Gun-control activists have largely given up on Congress, which did not pass background-check legislation after the school massacre in Newtown, Conn., last December that killed 20 children and six adults. The groups are shifting their resources to a handful of states such as Colorado, where they have hired political operatives to try to build permanent gun-control movements.
The effort, however, is certain to run into heavy resistance from gun rights groups such as the National Rifle Association, which has focused for years on building relationships with state legislators, contributing to their campaigns and hiring lobbyists to pressure them to loosen existing laws or block legislation.
Groups run by New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (I), former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and other gun-control advocates intend to spend more than $25 million in 2014, most of it in the states, said officials with knowledge of the plans, which have not been previously reported. Their strategy is to pressure state legislatures and pursue ballot initiatives for stricter gun laws, as well as to defend or attack politicians in next fall’s campaigns based on their gun votes, the officials said.
A consensus has emerged among activists that pushing for federal background checks is a lost cause for now.
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