Issues: Gun Control

Sanders Questions: He Knew What He Signed Up For Edition

President Trump has reached a new depth of disgusting, petty, and unpatriotic behavior by reigniting a feud with Gold Star families. The words of Khizr Khan, the father of an American soldier killed in Iraq, to Trump are more true now than ever before: “You have sacrificed nothing and no one.”

There is absolutely nothing White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders can say to make up for the pain the President has caused. But she can do the country a service by finally telling the truth, in the interest of transparency and decency, so that the public can hold this White House accountable. American Bridge Rapid Response Emily Aden calls on her to answer the following questions:

1. Why was President Trump so callous in his call to the grieving widow of Sgt. La David T. Johnson? Do you deny that the President did not even know the name of […]

Read more after the jump.

Gun Industry Drops $3M For Trump Via The NRA

One day after Donald Trump effectively called for “second amendment people” to take violent action against Hillary Clinton, the National Rifle Association — which promptly came to Trump’s defense in the aftermath of his inflammatory comments — is launching a new $3 million ad campaign attacking Clinton.

It’s no surprise that the NRA would intervene to give Trump a boost in the presidential race, because that’s what the organization is all about: bankrolling candidates like Trump, who they know will in return bolster the $13.5 billion-a-year gun industry’s hardline opposition to commonsense measures to curb gun violence.

The truth is the NRA doesn’t even represent the interests of America’s gun owners; it’s primary objective is advancing the gun manufacturing industry’s agenda. Look at the numbers:

49% of individuals living in gun-owning households support a ban on assault-style weapons; but the NRA opposes any of such bans whatsoever.

62% […]

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REPORT: NRA is the Gun Industry’s Lobbyist, With Its Stranglehold on the Republican Party

NEW BRIDGE PROJECT REPORT: Marketing Death—How the Gun Industry Uses the NRA to Boost Profits and Undermine Public Safety

“It’s the guns & ammunition industry that run the NRA and the GOP agenda, pulling the strings in Congress to block commonsense gun safety legislation, not everyday gun owners.”

                                        –Eddie Vale, Vice President, American Bridge 21st Century

Washington, DC—After this month’s mass shootings in Orlando, and along with the demonstration by House Democrats and Senate votes last week, most of the news coverage has rightly shined a spotlight on the National Rifle Association (NRA) and its obstructive role in preventing any commonsense gun safety legislation from becoming law. Bridge Project released a new report today, “Marketing Death” which reveals how the NRA’s advocacy agenda is more about protecting the profits and […]

Read more after the jump.

Michele Bachmann’s Legacy Lives On

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has announced that she will not seek another term in the House of Representatives. However, the former presidential candidate’s legacy of extreme statements, paranoid conspiracy theories, and ideological witch hunts will live on through the right-wing members of Congress who will continue to champion her views.

Anti-American Conspiracies

Bachmann Called For A Media Investigation Into Whether Members Of Congress Are “Pro-America Or Anti-America.” During an interview on MSNBC’s Hardball, Michele Bachmann said, “What I would say — what I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look. I wish they would. I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America? I think people would love to see an expose like that.” [MSNBC, Hardball, 10/17/08]

  • Steve King Called Joe McCarthy “A Hero” And Said He Would Support Something “Along the Lines Of the House Un-American Activities Committee.” In an interview with Right Side News, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) was asked, whether he would support “resurrection of the Congressional internal security committees along the lines of the House Un-American Activities Committee.” King replied, “I would. Something similar. If we called it the House Un-American Activities Committee, that would be lighting up the history of McCarthy in a way that wouldn’t be necessary, although I am often quoted as saying McCarthy was a hero for America. He was. He was right far more times than he was wrong. It is a historical fact. But I would submit a different committee name so that we don’t have to deal with the history, and move forward. I think that is a good process and I would support it.” [Right Side News, 10/5/10]
Read more after the jump.

The Week In Conservative Attack Ads

Including a stray late-Friday-afternoon spot that didn’t make it into our roundup from last week, Bridge Project fact-checked 10 conservative ads this week. Eight of those were from the usual players – the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which focused on House races, Crossroads GPS, which took on its usual Senate targets, and American Crossroads, with a presidential ad. The remaining two came from the National Rifle Association and American Unity PAC, more minor players on the electioneering ad scene.

Rhetorically, this week saw a heavy focus on supposed threats to small business jobs, with six of the ads mentioning small businesses specifically. But most of the conservative claims about “small business” rely on distortions – for example, the conservative definition of a small business often includes large corporations and wealthy individuals rather than the mom-and-pop businesses the term conjures for most people. And the health care law, often cited as a source of crippling new taxes on small business, actually offers tax credits that will help those small businesses provide their employees with health insurance.

Read more after the jump.

NRA Political Victory Fund: “Chipping Away”

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In an ad that provides no details or citations, the National Rifle Association claims an unspecified “they” are “attacking our Second Amendment rights” before urging voters to support the Romney/Ryan ticket. But despite conservative fears, the only gun laws President Obama has signed expand – rather than restrict – gun rights. The ad’s other claims about “mountains of debt” and “new spending” are also misleading, since it was Bush-era policies and the recession that drove up the debt and spending growth under Obama has been low.

Read more after the jump.