Former N.Y. Mayor Michael Bloomberg to spend $50M promoting gun control

NEW YORK, April 16 (UPI) -- Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said gun control advocates need to make opponents "afraid" as he announced funding for a new group.

Bloomberg said Tuesday he will donate $50 million to Every Town for Gun Safety. He described the group as a counter to the National Rifle Association.

“They say, ‘We don’t care. We’re going to go after you. If you don’t vote with us we’re going to go after your kids and your grandkids and your great-grandkids. And we’re never going to stop,’ ” Bloomberg said of the N.R.A. “We’ve got to make them afraid of us.”

Bloomberg already backs Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. He plans to move both groups into the new one.

The mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in December 2012 appeared to give more traction to supporters of background checks and other limits on gun ownership. But those stalled, and Bloomberg has little to show for the millions he has already spent.

Polls suggest a majority of U.S. residents support stricter gun laws, and background checks have strong support. But Larry Pratt, head of Gun Owners of America, told The New York Times that supporters of gun rights are more passionate on the issue.

“He’s got the money to waste,” Pratt said of Bloomberg. “So I guess he’s free to do so. But frankly, I think he’s going to find out why his side keeps losing.”

[New York Times]