In response to the Supreme Court of the United States ruling in United States v. Rahimi, DNC National Press Secretary ⁨Emilia Rowland⁩ released the following statement:

“Protecting domestic abuse survivors against gun violence should never be a question – But that’s how extreme MAGA Republicans in the pocket of the gun lobby have become under the leadership of Donald Trump. While President Biden and Democrats have worked tirelessly to pass common sense gun safety legislation that protects survivors of domestic violence, Trump and his MAGA allies are pushing an extreme agenda that puts the interests of the NRA over the safety of our communities. This November, your safety and your family’s safety is on the ballot.”

President Biden is fighting for common sense gun measures, strengthening background checks while working to close loopholes, and investing in violence intervention and mental health services.

Center for American Progress: “Federal protections are vital to the safety of unmarried individuals in dating partnerships, and by expanding federal domestic violence firearm prohibitors to include abusive dating partners with misdemeanor domestic violence convictions, the BSCA takes a significant step forward in protecting all victims of domestic abuse from deadly gun violence.”

19th News: “Biden just made it harder for domestic abusers to get guns”

Everytown for Gun Safety: “The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act established an enhanced background check process for buyers under 21. There have been more than 100,000 enhanced background checks for these buyers, which have kept almost 1,000 guns out of the hands of prohibited persons—including more than 200 people that were denied solely because of the changes made in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

“Hundreds of millions of dollars have also been invested to help federal, state, and local law enforcement get the right records into the background check system to ensure that checks are complete and thorough.”

White House: “The American Rescue Plan (ARP) has provided over $15 billion to prevent crime and promote public safety, including community violence intervention programs and crisis responders, while Bipartisan Safer Community Act —the most significant gun safety legislation in the last 30 years—provides $250 million in funding for community-based violence prevention initiatives, in addition to key investments for schools to expand mental health services and violence intervention programs.”

President Biden passed the American Rescue Plan, which included hundreds of billions of dollars to prevent crime and promote public safety.

ABC News: “President Joe Biden will announce Friday that $10 billion from the American Rescue Plan has been committed to police departments and public safety across the U.S. … These funds show what has been reported from cities through the end of 2021. The COVID-19 relief law included $350 billion for state and local governments to reduce violence.”

One hundred and seventy-two House Republicans opposed reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act in 2021, specifically pushing back on a measure that would have kept guns out of the hands of abusers. 

Newsweek: “Full List of 172 Republicans Who Opposed the Violence Against Women Act”

“However, Republicans have taken issue with several new or expanded measures in the bill, including the closure of the so-called “boyfriend loophole.” The closure of the loophole would extend the ban on abusers being allowed to own or buy a firearm.

“At present, the rule applies to those convicted of violence against former or present spouses—but not those in non-marital relationships.”

Donald Trump has vowed to roll back ALL gun legislation and regulations enacted by the Biden administration, putting the gun lobby over American lives. 

Politico: “Donald Trump told National Rifle Association members on Friday that ‘no one will lay a finger on your firearms’ if he wins the presidency, vowing to roll back Biden-era gun restrictions.

“‘Every single Biden attack on gun owners and manufacturers will be terminated on my very first week back in office, perhaps my first day,’ Trump said at the NRA’s Presidential Forum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

“The former president specifically said he would roll back the Biden administration’s ‘Zero-Tolerance’ policy that revokes federal licenses from firearm dealers that violate gun laws. And he said he would undo regulations on pistol braces, or stabilization devices that have also been used in gun massacres.”

MAGA Republicans have been quick to dismiss the families of gun control victims by running to the NRA after mass shootings. 

In Indiana: “A slew of 2024 GOP presidential hopefuls courted gun rights activists Friday at a National Rifle Association convention in Indianapolis that took place in the wake of mass shootings in Kentucky and Tennessee in recent days.”

