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related: Michael Bloomberg · _Gavin Newsom Master Profile · _Kamala Harris Master Profile · Koch Network - Charles Koch
Who They Are
Everytown for Gun Safety — the largest gun violence prevention organization in the United States. Founded 2014 through merger of Mayors Against Illegal Guns (co-founded by Bloomberg in 2006) and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (founded 2012 after Sandy Hook). Includes Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund (501(c)(4)), Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund (Super PAC), and Students Demand Action.
This is Michael Bloomberg’s gun control operation. Bloomberg has contributed $270 million+ over his lifetime to Everytown and its predecessors — making it the most heavily funded gun violence prevention organization in history. By 2024, Everytown’s political spending exceeded the NRA’s for the first time.
The Political Spending
Follow the Money — Bloomberg's Gun Control Machine
Bloomberg lifetime investment: $270 million+ 2024 cycle spending: Everytown Victory Fund spent $45 million+ in 2024 elections Organizational reach: 10 million supporters (claimed), chapters in all 50 states
2024 candidate gun safety rankings:
- Endorsed 300+ candidates across federal, state, and local races
- Win rate in targeted races: approximately 80%+
The NRA reversal: For the first time in 2024, Everytown outspent the NRA in elections. The gun lobby’s dominance of gun policy through campaign spending has been effectively neutralized by Bloomberg’s counter-investment.
What They’ve Won
Federal: Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (2022) — first major federal gun legislation in 30 years. Enhanced background checks for buyers under 21, funding for state crisis intervention programs, closing “boyfriend loophole.” Modest but real.
State-level (where the real action is):
- Red flag/ERPO laws: expanded to 21 states + DC
- Background check expansion: 22 states + DC now require checks on all gun sales
- Assault weapons bans: maintained in 10 states (under post-Bruen legal pressure)
- California: among the strongest gun laws nationally, with Newsom as a visible champion
2018 House flip: Everytown/Moms Demand Action were critical organizing infrastructure in the 2018 midterm wave that flipped 40 House seats — providing suburban volunteer networks that complemented Bloomberg’s $80–100 million in House race spending.
Class Analysis — The “Good Billionaire” Paradox
Everytown is the clearest expression of the Michael Bloomberg model documented in the Bloomberg node: spend on issues that don’t threaten wealth accumulation (gun control, climate) while avoiding issues that do (unions, single-payer, wealth taxation, labor law).
Why gun control is donor-compatible:
- Gun violence disproportionately affects working-class communities and communities of color
- Gun control legislation doesn’t threaten any Bloomberg business interest
- The opposition (NRA, gun manufacturers) is a different donor class (firearms industry, Koch-adjacent)
- Suburban voters — Bloomberg’s political target demographic — are strongly motivated by gun safety
Why this matters for the vault:
Bloomberg’s $270M+ on gun control is genuine policy engagement that saves lives. It’s also the model of billionaire philanthropy that channels political energy toward issues that don’t redistribute wealth. Every dollar and every volunteer hour that goes to Everytown is a dollar and hour that doesn’t go to single-payer, union organizing, or wealth taxation. The “good billionaire” solves the problems that don’t threaten his class position.
For IBEW members: Gun violence is a community issue that affects IBEW families like all working-class families. But Everytown’s organizational model — billionaire-funded, professionally staffed, focused on legislation rather than structural change — is the opposite of the union organizing model. Everytown doesn’t build worker power. It builds donor power deployed on a sympathetic issue.
Sources
- OpenSecrets — Michael Bloomberg donor profile (Tier 1)
- FactCheck.org — Everytown vs. NRA spending comparison (Tier 2)
- Giffords Law Center — state gun law tracker (Tier 2)
research-status:: ready — Bloomberg $270M+ lifetime, $45M 2024 cycle, NRA outspent, Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, “good billionaire” class analysis. 4 sources, Tier 1-2. All headers. Promoted Session 38m. content-readiness:: ready