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Can Michael Bloomberg defeat the NRA?
April 16th, 2014
04:29 PM ET

Can Michael Bloomberg defeat the NRA?

(CNN) - Michael Bloomberg is investing a chunk of his personal fortune to minimize the influence of the National Rifle Association.

The former New York City mayor pledged $50 million to his new group Everytown for Gun Safety, an umbrella organization for his two other gun control groups: Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. It aims to make the political climate more supportive of gun control.

The new organization plans to compete against the NRA by adopting its playbook. The NRA has built an impressive and effective organization that touts millions of members, a robust lobbying organization and a massive campaign arm.

"You've got to work at it piece by piece," Bloomberg told the The New York Times.

In its grass-roots operation, Everytown plans to increase its membership from 1.5 million to 2.5 million this year to implement its education and mobilization efforts. The group will focus on 15 states that have liberal gun laws, including Texas, Montana and Indiana. States that have advanced gun control initiatives will also receive attention, including Colorado and Washington.

"The NRA should be afraid," said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. Women, and more particularly mothers, will be the key demographic in the outreach to curb gun violence.

"Moms are afraid that our children will be taken away. In the end, that's the emotion that's going to win." FULL STORY

We want you to weigh in: Can Michael Bloomberg and his millions defeat the NRA?

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Filed under: Debates • Fireback • Guns • Michael Bloomberg • NRA
soundoff (65 Responses)
  1. comment's

    Bloomberg wants my rifles, i want a fat stack of cash!!!!!! – Liberals, you wanna work something out?? – $5000 for any rifle you dont think i should own!!!! – COME ONE LIBERALS- it will save lives right??? – Just $5000 and you can have one

    April 22, 2014 at 10:58 am | Reply
  2. Rufus T. Firefly

    We have a policy.
    .
    It's called "The Second Amendment".
    .

    “Foolish liberals who are trying to read the Second Amendment out
    of the Constitution by claiming it's not an individual right or that
    it's too much of a public safety hazard, don't see the danger in the big
    picture. They're courting disaster by encouraging others to use the
    same means to eliminate portions of the Constitution they don't like.”


    Alan M. Dershowitz

    April 21, 2014 at 3:29 pm | Reply
  3. Rufus T. Firefly

    We have a policy, dumbass. It's called "The Second Amendment".
    .

    “Foolish liberals who are trying to read the Second Amendment out
    of the Constitution by claiming it's not an individual right or that
    it's too much of a public safety hazard, don't see the danger in the big
    picture. They're courting disaster by encouraging others to use the
    same means to eliminate portions of the Constitution they don't like.”


    Alan M. Dershowitz

    April 21, 2014 at 3:28 pm | Reply
  4. Bobby

    I'll give up my armed protection when Michael Bloomberg gives his up. Until then, he's just another do as I say not as I do big mouth hypocrite.

    April 21, 2014 at 12:40 pm | Reply
  5. American Worker

    That's like asking if those who got Prohibition enacted was a win.

    Even it Bloomberg wins; he loses like Prohibition was repealed.

    April 21, 2014 at 11:00 am | Reply
  6. Joe Mellen, Phd

    Blooomberg wants to control the nation. What he says is law. Sounds like Germany in the 1930s. Does he want to be FUHRER or just SS-Reichfuhrer?

    April 21, 2014 at 10:21 am | Reply
  7. comment's

    I bought a bushmaster Ar .223 about four years ago, it came with 2 ,30 round Mags and a hard case- $700. Just sold it for $850 at a gun show after 4 years of use – GUN CONTROL IS AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    April 21, 2014 at 9:41 am | Reply
  8. comment's

    You want to get some rifles off the street!!! – $50 million devided by 10,000 equals 5000. – thats 10,000 gun owners like myself who would be glad to give you our rifles for $5000!!! – COME ON LIBERALS – It will save lives right????????

    April 21, 2014 at 9:32 am | Reply
    • WCSallyAnn

      Why is it the RWNJ's always think it's the liberals that want gun control. 1st off, the very first modern bill was the Brady Bill, signed into law by Ronald Reagan. And he was a GOP conservative, who was mentally impaired. If push came to shove, the RWNJ's will be surprised by how many other people not only have weapons, but also know how to use them. Sometime to think about the next time you want a shooting war here at home.

      April 21, 2014 at 12:34 pm | Reply
      • George

        What you are failing to mention is that this law was voted in for a very different reason. The democrats, which you are obviously one, want to make some political hay with the sad events that have taken place. The real issue is that what they propose does nothing or they want to be exempt.

        April 21, 2014 at 3:17 pm |
      • The REAL Truth...

