BOUGHT AND PAID FOR
A Writer Is QTing Republicans' Messages About The Uvalde Shooting With The Amount Of Money They’ve Received From The NRA
In the wake of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, heartbroken messages from parents, public figures and many others flooded Twitter.
A particular strain of messages, though, rang empty to many who read them: the messages from politicians who could impact gun legislation. In particular, people picked up on the fact that many of their messages included some of the same phrases, word-for-word, as though they were some kind of form responses to the event — phrases like “horrified and heartbroken,” or “lifting up” the families of the shooter’s victims.
Horrified and heartbroken to learn of the significant loss of life in the shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Please join me in lifting their loved ones up in prayer.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) May 24, 2022
Thank you to the local first responders working on the scene.
Horrified and heartbroken by reports of the disgusting violence directed at innocent schoolkids in Uvalde, Texas. The entire country is praying for the children, families, teachers, and staff and the first responders on the scene.
— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) May 24, 2022
We are horrified and heartbroken by the senseless tragedy unfolding at Robb Elementary School in Texas and grateful to the first responders for acting swiftly. No families should ever have to fear violence in their children's schools.
— Kyrsten Sinema (@SenatorSinema) May 24, 2022
These repetitive tweets came from Democrats as well as Republicans, but people singled out the tweets of Republicans who publicly oppose gun safety legislation.
Bess Kalb, a writer on Twitter, did the work of quote-tweeting messages from Republicans who have received money from the NRA or the gun lobby. Here’s what she’s found.
$13,647,676 from the NRA https://t.co/vg9biSc0kG
— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) May 25, 2022
$311,151 from the gun lobby. https://t.co/tHDhW66MjD
— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) May 25, 2022
$3,124,773 from the NRA. https://t.co/vPcw70CIgI
— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) May 25, 2022
$3,063,327 from the NRA. https://t.co/0ma5pInQ99
— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) May 25, 2022
$2,897,582 from the NRA. https://t.co/mnllyPrwY3
— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) May 25, 2022
$2,002,462 from the NRA. https://t.co/fXEWsYURBm
— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) May 25, 2022
$1,968,714 from the NRA. https://t.co/euGPrAR37J
— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) May 25, 2022
$1,475,448 from the NRA. https://t.co/JVyo02wKWa
— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) May 25, 2022
$1,306,130 from the NRA. https://t.co/XyxTvww97i
— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) May 25, 2022
$1,267,139 from the NRA https://t.co/q5eQLYE1Rs
— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) May 25, 2022
$1,249,967 from the NRA https://t.co/ROBA8qgYoa
— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) May 25, 2022
$1,269,486 from the NRA https://t.co/V8CMSWiabc
— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) May 25, 2022
$258,514 from the NRA https://t.co/GNIFplAt4H
— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) May 25, 2022
Read more about politicians’ donations from the NRA here.
