GIFFORDS, the national gun control giant founded and led by former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), made a big announcement last week letting it be known they are going “all in” on political spending to try to buy congressional seats ahead of the Nov. 3 elections. They’re promising $10 million, with early indicators that there will be more — much more — in the next 50 days. The goal is simple: buy more gun control.
“We think that they’ll [advertisements] be impactful. And broadly we intend to use this $10 million that we’ve set aside to define Republicans across the map who have been really weak on this issue, as well as support Democrats who have been strong on it,” Emma Brown, GIFFORD’s executive director, told Semafor in an interview.
The group announced its early plans involve spending $1 million against former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) in the U.S. Senate race in Michigan against Democrat nominee Abdul El-Sayed, $850,000 in an initial advertising buy against Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) and $350,000 against Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.). GIFFORDS also said its plans include ads in four additional House races, but they’ve yet to make those specifics known.
One thing is crystal clear ahead of November’s elections. The Republican majority margin in the House of Representatives right now is razor thin and it won’t take much for it to flip to Democrat control. The Senate landscape looks like its in reach of flipping for Democrats as well.
Big Spenders
GIFFORDS investment is sizeable, to say the least. They’re hoping they can buy enough seats to force through strict gun control laws in Congress. That would no doubt include trying to reinstate a federal “assault weapons” ban, mandating storage laws on firearms when not in use, implementing a national firearm registration scheme and more. They’ve been pushing these laws for years and their spending habits show it.
The group announced a $10 million political spending spree in 2022, calling it “historic,” with the goal of “mobilizing gun violence prevention voters and support candidates with the courage to act to end gun violence in key states.”
In the last election cycle, 2024, GIFFORDS spent even more, announcing their political spending reached $15 million. That was the year the group also launched its “Gun Owners for Harris/Walz” group in an unsuccessful attempt to “win” support in the presidential election.
And now, with the most recent announcement, GIFFORDS will have spent at least $35 million in the past six years. That’s pushing for their goal of taking away Second Amendment rights from law-abiding Americans, while ignoring any consequences for those criminals who break existing laws to harm innocent lives.
And by the way, all that spending is separate from GIFFORDS’ attempts in 2023 at having supporters designate the group as a beneficiary in their wills as they make end-of-life plans. That’s correct — in a solicitation to the groups’ members, GIFFORDS included a button to click on to designate them as a beneficiary and said that pledges made to Giffords Law Center will protect people and pets in donors’ lives, plan for the distribution of assets and “help hold the gun lobby accountable.”
Hypocritical From the Get-Go
The new advertisements, according to GIFFORDS’ own press release, will “knock Republican candidates as soft on gun crime and warm to the gun industry.” That’s a far stretch in several examples of the elected officials being highlighted by GIFFORDS.
For example, the group labels pro-Second Amendment lawmakers as being “bought and paid for” by gun rights groups and will spend roughly $850,000 against Rep. Kiggans in Virginia. However, over the course of her political career, Rep. Kiggans has only received a grand total of $21,301.06 from groups that support the constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
In another example, GIFFORDS — the group that decries politicians being “bought” by outside groups — is spending $350,000 against Rep. Kean, while he has never directly accepted a single dollar from “the gun lobby.”
Lastly, the group announced it will spend at least $1 million against former Rep. Rogers in the Michigan Senate race. His opponent, El-Sayed, proposed stripping the Second Amendment from the U.S. Constitution and is openly supportive of the Democratic Socialists of America platform that includes strict gun control and even a confiscation of private property. All told, in a long career in the U.S. House of Representatives before, former Rep. Rogers only ever received a grand total of $100,000, over several election cycles. GIFFORDS is spending $1 million over 10 days right now.
So, who is really “bought and paid for?”
Fighting Back
Gun owners and Second Amendment supporters across the country cannot be dismissive of the election coming up. It will be a critical “all hands on deck” election that will require voters to get to the polls and make their voices heard.
NSSF’s Protect Liberty Political Action Committee will work to support elected officials in key races where Second Amendment rights and constitutional liberties could be in the balance. This election will matter for the future of gun rights and for more information, visit www.ProtectLibertyPAC.com.
Larry Keane is SVP for Government and Public Affairs, Assistant Secretary and General Counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.