D.C. Firms, Michael Bloomberg’s Money Directing Nevada Gun Control Push

If the push for the ballot initiative to expand background checks in Nevada has demonstrated anything, it’s that the push is driven by out-of-state consulting and messaging firms—D.C. firms in particular—and an influx of Michael Bloomberg’s money, albeit it indirectly.

As Breitbart News previously reported, Nevadans for Background Checks is the storefront for all the action, making the push for expanding background checks—i.e., gun control—appear organic. It is their way of keeping a local face on a national push.

According to the Review-Journal, Bloomberg-funded Everytown for Gun Safety “has handed over $535,000 to Nevadans for Background Checks in addition to spending $349,434 on the group’s staff time, expenses and consultant services.”

And Nevadans for Background Checks used the money from Bloomberg-funded Everytown to call in help from back east. They “spent $155,393 to hire Washington, D.C., political consulting firm The Mellman Group and $196,199 on the D.C. firm Revolution Messaging.”

We saw this same approach in Washington State in 2014 during a similar background check push that we were led to believe was local. But, in truth, it was driven by Bloomberg and his fellow one-percenters.

In August 2014 alone, Public Disclosure Commission records showed Bill Gates gave $500,000 and his wife gave another $500,000 the same day. On August 19, Nicolas Hanauer was listed as giving $1 million as well. These million-dollar contributions are on top of the hundreds of thousands that one-percenters had contributed to Initiative 594 by August 17.

For example, Breitbart News reported Steve and Connie Ballmer gave $580,000 prior to August 17, and Hanauer had already given hundreds of thousands too. The AP reports that Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen gave “$500,000 earlier [in the] month.” Of course, Bloomberg’s money made it to the state too—via the gun control groups he funds.

So out-of-state one-percenters bought gun control legislation in Washington state, and they are trying to do a repeat in Nevada.

As the same time, one of the central figures in the money—Michael Bloomberg—is considering a run for president. Breitbart News previously reported he is ready to spend $1 billion on a potential presidential run.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.