Gun rights lobbying groups are a powerful political force in America. Using OpenSecrets data on “gun rights” donations to election campaigns, I charted the total amounts contributed to different senators throughout the years.
Gun Rights and the Senate
5/25/2022
AD_SHOULD_BE_HERE
Here’s what I found:
2018 Midterms
When Senator Ted Cruz was up for re-election during the 2018 midterms, he received the most gun rights contributions (over $300K) out of all Senate candidates. Former Senator Martha McSally was second, receiving over $225K in the lead up to a special election for the Senate seat she eventually won.
AD_SHOULD_BE_HERE
The majority of the top 30 Senate candidates were Republican candidates, with only 4 Democrat Senate candidates receiving any donations from gun rights lobbyists.
2020 Election
During the 2020 general election, incumbent Martha McSally received just over half a million dollars in campaign donations from gun rights lobbying groups. This was followed by fellow Republican Senate incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler who both received around $300K. They all lost their seats to Democrat candidates.
AD_SHOULD_BE_HERE
Other notable Republican Senators included Lindsey Graham ($190K) and Mitch McConnell ($110K).
Again, gun rights donations mostly went to Republican Senators again during this cycle. Interestingly though, there were 3 non-Republican Senators who received gun rights campaign donations during that cycle: Independent Senator Bernie Sanders ($7.8K) and Democrat Elizabeth Warren ($3.3K), and now VP Kamala Harris ($1.2K).
AD_SHOULD_BE_HERE
So far, during the 2022 Midterms…
As we near the 2022 midterms, we can see that Republican Senators Rand Paul and John Kennedy have both received the most in gun rights contributions so far (each with $38K). Again donations are mostly to Republican Senators. This time however, the only Senate Democrat to receive donations is Senator Joe Manchin ($5K).
Trump: I want no more property taxes across the United States
7/4/2025 10:14 PMTrump's "Big, Beautiful" has $1.1 trillion in health cuts and 11.8 million losing care
7/3/2025 7:31 PMTrump’s Big, Beautiful bill passes the House
7/3/2025 7:27 PMGas prices haven’t been this low for the Fourth of July since 2021
7/3/2025 4:32 PM
Stay Updated
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest financial insights and news.
Unusual Whales does not confirm the information's truthfulness or accuracy of the associated references, data, and cannot verify any of the information. Any content on this site or related pages are not intended to provide legal, tax, investment or insurance advice. Unusual Whales Inc. is not registered as a securities broker-dealer or an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) or any state securities regulatory authority. Nothing on Unusual Whales should be construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any security by Unusual Whales or any third party. Options, investing, trading is risky, and losses are more expected than profits. Please do own research before investing. Please only subscribe after reading our full terms and understanding options and the market, and the inherent risks of trading. It is highly recommended not to trade on this, or any, information from Unusual Whales. Markets are risky, and you will likely lose some or all of your capital. Please check our terms for full details.
Any content on this site or related pages are not intended to provide legal, tax, investment or insurance advice. Unusual Whales Inc. is not registered as a securities broker-dealer or an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) or any state securities regulatory authority. Nothing on Unusual Whales should be construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any security by Unusual Whales or any third party. Certain investment planning tools available on Unusual Whales may provide general investment education based on your input. You are solely responsible for determining whether any investment, investment strategy, security or related transaction is appropriate for you based on your personal investment objectives, financial circumstances and risk tolerance. You should consult your legal or tax professional regarding your specific situation. See terms for more information.