See How Much Cash New York's Politicians Get From Pro-Gun Lobby

NEW YORK, NY — With debates over gun rights once again heating up, Patch went through financial filings to see how much money each member of the New York delegation takes in from groups trying to influence their votes.

The groups that oppose nearly any form of gun restrictions, led by the National Rifle Association, spend far more money than groups that want tightened controls on guns. The NRA side of the debate has also wielded far more power.

In the period covered in the chart – from 1989 through Feb. 1, 2018 – the groups fighting gun restrictions donated $13,195,914 to the 531 current members of the United States Congress (there are four vacancies in the House of Representatives) while the other side donated $637,558.

Sandy Hook Promise and Giffords PAC are perhaps the most notable groups trying to restrict who can get what guns and how. Sandy Hook was formed after the mass shooting at the eponymous Connecticut elementary school, and Giffords PAC was formed by Gabrielle Giffords, the former representative from Arizona who survived an assassination attempt. Six people killed and 12 others were injured.

Giffords’ group is the most active of those groups in donating to candidates but it has only been around since December 2012, when Giffords and her husband announced it in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre. Sandy Hook Promise was formed around the same time.

Another prominent group, Everytown for Gun Safety, was formed by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

So, how much money makes its way to your representative or senator? Take a look, keeping in mind a couple of things:

1. The numbers are cumulative from 1989 through February 1, 2018. They totals include only the money received by the person in their current office. For instance, several senators started out as members of the House of Representatives. The chart below only takes into account what they have received as a senator.
2. The numbers presented here are based on analysis performed by the Center for Responsive Politics – a non-partisan group that tracks money in politics and is relied on by media outlets across the spectrum and checked against Federal Election Commission filings.
3. The CRP says the numbers are based on donors – individuals, organizations, and political actions committees – who gave $200 or more to specific candidates. The money does not include indirect contributions to third-party groups that might be supporting a candidate.

So, who got how much?

Pro-gun rights groups have given $153,012 to lawmakers from New York, more than three times the $42,028 gun control supporters have spent.

Pro-gun groups generally gave the most money to upstate Republicans. The single biggest recipient of their donations is Rep. Tom Reed, a Republican from Western New York who's gotten $34,575. Rep. Lee Zeldin, a Long Island Republican, comes in second with $28,951.

More than half the pro-gun control money has gone to Sen. Charles Schumer alone. The Democratic Senate majority leader from Brooklyn has received $22,864 from those groups.

Below you will see a full breakdown of how much each representative has received from each side of the gun debate:

(Lead image: Photo by Lenetstan/Shutterstock)