10/25/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/25/2024 09:11
NEW YORK - Leading American gun makers were the subject of a major ProPublica exposé this week, which found at least ten gun industry businesses secretly handed over customer names, addresses and other sensitive information to lobbyists, who then used the details to rally firearm owners to elect pro-gun politicians.
The piece outlines how companies including Glock, Smith & Wesson, Remington, Marlin and Mossberg granted private data to the gun industry's chief lobbying group, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), without the knowledge or consent of their customers.
"For decades, gun rights groups have wielded far-right conspiracy theories around the ATF and FBI utilizing gun sales records to create a national database of gun owners. But these fears did not stop the NSSF from compiling personal gun owner information to be wielded for its own political gain," said Justin Wagner, Senior Director of Investigations at Everytown for Gun Safety. "The call is coming from inside the house - all gun owners should be outraged by this hideous breach of privacy by the gun industry. We will continue working to pull back the curtain on a rogue industry long overdue for accountability."
In 2022, Vice Presidential candidate and Senator J.D. Vance cited concerns to Fox News about a report on the Biden Administration tracking American firearm purchases. He stated, "this database is ultimately a back door to a gun registry in this country," and claimed it was about "destroying the Second Amendment."
Key findings from ProPublica's report include:
The NSSF, the official trade association of the firearms industry, spends more money on lobbying than any other gun group. Like the NRA, the NSSF has worked to relax gun regulations and increase sales, despite threats to public safety. The NSSF even publicly withheld support for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which provided resources for states to implement red flag laws and fund mental health services, and enhanced background checks for those under 21.
Through lobbying and litigation, the NRA, which claims to represent gun owners, and the NSSF, the official voice of the gun industry, both fight to loosen gun regulations and limit the government's ability to enforce those regulations already on the books, driving up the number of guns in the hands of American citizens. Both organizations have also pushed the gun world to the far right with dangerous, politically charged messaging that, in turn, drives more gun sales. But because the NRA is more outspoken - and receives the most attention and criticism of any gun group - the NSSF has largely gone unnoticed. A closer look into the NSSF can be found here.