Americans puzzled by the growing gap between popular support for gun controls and Washington lawmakers’ obeisance to the gun lobby should know about the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. It is a private charity that enjoys considerable tax-deductible support from the firearms industry, and has very close ties to more than 250 members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, those who make up the separate Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus. A good part of its clout comes from Washington dinners, gala “shootouts”, and junkets with lawmakers.
The group is a powerful voice arguing that gun-safety measures will somehow undermine hunting, fishing, target shooting, and other activities. And when it comes to insider influence on Capitol Hill, it has the ear of members of the Sportsmen’s Caucus, which has often supported measures embraced by the firearms industry.
A recent report in The Times by Mike McIntire detailed the ways the foundation— which also provides research on wildlife conservation and open-space issues— is braced by donations from the National Rifle Association and gun makers, and pays particular attention to industry positions. For instance, the foundation opposes a ban on the military-style rifles and high-capacity magazines often used in mass shootings.
The organization claims to represent the views of the nation’s sportsmen. But opinion polls show that most sportsmen and gun owners support much-needed gun measures opposed by the industry, like strong background checks on gun buyers.
This charity shows how deeply rooted the influence of the gun industry is on Capitol Hill and why getting sensible gun measures out of Congress is so hard, even after young children are massacred in their classrooms.
Rico says what did you expect, a pro-gub editorial?
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