A number of media figures and gun control groups have grossly misstated the amount of money the National Rifle Association (NRA) has donated to Republican candidates in their coverage following the deadly shooting at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
The NRA’s political action committee, like all federal PACs, is limited in how much it can give to candidates every election cycle. A federal PAC is allowed to contribute a maximum of $10,000 per candidate, per election cycle ($5,000 for a primary, and $5,000 for a general election).
Despite these limits, many have been using terminology that attributes inaccurate political donations to Republican politicians by what appears to be combining actual donations to candidates with the NRA’s independent expenditures, which are not “contributions,” “funding,” or associated with any candidates or campaigns in any way.
MSNBC’s Joy Reid, for example, tweeted out a picture of Sen. Marco Rubio on Feb. 24 that read, “Donations from the NRA to Sen. Marco Rubio—$3,303,355.” The photo was retweeted nearly 4,700 times and liked more than 5,700 times.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!