        George – get REAL! I'm a gun owner, an independent and feel we have FAR too many guns out there. Those FOR gun control are mostly NOT FOR repeal of the 2nd Amendment – at least those I know are not.
        The problem is that we (collectively) have this inherent fear of big Govt, which magically evaporates when one Party (or the other) gives it's voting block what they want. And ad nauseum, the other side rails against it... in this case it's NO gun control. In another, it's 50+ attempts to repeal their own healthcare law and another.. immigration. Too may sheeple..

        April 21, 2014 at 7:10 pm |
    • comment's

      You guys are idiots, Im 23 years old, not a republican or NRA member, Im want gun control becasue i have GUNS FOR SALE STUPID!!! – You liberals are the best thing for my bottome line i could have asked for!! – So Screw you and your dead kids!! – give me another Newtown Massacre, Theres a nice watch i got my eye on!!! – and before you express your moral high ground on me- Ive never been called empathetic, and prefer it that way!!

      April 22, 2014 at 10:54 am | Reply
  9. Igor Ocash

    Not if I can help it. I'm an NRA life member and I'm sending the NRA an extra $100.00 to fight the contemptible Bloomberg. If even half of the NRA membership matches my donation, we'll have a bigger warchest than Bloomberg. And he can forget about ever running for POTUS, after this debacle.

    April 19, 2014 at 11:01 pm | Reply
  10. 2_indy1600

    My favorite part of the article is the insistance that the "emotion" that will "win the day" is Mothers' fear of losing their children. How in the world will we defend this country if overprotective, fearful women rule the day? When emotions rule over logic, you know dimworld is in power.

    April 19, 2014 at 2:33 pm | Reply
  11. Tom1940

    M. Bloomberg will either run out of money, tire of his zealotry against guns, soft drinks and junk food, or his heirs will go to court, have him declare incompetent, become trustees of all of his accounts, and Michael Bloomberg will assume his rightful place as a foot note in the history books. Defeating the NRA.? Not in either your or my lifetime.

    April 19, 2014 at 10:28 am | Reply
  12. dave

    Bloomberg will lose.

    When resources are roughly equivalent, victory goes to the most fanatical. And that is pretty clearly the gun worshipers.

    April 19, 2014 at 10:03 am | Reply
  13. Bubba

    Bloomberg will defeat the NRA, with the help of all the families of those whose lives have been cut short by gun violence. I own and like my guns, but the NRA does not represent me.

    April 18, 2014 at 10:21 pm | Reply
  14. seaBruce

    I think he would have a chance if he started an organization for responsible gun owners to join and belong to called "The Well Regulated Militia."

    April 18, 2014 at 7:17 pm | Reply
  15. bombastus

    There is only one way to defeat the NRA. It has to be super rich Republicans willing to dump a ton of money to crush the NRA with negative adds and propaganda. The gun toting folks out there aren't going to listen to any liberal but if the anti-NRA song were being sung by Republicans, then they might listen. Fat chance. The NRA already owns the GOP, so Bloomberg has no chance. You really think a gun toting bubba is going to listen to a New York liberal?

    April 18, 2014 at 5:37 pm | Reply
  16. YoYo

    If the only thing the 50M goes towards is making sure people that have mental health issues don't obtain guns, this would get my support. That should include all liberals because we all know they are a bunch of head cases. I think they are anti-gun because they don't even trust themselves... 🙂 On a serious note thought. We need to prevent people with mental issues from obtaining guns. I do not support taking away the choice of gun or limits or government control of law abiding citizens.

    April 18, 2014 at 12:25 pm | Reply
  17. ventruse jones

    all of you are idoits a country that is full of guns will have gun volence and its not just gangs its husbands killing wives its co worker killiing co workers its hate mongers killing people they dont agree with its people killing our elected official i can go on and on about this non sense we will not be satisfy until there is a civil war in america and then we will all need guns because of our stupity

    April 17, 2014 at 8:25 pm | Reply
    • arik

      And countries that have cars will have accidents, countries that have knives will have stabbing, countries that have poverty will have robberies. So under your genius (if the rest of us are all so stupid) we should just take away anything that is dangerous? And don't try the cars, knives, etc...have other uses because guns also have many uses not just one.

      April 17, 2014 at 9:43 pm | Reply
      • shwnc

        I think you should read more and comment less. Your comment supports a conclusion counter to your own. If you own a gun be careful, you may shoot yourself.

        April 20, 2014 at 9:47 pm |
    • Garrett

      Why don't you go enjoy the afternoon with some sheep.

