On September 25 Forbes magazine ran a column by Frank Miniter tracing the effect of the millions Michael Bloomberg has spent on gun control and showing that he is no longer getting the same bang for his gun control buck.
According to Miniter, Bloomberg’s gun control groups–Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in American, etc.–saturated the marketplace of ideas with so many inconsistencies and unverified claims that they finally hit a tipping point where researchers John R. Lott, Jr., and even pro-gun control outlets, seized on those inconsistencies.
Because of this, the questionable studies Bloomberg’s gun control groups now release as “fact” are receiving the scrutiny they once avoided. This has created a situation where news groups and papers often supportive of gun control are criticizing the way Everytown for Gun Safety “[includes] suicides, accidents, and incidents related to criminal activity” in their “mass shooting” studies to inflate the number of incidents reported.
For example, The Washington Post gave Bloomberg “3 pinocchios” in 2013 for claims his groups made about the “gun show loophole” and the number of guns allegedly acquired without a background check.
It also means Bloomberg’s money could not defeat Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke in August of this year or stop the grassroots uprising that resulted in the ouster of two Colorado state senators who were pro-gun control in September 2013.
However, Miniter warns that Bloomberg is not the only wealthy person pushing gun control. The “descendants of Hong Kong real estate tycoon T.H. Chan” are running a foundation on “gun violence” for Harvard, George Soros’ Democracy Alliance “is giving millions” to gun control efforts, and, as Breitbart News previously reported, other millionaires and billionaires are giving millions to push a gun control initiative in Washington State this November.
On the other side stand the millions of grass roots Second Amendment supporter who are giving money to the NRA, Gun Owners of America, and other groups, in hopes of stifling the impact of Bloomberg and his fellow one-percenters.
To date, the grass roots passion and the research by Lott, and others, have proven to be a substantial hindrance to Bloomberg & Co.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.