An earlier version of this report gave an incorrect location for one of the shootings. The report has been corrected.
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As U.S. lawmakers sound off in the wake of this past weekend’s mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, they’re largely making the points that their donors expect.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz denounced the El Paso shooting as “a heinous act of terrorism and white supremacy,” but steered clear of calling for greater gun control.
The Texan ranked as the No. 1 recipient of campaign donations from gun-rights backers in the 2018 election cycle, as he attracted $309,021 in contributions. That’s according to data from OpenSecrets.org, a website tracking money in politics that’s run by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. The top 10 recipients were all Republicans, as shown in the chart below.
Top recipients of contributions from gun-rights donors
| Candidate | Office | Amount |
| Cruz, Ted (R-TX) | Senate | $309,021 |
| McSally, Martha (R-AZ) | House | $227,928 |
| Scalise, Steve (R-LA) | House | $132,831 |
| Nunes, Devin (R-CA) | House | $95,093 |
| Blackburn, Marsha (R-TN) | House | $85,168 |
| Heller, Dean (R-NV) | Senate | $76,713 |
| James, John (R-MI) | Senate | $75,099 |
| Ryan, Paul (R-WI) | House | $65,347 |
| Scott, Rick (R-FL) | Senate | $61,752 |
| Hawley, Josh (R-MO) | Senate | $59,760 |
Source: OpenSecrets.org
Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine called for passing “reasonable laws to limit access to military-grade weapons and high-capacity magazines” following the latest shootings. The Virginian ranked as the No. 1 recipient of donations from supporters of gun control in the 2018 cycle, as he got $87,133. The top 10 recipients were all Democrats, as shown in the chart below.
Top recipients of contributions from gun-control donors
| Candidate | Office | Amount |
| Kaine, Tim (D-VA) | Senate | $87,133 |
| Warren, Elizabeth (D-MA) | Senate | $60,888 |
| Baldwin, Tammy (D-WI) | Senate | $50,057 |
| Brown, Sherrod (D-OH) | Senate | $49,303 |
| Nelson, Bill (D-FL) | Senate | $44,780 |
| McCaskill, Claire (D-MO) | Senate | $43,515 |
| Crow, Jason (D-CO) | House | $36,982 |
| Tester, Jon (D-MT) | Senate | $36,810 |
| Wexton, Jennifer (D-VA) | House | $34,115 |
| Hill, Katie (D-CA) | House | $31,628 |
Source: OpenSecrets.org
The NRA’s money moves
The National Rifle Association, which gave $9,900 to Cruz in the 2018 cycle, sharply decreased its outlays during the latest election cycle, according to OpenSecrets.org data on outside spending groups.
The powerful gun-rights group shelled out $9.55 million during the midterm election, down from a whopping $54.40 million in the 2016 cycle, which featured a presidential election. The big decline has come as the NRA deals with shaky finances and infighting.
Groups backing gun control, meanwhile, ramped up their outlays in the latest cycle, with Everytown for Gun Safety, founded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg, spending $5.30 million, and the Giffords (Courage to Fight Gun Violence) PAC, an outfit co-founded by former Arizona Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, shelling out $6.65 million.
Following the past weekend’s shootings, the NRA said it “will not participate in the politicization of these tragedies, but as always, we will work in good faith to pursue real solutions that protect us all from people who commit these horrific acts.” For its part, the Everytown group urged supporters to email their senators about supporting background checks on all gun sales and a strong “red flag” law. That type of law could make it easier for authorities to take guns from people who pose a threat to themselves or others.
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In terms of lobbying outlays, gun-rights groups have disclosed spending $5.46 million in this year’s first half to influence lawmaker and regulators in Washington, with the NRA accounting for $1.69 million of that. That puts these groups below their pace last year, when they spent $12.45 million, as well a below their pace in 2013, when they spent a record $15.29 million, according to OpenSecrets.org figures.
Gun-control organizations, on the other hand, are on track to spend their most ever on lobbying, even as their outlays stay below the other side’s totals. They have shelled out $1.24 million in this year’s first half, putting them on pace to top their 2013 total of $2.22 million.
Washington’s efforts on gun control
Washington’s recent efforts aimed firearms have included legislation requiring universal background checks for gun buyers that has passed the Democratic-controlled House, but that has not been taken up by the Republican-controlled Senate. The Trump administration also has banned bump stocks, the attachments that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire like machine guns.
Shares in some gun and ammunition makers traded higher Monday, as traders appeared to bet that fears of tighter regulations could lead to a near-term boost in sales. President Donald Trump on Monday tweeted that Republicans and Democrats “must come together and get strong background checks,” adding that they could end up “perhaps marrying” such legislation with immigration reform.
Related: Trump says U.S. must condemn white supremacy after shootings
And see: Democratic presidential candidates blame Trump’s rhetoric for shootings
Smith & Wesson parent American Outdoor Brands Corp.’s stock AOBC, +2.20% rose 1.2%, and ammo maker Vista Outdoor Inc. VSTO, +2.03% added 2%, though Sturm Ruger & Co. RGR, -1.48% was recently down 2%. The S&P 500 SPX, -2.98% fell 2.9%.
So far this year, American Outdoor Brands, Vista Outdoor and Sturm Ruger have lost 32%, 34% and 16%, respectively, while the S&P has gained 14%.
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