      April 18, 2014 at 12:13 am | Reply
    • Curious

      Not only is your post devoid of fact, you can't even form a coherent sentence.

      April 18, 2014 at 2:15 pm | Reply
    • TK

      Lets split this country in half and be done with it. No violence, just have each state decide.

      April 20, 2014 at 12:26 pm | Reply
    • RedBull51

      I bet that sounded better in your head after you posted this. You must be a liberal because liberals and anti-gunners have yet to come up with any solutions other than gun control. Look at all the shootings in the last few years and its the same cry every single time..GUN CONTROL! Many of these shootings could have been prevented if the government would think outside the box....which they do not. They see the gun and NOT THE PERSON PULLING THE DAMN TRIGGER.

      April 21, 2014 at 12:46 pm | Reply
  18. arik

    Who needs that 50 million to go to things like our wounded vets or feeding the hungry or sheltering the homeless when he can spend it on yet another useless attempt to strip our rights piece by piece. If I didn't know better I would think he has some stock in gun manufacturers cause every time he opens his mouth he sells more guns then the NRA could ever dream of.

    April 17, 2014 at 8:23 pm | Reply
  19. CALIFORNIA

    He will never win.

    If you don't like American Rights (Bill of Rights) just move out of the country already.

    April 17, 2014 at 3:19 pm | Reply
  20. GMan

    Why is that the one's that are difficult to penalize and hold accountable are the one's illegaly possessing firearms, why is it that I have never had to arrest a law abiding citizen breaking the law with a legal firearm, I've arrested many criminals with illegal firearms. How is it that the statutes currently in-place when broken by the guilty are not enforced to it's full measure. Our penal & justice system is a revovling door managed by self serving individuals who have lost their sense of accountability for the guilty. IMHO: Our countries political leadership have lost it's reasonable thought process to manage and mitigate justice with clear balanced moral-character. Professional politicains identify emotional issue's and use them as platforms of adventage to further position themselves. In a society where everything goes…We have lost our moral place. Not surprising we have children killing each other in schools & extremely mentally ill individuals running loose on our streets without any assistance or treatment. We reap what we sew.

    April 17, 2014 at 2:00 pm | Reply
  21. DRJJ

    Ban gangs, not guns! Gangs are doing all the gunb violence in the US.!

    April 17, 2014 at 12:27 pm | Reply
  22. jboh

    He will not succeed. He may have almost limitless resources, but the gun manufacturers, through their NRA lobbyists, have more. The NRA has helped start an arms race between the police and the public. Like ginning-up a war with the intent of selling guns to both sides. Guess what. Obama still has no intention of taking away you guns. Despite what the NRA fear mongers tell you.

    April 17, 2014 at 11:07 am | Reply
    • Curious

      I think you are a little confused by the funds gun manufacturers donate to the NRA, or frankly what the NRA really is for that matter. The NRA gets the bulk of its funding from membership dues, followed by additional member donations. One of the biggest "contributors" is MidWay USA (a gun supply/accessory type merchant) – and a large chunk of that comes from its patrons being offered the opportunity to round up to the nearest dollar (or more) and make a donation during checkout. Don't blindly buy in to the storyline.

      April 18, 2014 at 2:19 pm | Reply
  23. JudasISGod

    There is a sucker born every minute. 50 million dollars can buy a lot of suckers 😉 . Idiots

    April 17, 2014 at 10:27 am | Reply
  24. GMan

    Been a law enforcement officer for nearly 18 years; the anti gun cause is as political as one can imagine. Bloomberg has made it clear for many years in words and action what his intent is regarding prohibiting and or restricting gun ownership and use. The simple fact is this, the only one's penalized for whatever statute is created relating to restricting firearms ownership will always be the law abiding citiizen.

    April 17, 2014 at 7:37 am | Reply
  25. Wayne1970

    This is just another way to extort more $$ from idiot people that fall for this crap...Democrats and republicans have been in bed together for many many years, and bloomberg/NRA is no exception...Bloomberg says he's gonna crush the nra...nra says no way, were gonna crush you, then both get their minions on the phones to solicit "donations" to further their cause...Idiot people believing all this crap, open up their wallets, and then both bloomberg/nra get to buy new yachts next year...On the idiot peoples dime...Stop falling for this crap people...Neither side gives a crap about the issue that they claim to represent..All they want is your money...

    April 17, 2014 at 6:03 am | Reply
  26. Brotherx

    Won't work. People defending their rights will be more determined than those trying to take them away.

