Where Congress Stands on Guns
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L.A. Daily News
San Jose Mercury News
Contra Costa Times
Oakland Tribune
St. Paul Pioneer Press
In collaboration with
Additional Partners
L.A. Daily News
San Jose Mercury News
Contra Costa Times
Oakland Tribune
St. Paul Pioneer Press
by Lena Groeger, Amanda Zamora, ProPublica, and Kat Downs, Dan Keating, The Washington Post. April 8, 2013
In the aftermath of the Newtown tragedy, Congress has considered new national gun control measures. We present where each member of Congress stands on guns. Related Interactive: What Happened to the Gun Bill? »
The Brady Campaign is an advocacy group that works to pass gun-control laws. The organization assigns lawmakers a “lifetime score” based on how they voted on gun-control measures. Below are the group’s most recent scores (from 2003).
The National Rifle Association is the nation’s largest organization devoted to defending gun rights. The group gives lawmakers an "A" through "F" letter grade based on voting records and public statements. Hover over each letter to see the grading criteria.
The NRA is considered to be one of the country’s most effective groups at motivating lawmakers to vote on a single issue. In the past few decades, the group has contributed millions of dollars to members of Congress. Below we've broken down NRA contributions to each lawmaker since 1990.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Sen. Patrick Toomey (R-Pa.) had proposed an amendment to expand background checks for gun buyers. The amendment won a majority of votes, 54-46, but failed to reach the 60 necessary to pass. Here we break down how senators voted.
The positions shown below are where senators stood on S. 649, a gun bill introduced by Harry Reid (D-Nev.), before he pulled it on April 18. They were reported by readers of ProPublica and The Washington Post. Reid said the Senate would "take a pause" and return to consideration of gun legislation at a later date.
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NRA GRADE: A+
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NRA GRADE: F
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Upcoming legislation
Bill S. 649 - Senate Whip Count
Tap a segment of the chart to see which lawmakers are in each group.
Several gun control measures – including universal background checks, stronger federal laws for gun trafficking and provisions to improve school safety – were rolled into a single bill introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.)
Bill Status, as of April 17: The background checks compromise fails in the Senate »
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A look at current ratings and positions
A breakdown of NRA ratings
The National Rifle Association is the nation’s largest organization devoted to defending gun rights. The group gives lawmakers a "A" through "F" letter grade based on voting records and public statements. lawmakers have NRA ratings of A and above.
Tap a segment of the chart to see which lawmakers fall into each group, and see details on the grading criteria. Showing lawmakers. Those without NRA ratings are not included.
A+: "Excellent voting record" and "vigorous effort" on gun rights.
A: "Solidly pro-gun," backed NRA on key votes or has positive record on gun rights.
AQ: Pro-gun rating based solely on a questionnaire and without a voting record.
B: May have opposed "pro-gun reform" or backed some gun restrictions.
C: "Not necessarily a passing grade." Mixed record" on gun votes.
D: "Anti-gun" supporter of "gun control legislation" who "can usually be counted on to vote wrong on key issues."
F: "True enemy of gun owners' rights."
A breakdown of Brady Campaign scores
The Brady Campaign is an advocacy group that works to pass gun-control laws. The organization assigns lawmakers a “lifetime score" between 0-100 based on how they voted on gun-control measures. Higher scores indicate more support for gun control. Here we're using the group’s most recent scores, which are from 2003. lawmakers had Brady scores of less than 25.
Tap a segment of the chart to see which lawmakers fall into each group. Showing lawmakers. Those without Brady scores are not included.
SOURCES: Project Vote Smart, The NRA Political Victory Fund.