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National Shooting Sports Foundation boosts efforts on Capitol Hill, exceeding NRA’s lobbying spending
From today's WSJ."WASHINGTON—To many people, the only name that springs to mind when it comes to gun rights and influence on Capitol Hill is the National Rifle Association.
But a different outfit has ratcheted up federal lobbying and is working closely with lawmakers to shape the Senate negotiations now under way toward new legislation to curb gun violence: the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Like the NRA, the group is a powerful force in representing gun rights. But it is backed by gun manufacturers and retailers, while the NRA’s potency comes from its membership of gun owners. And it takes a less confrontational approach to lawmakers who favor gun-control, a stance that has given it clout as Congress seeks to enact new gun measures in the wake of mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas, according to members of Congress and aides.
The NSSF hasn’t taken a public position on the bipartisan framework announced by Senate negotiators earlier this month because there is no legislative text yet. But the trade group has been involved in setting the deal’s general parameters and has been helping with technical details, members of Congress and aides said. Senate leaders aim to hold a vote this coming week on the deal, which Democrats call a good first step and many Republicans see as the farthest they are willing to go.
“We try very hard to be able to have conversations with both sides of the aisle,” said Larry Keane, the NSSF’s lead lobbyist for more than two decades. “Obviously there are fewer Democrats, particularly in the House, who are willing to speak with us or listen to us, but we work at maintaining the relationships we have.”
The NSSF represents 8,000 gun makers, distributors, retailers and shooting ranges, including AR-15 rifle maker Colt. The NRA, a Second Amendment advocacy group, is backed by more than five million dues-paying members, but has been embroiled in internal financial and personnel disputes in recent years.
While the NRA and NSSF often seek similar policy goals, the NSSF has been more open to some gun legislation that is seen as benefiting its members, such as strengthening penalties for gun-store robberies and cracking down on “ghost guns” that lack serial numbers. The NSSF also hasn’t campaigned against Republican lawmakers who favor some gun-control measures the way the NRA has.
Capitalizing on both its own legislative relationships and the NRA’s struggles, the NSSF has stepped up its Washington presence, spending almost $1.1 million in the first three months of this year on federal lobbying, compared with the NRA’s $620,000, records show. Since 2019, the NSSF has invested about $5 million more than the NRA in federal lobbying, records show.
Amy Hunter, an NRA spokeswoman, said the NRA has more registered lobbyists than any other pro-gun organization and that its real power comes from its members who vote politicians in or out of office based on their Second Amendment stances.
“If the accounting methods used show that the monies spent aren’t as high as other groups but the larger team continues to deliver outstanding results, that is a fact to be celebrated,” Ms. Hunter said. “Indeed, that is the very definition of a valuable and successful political operation.”
In the current talks, the NSSF’s Mr. Keane said the group argued against increasing the age to purchase firearms and a national red-flag law. No such provisions made it into the framework.
Mr. Keane also said the NSSF is opposed to so-called red-flag laws unless procedural due-process protections are included, and has criticized recently enacted state laws as unreasonable.
A provision that would provide federal funding for states to establish and enforce red-flag laws—which allow authorities to remove guns temporarily from people threatening violence—has emerged as one of the final sticking points for Senate negotiators as they work to convert the bipartisan framework to legislative text. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the lead Republican negotiator, has said he would ensure due-process protections are included.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.), one of the lead Republican negotiators, said NSSF has been helpful on the technical side as lawmakers begin to draft legislative language.
“You know, it’s some of the plumbing,” Mr. Tillis. “I’m not going to get into specific provisions. But so they have engaged in good faith, and it’s a very good sign.”
Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) called the NSSF “extremely reasonable and responsible.” He said the group has “an awful lot of credibility when they speak and they speak with authority and they should continue to do so.”
The NRA has also been in touch with legislative offices throughout negotiations, according to people familiar with the matter. In a letter to Senate leaders last week, the group has said eventual bill text must address due process concerns and exclude any bans or restrictions that impinge on rights of law-abiding gun owners. It is holding off on taking a position until it sees the final text.
The NSSF has influenced gun policy before. Last year, it paid for digital and TV ads to help defeat President Biden’s first nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, David Chipman, saying he was an overly political pick. Legislative aides for several senators, including Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.), said the NSSF’s opposition was meaningful because the group doesn’t have an obstructionist reputation on the Hill.
Before Mr. Chipman, the NSSF hadn’t actively lobbied against an ATF nominee. The group hasn’t opposed the current nominee, Steven Dettelbach, who overcame a procedural hurdle on the Senate floor Friday with two Republican votes and all 50 senators who caucus with Democrats, in a 52-41 vote.
The NSSF opposed the 2013 legislation by Sens. Manchin and Toomey that would have required background checks before gun-show purchases, among other policy changes, saying it infringed on the Second Amendment.
“Everybody makes mistakes,” Mr. Manchin said, about NSSF’s decision to oppose the Manchin-Toomey bill.
The NSSF has backed other gun proposals over the years, while the NRA has consistently sought to block almost all federal legislation. In recent years, some Republican lawmakers and their aides say they have been more willing to talk to NSSF officials than those with the NRA. Some Democratic legislative offices have had an open line with the NSSF, even as they spurn the NRA.
Rep. Conor Lamb (D., Pa.) has worked with the NSSF on legislation such as the Federal Firearms Licensee Protection Act last year. Mr. Lamb’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The NSSF’s campaign contributions and lobbying spending have ticked steadily upward for more than a decade, but in 2019, the group reached an inflection point: For the first time, it began outpacing the NRA on federal lobbying. Between 2018 and 2019, the NRA’s lobbying expenditures plummeted.
That is about when a boardroom rift developed inside the NRA over lavish expenditures by top officials and the group began fighting allegations of spending abuses and mismanagement in a case brought by New York’s attorney general. The NRA has acknowledged in tax filings examples of improper transactions, including private jet flights for Chief Executive Officer Wayne LaPierre."
Write to Lindsay Wise at [email protected] and Julie Bykowicz at [email protected]