    April 17, 2014 at 3:00 am | Reply
    • YoYo

      So true. I have been hearing many conversations at the airports among people talking that are ready to rise up and start a civil war. They are tired of government and the corruption that exists within it to get the right things done. Pretty scary if you ask me. I'm starting to hear more a more people talking about this. The sad thing is the anti-gun and liberal groups will be left with nothing to defend themselves because of their stance. Hope that day never comes and we need to solve these problem by kicking out the elected officials and start over with people who are in the middle. The extreme people on both sides need to sit out the next few elections to get these problems solved. Sit out means they decided not to vote, not take away their vote.

      April 18, 2014 at 12:31 pm | Reply
  27. Garrett

    Mr. Bloomberg will be found hiding in a dirt hole like Saddam Hussein. This is just pushing us more and more towards a revolution. I am not advocating this just observing. These anti constitution advocates are going to get a lot of people killed. It almost started at Bundy Ranch. This is totally irresponsible of Bloomberg and others to put Americans in this position. He needs to use his money to feed the poor or create jobs. He is demonstrating that he is not responsible with his money and maybe a vast portion of his wealth should be taken away and used to pay for social programs. Why are his actions at this point not viewed as inciting an insurrection?

    April 17, 2014 at 12:02 am | Reply
    • TK

      Agreed, I've never seen this country so divided. If they keep pushing to take peoples rights away, this country could go through another Revolution.

      April 20, 2014 at 12:34 pm | Reply
  28. Frediano

    Is the GOP paying Bloomberg to do this? They should. Few things could tube Dems chances more in Nov than pushing this loser to the forefront. PLEASE make this an issue in Nov.

    April 16, 2014 at 11:29 pm | Reply
  29. Peter

    It wouldn't even matter if Mr. Bloomberg sold every asset he had and poured in every last cent. People fail to realize that the NRA is not some large, tyrannical organization that wields large amounts of some mysterious power. The reason that the NRA is successful is because it's not really the NRA that's winning these political battles... It's the millions of Americans who care about their right to bear arms, and don't want to see it infringed on. It's because we each spend hours on the phone calling our senators and representatives, letting them know how we feel about our rights being infringed upon...It's because we give generously to the NRA-ILA which makes sure that our sincere beliefs are heard in Washington, DC and state legislatures around the country.

    You can try to erode the 2nd amendment and "Defeat" the NRA all you want, but in the end you aren't defeating the NRA, you are defeating american citizens who value the right to own guns, and at the same time desecrating the sacrifice millions of american soldiers made for our rights and died defending.

    April 16, 2014 at 11:25 pm | Reply
  30. Warren Bonesteel

    Have you ever noticed that when a US politician sets out to 'win the hearts and minds' of others, that a lot of innocent people end up dead? Now, we have one talking about 'battles' for the hearts and minds of others.

    April 16, 2014 at 11:25 pm | Reply
  31. Maria Rivera-Carvalho

    Of course he can, because he will not be alone. The NRA has become a reactionary force that denies all attempts to reason or work for the common good. This David will defeat Goliath.

    April 16, 2014 at 11:02 pm | Reply
    • arik

      I love how you try to make this a good vs evil. Yup your right anyone who doesn't agree with your very misguided views are evil. People like you are the reason people like me won't cooperate with your side. You push and we will push harder. The more you try to demonize us the firmer our resolve becomed

      April 17, 2014 at 8:02 pm | Reply
      • Jim

        @arik – You are so right. Liberals are just like 5th Avenue in NYC..... One Way.

        April 18, 2014 at 11:03 am |
    • Ian

      Sorry Maria, in order to claim any sort of victory over the NRA and its several million-strong membership, Bloomberg and his fanatical followers will first need to actually, you know, become EDUCATED regarding the issue of gun control and gun "safety". The fact that people like Bloomberg and Feinstein constantly trumpet their narrow-minded opinions regarding the evils of "scary military-style assault weapons" clearly demonstrates their hilarious incompetence on the issue. These semi-auto rifles are used in less than 2% of all gun crimes, while handguns wielded by thugs and drug dealers in "gun free" zones like Chicago make up the staggering majority of gun crime. But why try to ACTUALLY reduce crime when you can attack the actual law-abiding gun owners of the NRA and attempt to demonize them as backwards, uneducated Limbaugh lovers? Problem is, some of us actually know what we're talking about and can see right through your hypocritical liberal agenda, and I promise you that I will not relinquish .0001% of my Constitutional rights just so you can pat yourself on the back and try to convince the rest of America that you've made us all safer.

      April 20, 2014 at 5:29 pm | Reply
  32. pauly1651

    Bloomberg and those like him care about one thing and one thing only...themselves.

