In the first half of 2019 (the most recent year statistics were available), many politicians took money from the NRA. Some of the amounts seem insignificant, but remember that money buys loyalty. It is a given that getting re-elected is more important than serving the needs of constituents.
The NRA is the most powerful lobby in the United States. Legislators throughout the land bow to their agenda. The NRA spends more money lobbying than any other group. In 2019 alone the NRA spent $1.6 million lobbying congress to assure their agenda remains front and center.
It’s time to vote them out. If you live in a state where your legislator takes money from the NRA vote against them, even if they represent some other issues with which you agree. Remember politicians spread their “priorities” among the issues that will curry the most favor with voters. It’s all very strategic. If you really care about gun control, it’s time to set some of your own agenda aside and vote against those who are in the pocket of the NRA.
Many thanks to the Brady Foundation for compiling the following table; it shows the senators who have received money from the NRA as well as the average number of gun deaths in their state. A link is embedded so you can tweet them your outrage.
| Senator | NRA Donations | Gun Deaths in State (per year) | |
| Mitt Romney (UT) | $13,647,676 | 365 | Tweet Them |
| Richard Burr (NC) | $6,987,380 | 1,311 | Tweet Them |
| Roy Blunt (MO) | $4,555,722 | 1,074 | Tweet Them |
| Thom Tillis (NC) | $4,421,333 | 1,311 | Tweet Them |
| Cory Gardner (CO) | $3,939,199 | 715 | Tweet Them |
| Marco Rubio (FL) | $3,303,355 | 2,568 | Tweet Them |
| Joni Ernst (IA) | $3,124,773 | 264 | Tweet Them |
| Rob Portman (OH) | $3,063,327 | 1,402 | Tweet Them |
| Todd C. Young (IN) | $2,897,582 | 907 | Tweet Them |
| Bill Cassidy (LA) | $2,867,074 | 946 | Tweet Them |
| David Perdue (GA) | $2,002,462 | 1,459 | Tweet Them |
| Tom Cotton (AR) | $1,968,714 | 534 | Tweet Them |
| Pat Roberts (KS) | $1,581,153 | 368 | Tweet Them |
| Pat Toomey (PA) | $1,475,448 | 1,503 | Tweet Them |
| Josh Hawley (MO) | $1,391,548 | 1,074 | Tweet Them |
| Marsha Blackburn (TN) | $1,306,130 | 1,103 | Tweet Them |
| Ronald Harold “Ron” Johnson (WI) | $1,269,486 | 592 | Tweet Them |
| Mitch McConnell (KY) | $1,267,139 | 690 | Tweet Them |
| Mike Braun (IN) | $1,249,967 | 907 | Tweet Them |
| John Thune (SD) | $638,942 | 95 | Tweet Them |
| Shelley Moore Capito (WV) | $341,738 | 305 | Tweet Them |
| Martha McSally (AZ) | $303,853 | 1,013 | Tweet Them |
| Richard Shelby (AL) | $258,514 | 961 | Tweet Them |
| Chuck Grassley (IA) | $226,007 | 264 | Tweet Them |
| John Neely Kennedy (LA) | $215,788 | 946 | Tweet Them |
| Ted Cruz (TX) | $176,274 | 3,139 | Tweet Them |
| Lisa Murkowski (AK) | $146,262 | 165 | Tweet Them |
| Johnny Isakson (GA) | $131,571 | 1,459 | Tweet Them |
| Steve Daines (MT) | $123,711 | 197 | Tweet Them |
| Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS) | $109,547 | 576 | Tweet Them |
| Roger Wicker (MS) | $106,680 | 576 | Tweet Them |
| Rand Paul (KY) | $104,456 | 690 | Tweet Them |
| Mike Rounds (SD) | $95,049 | 95 | Tweet Them |
| John Boozman (AR) | $82,352 | 534 | Tweet Them |
| John Cornyn (TX) | $78,945 | 3,139 | Tweet Them |
| Ben Sasse (NE) | $68,623 | 169 | Tweet Them |
| Jim Inhofe (OK) | $66,758 | 679 | Tweet Them |
| Lindsey Graham (SC) | $55,961 | 829 | Tweet Them |
| Mike Crapo (ID) | $55,039 | 242 | Tweet Them |
| Jerry Moran (KS) | $34,718 | 368 | Tweet Them |
| John Barrasso (WY) | $26,989 | 104 | Tweet Them |
| Lamar Alexander (TN) | $25,293 | 1,103 | Tweet Them |
| Mike Enzi (WY) | $24,722 | 104 | Tweet Them |
| John Hoeven (ND) | $22,050 | 93 | Tweet Them |
| Susan Collins (ME) | $19,800 | 146 | Tweet Them |
| Deb Fischer (NE) | $19,638 | 169 | Tweet Them |
| James Lankford (OK) | $18,955 | 679 | Tweet Them |
| Jim Risch (ID) | $18,850 | 242 | Tweet Them |
| Tim Scott (SC) | $18,513 | 829 | Tweet Them |
| Kevin Cramer (ND) | $13,255 | 93 | Tweet Them |
Our social response to mass shootings is to send thoughts and prayers. It is code language for doing nothing. Genuine prayer is that which leads us to action. There have been over 200 mass shootings in the United States this year alone. The cultural response of thoughts and prayers doesn’t cut it.
As Miroslav Wolf said, “it is deeply hypocritical to pray for something you have no intention of changing.”
The Irreverent Reverend 