who survived an assassination attempt and went on to create a gun control group, Americans for Responsible Solutions.
Since the election last year, they have been working on increasing membership, which hit 5 million for the first time this year.
By mobilizing gun owners to vote, the NRA was able to make the difference in many close elections, including McSally’s.
“There’s this realization — gun owners know their rights are under attack — but there’s a bigger issue out there: that people are feeling suffocated, whether its businesses being stifled from regulation, Obamacare or being told how much soda we can drink. There’s been an overreach into our personal freedom. It’s a serious issue, and people are taking notice,” Chris Cox, the executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, told The Washington Times.
Although the NRA’s budget was significant to many races in 2014, it will be a drop in the bucket to the billions that all the campaigns and political action committees will be spending in 2016.
So instead of dollars, the group will have to focus on its strength — mobilization.
“2016 is going to be much different. It’s a national election year; we know it’s going to be challenging and expensive,” Cox said. “We’re constantly working to improve. We have the best grassroots organization in the country and continue to build it out.”
