Recent Parkland Shooting Sees a HUGE Spike in NRA Donations

Valentine’s Day is usually a day associated with love and merrymaking. However, on February 14, America witnessed a gunman go on a rampage in a school in Parkland, Florida. The school in question was the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

While a barrage of hopeful messages were spread across the internet, an equal amount of hate and respite for the gunslinger were shared.

Unbelievably, there has been a certifiable spike in donations to the NRA in the following days and weeks. So impressive has the turnaround been, it is estimated that it has almost tripled from January to February.

The Unfolding of Events

Records show that the NRA collected about $248,000 in January. In February, the numbers surged up to more than $779,000. The high donation figures could have a direct correlation with the recent shootings witnessed in Parkland, Florida.

However, creating the relationship between improved donation numbers and the school shooting may be hard to prove due to timing. This is because the shootings happened mid-month.

On the other hand, we are well aware that the numbers show increased interest in guns right after such incidents. Mass shootings tend to inspire people to better protect themselves by making the purchase of guns. Thus, using the same logic, it is comprehensible why donations to the NRA seem to have recently spiked.

To back up this notion, data collected by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics has shown that individual contributions doubled. The time-span under review is the period before and after the mass shooting occurred. They were able to review donations of $200 and above made by individuals before stumbling on this information.

Incredibly, the data goes ahead to show that only seven days after the school shooting, the number of contributors also increased by 500%. This is in comparison to only a week before the shooting occurred.

Inspiration

While numerous analysts have come to the fore in trying to explain why the hike happened. No one really seems to have an inkling on the true reason behind this occurrence.

There are theories doing the rounds that speculate the phenomenon may have something to do with President Trump’s comments right after the shooting. He stated that he was in support of tougher regulations on guns. Notably, he did not go at length in explaining how exactly.

Another theory postulated would be the NRA’s outreach to supporters. According to the Centre for Responsive Politics, the real reason remains unclear.

The NRA’s Political Victory Fund presents the non-profit organization an opportunity to make monetary contributions to political campaigns. Notably, most of the contributions usually go towards ‘gun rights friendly’ candidates. By funding a subset of preferred candidates, the NRA is availed with the opportunity to spend some of its funds.

Politics

During the 2016 elections, the NRA is documented by the Center for Responsive Politics to have spent $50.2 million on a number of Republicans. Of these candidates, six of them were for senatorial positions and the Republican candidate, Donald Trump.

While the NRA’s role is to regulate gun ownership and promote safe practices, the organization has recently come under fire for its stance on the matter. Survivors of the Parkland shooting have used their voice on various platforms and expressed their discontent at the NRA. However, if the spike in donations is anything to go by, the NRA seems to have its own band of loyal supporters.

Controversially, Senator Marco Rubio recently made a declaration about the NRA that divided opinions on the matter. He sensationally claimed that the NRA’s influence stems not from the money received but from the millions of people who support and advocate for gun rights.

His comments were received by a number of boos from the live crowd, which consisted of family members of the bereaved and a host of gun control advocates. Given the fact that most liberals have been against the NRA’s stance on gun reforms, it has found itself a voice with Republicans.

The NRA spends much of its funds running TV and internet ads telling voters to ignore candidates who were pro-gun reform. Their stance stems from the fact that over time, there have been numerous gun-related fatalities in the country. Thus, the best course of action would probably be for citizens to enforce the second amendment that supports gun ownership.