    April 16, 2014 at 10:58 pm | Reply
    • emskadittle

      and the nra care about only one thing power

      April 17, 2014 at 9:49 am | Reply
      • Jim

        @emskadittle – You are correct, they care about the power of the people!

        April 18, 2014 at 11:05 am |
  33. GOP Prayer

    The GOP Prayer/Mantra/Solution: Dear God...With your loving kindness, help us to turn all the Old, Sick, Poor, Non-white, Non-christian, Female, and Gay people into slaves. Then, with your guidance and compassion, we will whip them until they are Young, Healthy, Rich, White, Christian, Male, and Straight. Or until they are dead. God...Grant us the knowledge to then turn them into Soylent Green to feed the military during the next "unfunded/off-the-books" war. God...Give us the strength during our speeches to repeatedly yell........TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH!!!..........and........GET RID OF SS AND MEDICARE!!!
    In your name we prey (purposely misspelled, or is it?)........Amen

    April 16, 2014 at 9:46 pm | Reply
    • arik

      Funny how you call the republicans the racists when it was a republican who freed the slaves and it was the democrats who enacted the Jim crow laws. And the NRA was formed to arm former slaves to protect themselves from the democrats looking to hang them. Not much different now except the democrats have changed tactics. Republicans are still trying to help minorities live and prosper on their own sweat without government interference. While democrats are keeping the minorities in check by making them rely on the government more and more by telling them oh don't worry we will take care of you by giving you everything for nothing but, if you want to keep your free money you will have to vote for democrats cause those evil republicans want to make people work for their money and believe success is based on a person's self motivation. I know crazy right

      April 17, 2014 at 8:16 pm | Reply
      • Lincoln

        Lincoln would be a left leaning democrat today. Republicans helping the poor, sick, and old is plain out laughable. Didn't you read the Ryan Budget?

        April 18, 2014 at 1:32 pm |
      • You Voted For Palin Didn't you

        You voted for Palin didn't you.

        April 18, 2014 at 1:36 pm |
      • REally

        Lincoln would be a left leaning democrat today. Republicans helping the old, sick, and poor? Bwahahahah Didn't you read the Ryan Budget?

        April 19, 2014 at 6:16 pm |
    • YoYo

      BS

      April 18, 2014 at 12:40 pm | Reply
  34. Mr. Balls

    He'll put all the money is some tax free foundation and get a nice write off.

    April 16, 2014 at 7:24 pm | Reply
  35. MC

    $50 million is pocket change to Bloomberg. His heart is obviously not in this.

    April 16, 2014 at 5:59 pm | Reply
  36. avlisk

    The irony is that the NRA is not their enemy. The criminals, and I include Bloomberg among them, are their enemies. Bloomberg is a Neo-Nazi bent on creating a class of peasants and slaves to do his bidding. He is an evil man intent on destroying freedoms and taking away rights. Gun laws only punish good people, never the bad guy. The NRA is a friend of freedom, protecting our rights, and purveyors of the real common sense. Bloomberg is evil, evil, evil.

    April 16, 2014 at 5:44 pm | Reply
    • Michael Warner

      Can I try some of those drugs you're on?

      April 17, 2014 at 12:42 am | Reply
      • YoYo

        He's actually right. Bloomberg is into controlling the lives of people down to the little details. Look at the laws he passed and some others he wanted in NYC. If you haven't lived in NYC when he was in charge, you don't really understand. Talk and listen to New Yorkers and you will see what I mean.

        I won't say he is an evil guy, but he does have an elitist mentality and is surrounded by armed body guards all the time. I think Bloomberg's point is about mental people. That makes sense to me, but if try's to go outside of that box, then he loses my support.

        April 18, 2014 at 12:39 pm |
    • jboh

      Sniffing the oxycodone pickled brain flatulence of Limbaugh, and listening to Blaze TV, will not inform you. If you pull your head out of your backside, you won't get all that manure in your ears.

      April 17, 2014 at 11:00 am | Reply
  37. BG

    "Can Michael Bloomberg defeat the NRA?"

    No. He can't even keep mayors from dropping out of MAIG (Mayors Against Illegal Guns) because they're reluctant to participate in Bloomberg's covert conspiracy against -legal- guns.

    April 16, 2014 at 5:21 pm | Reply
    • jboh

      Baaahh, just like a Limbaugh/Fox sheepish ditto head.

      April 17, 2014 at 11:01 am | Reply
      • Curious

        You have an alternate theory why a lot of them don't stick with Bloomberg? That was exactly what a mayor from a neighboring city cited.

        April 18, 2014 at 2:24 pm |

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