In Indiana: “Indiana Republican lawmakers honor NRA one day after mass shooting in Louisville”

“Days before the NRA convention descends on Indianapolis and one day after a mass shooting in Louisville, Indiana’s Republican lawmakers passed a resolution honoring the National Rifle Association and its CEO, Wayne LaPierre…

“But the resolution, and especially its timing, is also getting serious scrutiny.

“It comes days after a school shooting killed three adults and three children in Nashville, Tennessee and 24 hours after five lives were lost to gunfire at a bank in Louisville.”

In Michigan: “One day after Uvalde shooting, Michigan GOP Senators reject vote on safe gun storage”

In South Dakota: “South Dakota Public Broadcasting: Noem to speak at NRA convention days after Texas school shooting”

In Texas: “Trump, Cruz, Abbott still set to speak at NRA meeting in Houston days after Uvalde mass shooting”

In Virginia: “WTVR: Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears scheduled to speak at NRA convention in Texas”

“The convention will take place just days after 21 people, including 19 children, were killed at a Texas elementary school by a lone gunman.”

At the 2023 NRA convention: “Holcomb, Pence and Braun appeared as featured speakers for the organization’s Institute for Legislative Action Leadership Forum, the lobbying arm of the NRA, on Friday…

“[Pence] acknowledged the two recent shootings in Kentucky and Tennessee, which together killed over a dozen people, including three 9-year-old children…

“Three other governors, both current and former, addressed the crowd: former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu.”

Trump repeatedly changed the federal government’s approach to gun control policies to appease the NRA.

Washington Post: “White House softens tone on gun-control measures after Trump meets with NRA”

New York Times: “N.R.A. Gets Results on Gun Laws in One Phone Call With Trump”

“The call ended the way that Mr. LaPierre had hoped it would: with Mr. Trump espousing N.R.A. talking points in the Oval Office and warning of the radical steps he said Democrats wanted to take in violation of the Second Amendment.”

New York Times: “Conceding to N.R.A., Trump Abandons Brief Gun Control Promise”

“After the Florida high school massacre last month, Mr. Trump explicitly called on live television for raising the age limit to purchase rifles and backed 2013 legislation for near-universal background checks. He later told lawmakers that while the N.R.A. has ‘great power over you people, they have less power over me.’

“But on Monday, it was the president who seemed to knuckle under, again dramatizing the sway that the N.R.A. still maintains in Republican circles.”

Vanity Fair: “The Trump Administration Gave the NRA ‘Veto Power’ Over Its Response to the Parkland Massacre, New Book Reveals”

“In the end, of course, he did jack sh*t to get a universal background check bill passed, an about-face that can probably be attributed in part to the fact that Trump was reportedly being advised on gun control by his eldest son, who famously gets his kicks hunting endangered species and posing for photos alongside his victims. Another thing that probably played a part? Trump’s well-known fealty to the National Rifle Association, which spent more than $30 million to help get him elected in 2016. According to a new report, that money effectively bought the organization ‘veto power’ when it came to even the smallest effort to address gun violence.

“According to Taylor, then secretary of education Betsy DeVos initially supported Venable, before beginning to ‘waver’ under pressure from the White House, and eventually fully caving once Trump ‘personally got involved to insist the NRA have a say in the report.’ Venable would ultimately quit before the report was released, and not surprisingly, the whole thing was devoid of any meaningful recommendations.’”

The NRA has spent over $100 million to help elect Republicans in the last decade.  

Fortune: “For instance, in 2020, the NRA alone spent over $12 million campaigning against Biden and another $4.5 million in favor of Donald Trump.”

Yahoo Finance: “The National Rifle Association does spend a lot of money on politics, which makes it seem like a giant right-wing bogeyman. The gun-rights group spent $54 million during the 2016 election cycle, including $30 million to help Donald Trump get elected president. Among outside groups helping fund elections, it ranked 11th, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.”

Federal Election Commission: “MAGA Mike Johnson has received donations from the NRA every election year since 2016.”