[Politico]
The National Rifle Association spent $2.5 million lobbying the federal government in 2012, on par with its activity in 2011 new lobbying reports show.
The powerful gun rights group spent $655,000 lobbying in the last three months of 2012, slightly down from the fourth quarter of 2011, when it spent $700,000. The decrease could be attributed to the group’s silence in the immediate aftermath of the Newtown shooting on Dec. 14. The NRA was largely mum for nearly a month before it unleashed its lobbyists once again on Capitol Hill.
The NRA also spent nearly $18 million during the 2012 election – mostly in opposition to President Barack Obama.