guns. that makes around 65 million who aren t card-carrying members of the nra. so the nra doesn t really get its power from its membership dues. it gets its power from the deep-pocketed corporations that have contributed nearly $52 million to the organization in the last eight years alone. the nra spent that money pretty well. they ve ushered in expansive conceal and carry laws, tied up federal regulation, and effectively blocked the renewal of the 1994 ban on assault weapons with high capacity magazines. in spite of numerous polls that show most nra members support tighter restrictions on gun ownership, the nra has strong armed legislation. the nra is really good at defending the second amendment, and some of its members are persuaded by all the talk about home invasions, chinese hackers and a post apocalyptic america.
in government affairs, focus following the trayvon martin tragedy. critics distorted the role a.l.e.c. played, certain private sector members chose to withdraw their support for the exchange council while we respect the decisions of past members, a.l.e.c. moved forward, grew membership, focused on transparency and the renewed organization focused on limited government, free markets and federalism. that is a statement that was sent to us by a.l.e.c. that we just presented you now. so joining us now, ed pill beington, one of the authors of the guardian piece and author of big money about the role of cash and politics, which will be published in june. welcome to both of you. and i want to come to you in a second to talk to you about your extraordinary reporting but first go to ken. you heard the lengthy statement i read from a.l.e.c. explain to viewers what a.l.e.c. is what they do? a corporate bill mill, a nonprofit organization that accepts membership dues, mostly
that makes around 65 million who aren t card-carrying members of the nra, so the nra doesn t really get its power from its membership dues. it gets its power from the deep-pocketed corporations that have contributed $52 million to the organization in the last 8 years, alone. and the nra spent that money pretty well. they ve ushered in expansive conceal and carry laws, censored government data about gun crime, tied up federal regulation and blocked the renewal of the 1994 ban assault weapons with high-capacity magazines. in spite of numerous polls that show gun members and nra members support tighter restriction on gun ownership, the nra strongarmed legislation to loosen restrictions and restri. the nra is really good at defending the second amendment. some of its members are persu e persuaded by all the talk about home invasions, chinese hackers and a post-apocalyptic america. the main thing the nra is defending is the bottom line for
aren t card carrying members of the nra. so the nra doesn t really get its power from its membership dues. it gets its power from the deep-pocketed corporations that have contributed nearly $52 million to the organization in the last eight years alone. and the nra spent that money pretty well. they ve ushered in expansive conceal and carry laws, sensitive government data about gun crime, tied up federal regulation, and effectively blocked the renewal of the 1994 ban on assault weapons with high-capacity magazines. in spite of numerous polls that show that not even most gun owners, but nra members, that support restrictions on gun ownership, the nra has strong-armed legislation to loosen restrictions and aggressively expanded the base for gun manufacturers. the nra is really good at defending the second amendment, and some of its members are persuaded by all the talk about home invasions, chinese hackers and a post apocalyptic america. but the main thing the nra is defending is the bott
that s not what we want. we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and endowed by their create were certain unalienable rights. and among these are right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. ladies and gentlemen, without our firearms, we have none, none of the liberties. the nra was founded in 1871 as a sportsman s organization aimed at educating and building marksmanship as a skill among its members. you can become a part of this great heritage simply by calling now. today the nra has nearly five million members and considers itself the voice of the american gunowner. but heres the thing. about 70 million americans own guns. that makes around 65 million who aren t card carrying members of the nra. so the nra doesn t really get its power from its membership dues. it gets its power from the deep-pocketed corporations that have contributed nearly $52