Mike Pence, the NRA’s A-Rated Pick for Vice-President

As Governor Mike Pence, Donald Trump’s nominee for Vice President, takes the stage at the RNC tonight, here’s some context on why the NRA is thrilled with this pick.

Pence has a long political career of supporting dangerous policies pushed by the gun lobby—all while receiving funding from the gun lobby to support his political ambitions. Rather than strengthening public safety laws—even as Indiana continued to supply crime guns to cities around the country—Governor Pence has parroted the gun lobby’s talking points and promoted their extremist agenda of pushing guns everywhere, for everyone, no questions asked. More on Governor Pence’s history with guns and the NRA is available here.

• Pence has received an ‘A’ grade and an endorsement from the NRA each election cycle between 2002 and 2012.

• In Congress, Pence voted for gun manufacturer immunity from liability – known as the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act – and as Indiana governor, he expanded a state version of the law.

• In Congress, Pence voted for “concealed carry reciprocity” – a lowest-common denominator standard for carrying hidden, loaded guns in public. Concealed carry reciprocity turns states’ rights on its head by forcing all states to recognize concealed carry permits from the rest of the country, thus allowing dangerous criminals and those with no safety training to carry hidden, loaded guns virtually anywhere.

• Over the course of his political career, gun rights groups have contributed more than $35,000 to Pence, with the NRA contributing $28,000.

• The laws enacted by Governor Pence further undermined Indiana’s already weak gun laws – which pose a dire cost for other states.

• Over five years, 10,000 guns sold in Indiana were recovered at crime scenes outside the state and successfully traced. Between 2009-13, nearly 1 in 5 guns recovered at Chicago crime scenes was sourced from Indiana, making it the largest out-of-state source for crime guns.

• Because Indiana doesn’t require background checks for gun sales it is an easy target for gun traffickers. For example, between 2009-2013, 22 crime guns recovered in Chicago were traced to a single Indiana purchaser.