NRA Donations Triple After Parkland School Shooting

Following the tragic school shooting on February 14 in Parkland, Florida that left 17 dead, the National Rifle Association has seen a considerable spike in donations.

In the week after the shooting, the Center for Responsive Politics found that the NRA received “twice as much money from nearly five times as many donors,” the Huffington Post reports. The NRA’s Political Victory Fund — which contributes money to political campaigns for candidates who support gun rights — particularly saw a huge increase. According to reports from the Federal Election Commission, donations to the fund tripled from January to February, CNN reports.

In January, the pro-gun organization reportedly collected almost $248,000 in individual contributions, but collected more than $779,000 the following month. The Center for Responsive Politics says it's unclear what caused the spike, but some factors may have included the NRA’s outreach efforts — that included a drastically increased Facebook advertising budget — following the shooting, and Donald Trump’s comments that suggested he might be open to stricter gun control. Trump later changed his tune, making statements that were more in line with the NRA’s position on gun control.

(National Rifle Association members visit exhibitor booths at the 146th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits on April 29, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)