{"id":104136,"date":"2024-09-06T00:02:23","date_gmt":"2024-09-06T05:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=104136"},"modified":"2024-09-05T20:09:49","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T01:09:49","slug":"104136","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=104136","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Cris Cox used to be the NRA&#8217;s former political director and chief lobbyist.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/us\/new-gun-group-launches-to-fill-nra-vacuum\/ar-AA1pWzgd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New gun group launches to fill NRA vacuum<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\"><span class=\"dropcap-element-slot\">A<\/span>new gun rights group is launching a six-figure ad buy in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, focusing on the millions of Americans who became gun owners during and after the COVID pandemic.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\"><strong>Why it matters:<\/strong>\u00a0The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/05\/30\/supreme-court-nra-1st-amendment-lawsuit?utm_medium=partner&amp;utm_source=microsoft-start&amp;utm_content=link&amp;utm_campaign=subs-partner-msfot-dailyessentials\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">NRA<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 the longtime premier gun-rights group in the U.S. \u2014 cut its political spending from $54 million in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/outsidespending\/detail.php?cycle=2016&amp;cmte=National+Rifle+Assn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">2016<\/a>\u00a0to $29 million in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/outside-spending\/detail\/2020?cmte=National+Rifle+Assn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">2020<\/a>, according to OpenSecrets data. It has reserved $1.3 million in ad spending in 2024, according to AdImpact.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">The Secure Our Freedom Alliance, a 501(c)4 organization, isn&#8217;t looking to compete with existing firearm groups, but wants to fill what it sees as an urgent need to address gun owners this election cycle.<\/li>\n<li class=\"continue-read-break\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">By some estimates, post-pandemic, there are\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nssf.org\/articles\/since-2020-election-new-gun-owners-equal-population-of-florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">some 22 million new gun owners<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\"><strong>The big picture:\u00a0<\/strong>The goal is to convince new gun owners, especially women and minorities, that their rights are under attack by the Biden administration and progressive politicians.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-list-slot\">\n<ul>\n<li data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">&#8220;Our purpose is to win the hearts and minds of the American public to protect the right to self-defense,&#8221; said Chris Cox, a senior adviser to the new group and the NRA&#8217;s former political director and chief lobbyist.<\/li>\n<li data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">&#8220;Every American family has a right to protect themselves and their homes from violent criminals, and the right to choose the method of self-defense they deem best,&#8221; he said.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\"><strong>Zoom in:<\/strong>\u00a0The NRA,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2017\/10\/10\/556578593\/the-nra-wasnt-always-against-gun-restrictions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">founded after the Civil War<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2021\/01\/15\/nra-bankruptcy-restructuring-texas?utm_medium=partner&amp;utm_source=microsoft-start&amp;utm_content=link&amp;utm_campaign=subs-partner-msfot-dailyessentials\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">declared bankruptcy<\/a> in 2021 and tried to reincorporate in Texas.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">But its influence\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/the-nra-is-at-rock-bottomand-15-years-of-tax-filings-tell-the-story\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">and its revenue<\/a>\u00a0has dwindled.<\/li>\n<li data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">Along with robust advertising and lobbying campaigns, the NRA&#8217;s president, Wayne LaPierre, was also spending lavishly on clothing and travel, inviting a lawsuit from New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) for improperly using charitable contributions.<\/li>\n<li data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">LaPierre\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/01\/06\/nra-wayne-lapierre-resigns-trial?utm_medium=partner&amp;utm_source=microsoft-start&amp;utm_content=link&amp;utm_campaign=subs-partner-msfot-dailyessentials\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">resigned<\/a>\u00a0from the organization in January of this year. In February, he was\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2024\/02\/23\/nra-verdict-wayne-lapierre-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">found liable<\/a>\u00a0for misspending $5.4 million of the group&#8217;s money by a New York jury.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\"><strong>What they are saying:<\/strong>\u00a0&#8220;Between now and November, NRA will be strategically targeting key states to reelect President Trump and stop Kamala Harris from taking her radical gun confiscation agenda to the Oval Office,&#8221; said Doug Hamlin, NRA executive vice president and CEO, in a statement to Axios.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-list-slot\">\n<ul>\n<li data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">&#8220;We will be engaging with our millions of members and gun owners to elect pro-freedom candidates up and down the ballot,&#8221; he said.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\"><strong>Driving the news:<\/strong> The ads by the new group are directed at younger voters, as well as women and minority gun owners, with an emphasis on self-defense.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">&#8220;Our neighborhood, it&#8217;s not so good,&#8221; says the mother\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=DJUvHB4tBLg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">in one 30-second commercial<\/a>, as she&#8217;s tucking her daughter into bed.<\/li>\n<li data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">&#8220;She is my responsibility and I will protect her,&#8221; she says, locking away a handgun on her nightstand.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">Another\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QefeJSaF110\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">ad shows<\/a>\u00a0a young woman at the shooting range with her father. She then holsters her pistol and heads out on a run by herself.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-list-slot\">\n<ul>\n<li data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">&#8220;As a woman, I made the decision to always be ready.&#8221; she says. &#8220;To carry a gun is my freedom and my right.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\"><strong>The bottom line:<\/strong> &#8220;We are going to make the case to the American public that he [Biden] is wrong, anti-gun liberals are wrong, and that the right to self-defense is fundamental to every law-abiding American,&#8221; Cox said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cris Cox used to be the NRA&#8217;s former political director and chief lobbyist. New gun group launches to fill NRA vacuum Anew gun rights group is launching a six-figure ad buy in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, focusing on the millions of Americans who became gun owners during and after the COVID pandemic. Why it matters:\u00a0The\u00a0NRA\u00a0\u2014 &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=104136\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=104136"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104138,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104136\/revisions\/104138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=104136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=104136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=104136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}