MADISON, Wis. — The National Rifle Association (NRA) has been with Scott Walker from the very beginning of his quarter century long political career, cutting their first check to a Walker campaign in 1993. According to information obtained by One Wisconsin Now, Walker’s gun lobby pals are hitting the airwaves with a nearly $740,000 ad buy, pushing their support for his gubernatorial campaigns to $4.25 million since 2010.
“Scott Walker just became the NRA’s $4 million man,” said One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross. “The NRA’s opposition to common sense gun safety laws are out of step, but Scott Walker has over 4 million reasons to keep marching lock step with their radical agenda.”
As Governor, Walker has signed into law bills putting more guns on our streets, eliminating waiting periods for gun purchases and taking away local school districts’ ability to fund their ongoing safety needs. He has also reacted to mass school shootings by supporting arming teachers and rejecting calls for measures to crack down on easy access to firearms.
Walker has previously been publicly endorsed by the NRA in his gubernatorial bid in 2010, in his 2012 recall election and in 2014. As part of their 2014 effort, the NRA spent $1 million on TV ads on behalf of Walker. The current NRA buy begins tomorrow and runs for two weeks, including $240,000 in Green Bay, $271,000 in La Crosse and Eau Claire and $225,000 in Wausau.
“Scott Walker has done nothing to stop gun violence in Wisconsin and his Attorney General Brad Schimel actually wants to put guns in schools,” said Ross. “We’ve seen young people across Wisconsin join this national movement so that there are no more Parklands, Sandy Hooks or Columbines and their calls for action deserve the attention of all candidates running for office.”
During his stint in the state legislature, Walker also voted to shield the gun industry from lawsuits and prevent local governments from passing their own laws to keep dangerous assault rifles out of their community.
Recently Walker has faced questions about his interactions with an accused Russian spy who used the NRA to gain access to U.S. politicians. Widely circulated photos show Maria Butina meeting with Walker at an NRA event and attending the invite only kick-off of his presidential campaign in July 2015.
One Wisconsin Now’s investigation into Gov. Walker’s serial misuse and abuse of state airplanes also uncovered an instance where Walker dispatched the aircraft to fetch him after getting a haircut in Milwaukee to fly him to Central Wisconsin to attend an NRA rally.
