Timothy Coley, left, of Bristol Conn. and Josephy Boniface of East Granby Conn. talk during a gun rights rally at the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford Conn. on Saturday April 20, 2013. The Connecticut Citizens Defense League , the National Rifle Association and Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen joined forces to challenge the gun control legislation recently passed by the Connecticut General Assembly after the Newtown school shooting. Among other things, the law expands Connecticut’s assault weapons ban and bans large capacity ammunition magazines. (AP Photo/Journal Inquirer, Jared Ramsdell)
With one month to go before the first anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, the National Rifle Association’s political arm is cashing in on conservatives’ furor over gun control legislation in record fashion.
For the first time in more than a decade, the NRA’s Political Victory Fund has eclipsed the $10 million fundraising mark for the calendar year. It raised $10.2 million through Sept. 30, which is $1 million more than the organization collected in 2012, according to the Federal Election Commission.
On its most recent filing with the government, the NRA reported $10.7 million cash on hand.
Just over 1 percent of large donations received by the NRA — those of at least $200 — came from Connecticut. There were 23 donations totaling $7,850 listed for Connecticut by the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington, D.C., watchdog group that tracks the flow of money to candidates and various causes.
A home improvement contractor and licensed hunter from Sandy Hook gave the NRA $250 on April 1, just days before the General Assembly overwhelmingly signed onto a statewide crackdown on assault weapons and high-capacity gun magazines, as well as mandatory background checks on firearms and ammunition.
The NRA uses the money from its Political Victory Fund to bankroll candidates and organizations sympathetic to Second Amendment causes. The war chest is separate from membership dues collected by the NRA.
Not since 2000 and shades of George W. Bush and Al Gore litigating over the presidency, has the NRA raised as much as it has done in 2013. That year, it reported a $13 million haul.
Here’s the year-by-year breakdown:
2013 — $10.2M through Sept. 30
2012 — $9.3M
2011 — $5M
2010 — $6.4M
2009 — $9M
2008 — $8.6M
2007 — $6.4M
2006 — $6.6M
2005 — $4.4M
2004 — $8.2M
2003 — $4.4M
2002 — $6M
2001 — $4.3M