Want To Know Why Politicians Only Offer 'Prayers' On Gun Violence? Follow The Money.

Lawmakers who accept gun lobby money are quick with condolences after mass shootings.

After a mass shooting in Orlando, Florida early Sunday, politicians predictably rushed to express condolences with "thoughts" or "prayers" or both.

But when it comes to reforming gun laws, they seemed in no big hurry -- even though, so far this year, there have been almost as many mass shootings in the U.S. as there have been days. In fact, many of the lawmakers publicly offering thoughts and prayers have collected hefty campaign donations from the influential and well-funded gun lobby.

The death toll from a single shooter left at least 50 people dead and 53 wounded.

Afterward, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) let constituents know his heart goes out to the shooting victims -- a sentiment that seems contrary to his voting record and financial ties.

The day after the deadly San Bernardino, California shooting that killed 14 people, Tillis was among 54 lawmakers who voted against a bill that would have made it harder for suspected terrorists to get guns. Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association poured roughly $2.5 million into Tillis' coffers during the 2014 election cycle.

The NRA and its affiliate groups spent more than $27 million in outside expenditures (which includes super PACs and "dark money" funds given by non profits) during the 2014 election cycle.

When it comes to bankrolling candidates sympathetic to the gun lobby, candidate contributions from NRA-related PACs are 85 times larger than contributions from individual donors, according to the nonpartisan donations research group Open Secrets.

And while mass shootings shootings are regularly lamented as tragic events that demand change, they give a huge boost to the bottom line of gun and ammo manufacturers.

In a documentary released earlier this year, “Making a Killing: Guns, Greed, and the NRA,” filmmaker Robert Greenwald explores how the lucrative gun industry and the powerful gun lobby preserve profits by scuttling legislative efforts to address even the most common-sense gun law reforms.

“In any one of these tragedies, in any one of these incidents, take away the gun and look how different the situation is,” Greenwald previously told The Huffington Post.

He noted that fledgling politicians or those facing tough re-election battles are especially susceptible to the NRA’s powerful draw.

“If you’re a politician and you align with the NRA, you know you’re going to be well-funded and you’re going to have passionate people behind you,” Greenwald said.

“It’s hard to think rationally when your paycheck is written by the devil,” he added. “Not that money explains everything, but the money certainly does distort one’s perspective.”

The text that follows was originally published Dec. 2, 2015, in the wake of the deadly shooting in San Bernadino, California. The story has been updated, but only minimally, as nothing substantial has changed in regard to U.S. gun control.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has accepted more than $1.3 million from gun rights groups — a sum the Sunlight Foundation notes is “far more than any other member of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation.” Johnson holds an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association for opposing gun control measures, including a proposed ban on ammunition magazines that can hold more than 10 bullets.

Johnson on Wednesday sent “thoughts and prayers” to California.

Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) also has an "A" rating from the NRA. She has backed state legislation for lifetime handgun permits and has supported every piece of legislation that maintains or advances the Second Amendment, according to the gun advocacy group. In the 2014 election cycle, Walorski has received $4,500 from the NRA.

Walorski sent "heartfelt" thoughts and prayers to victims of the San Bernardino mass shooting.

When Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) is not sending his "prayers" -- as he was to San Bernardino on Wednesday -- he's supporting laws that would protect gun manufacturers and sellers from being sued. He also apparently thinks three days is too long to wait to buy a gun, and years ago voted to make the waiting period just one day.

Goodlatte benefited from a $9,900 NRA donation during the 2014 cycle.

The NRA pumped more than $922,000 into Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) 2014 re-election campaign. McConnell, who voted against banning high-capacity magazines, called Wednesday's shooting "senseless" and sent "thoughts" to victims and their families.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) received $7,450 from the NRA during the 2014 cycle. On his own website, he notes:

Scalise's pro-gun stance has earned him an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association. A member of the Congressional Second Amendment Task Force, Congressman Steve Scalise will continue fighting to protect every citizen's Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

Scalise tweeted that he was praying for peace for California after Wednesday's attack.

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan also tweeted their condolences.

After a mass shooting at a community college in Roseburg, Oregon, in October, the bipartisan congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force asked then-House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to call to the floor "legislation that can protect innocent lives while safeguarding the rights of law abiding gun owners."

A letter from the group was signed by 152 Democrats and five Republicans. And nothing happened. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), chairman of the task force, urged fellow members not to let another mass shooting happen before they took action.

"Every single time a mass shooting happens, we go through the same routine," Thompson said in a statement at the time. "Thoughts and prayers are sent. Statements are made. Stories are written. And nothing changes.

"Let’s have this time be different. This time, let’s actually pull together and do something to make our country safer.”

That was 90 mass shootings ago.

Igor Volsky of ThinkProgress spent several hours on Wednesday listing on Twitter the many politicians who offered platitudes and have taken money from the gun lobby:

Also on HuffPost:

Jim Young / Reuters
A body is removed as Police forensic investigators work at the crime scene of a mass shooting at the Pulse gay night club in Orlando, Florida, U.S. June 12, 2016.
Jim Young/Reuters
Police forensic investigators work at the crime scene of a mass shooting at the Pulse gay night club in Orlando, Florida, U.S. June 12, 2016.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via Getty Images
Kelvin Cobaris, a local clergyman, consoles Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, right, and Terry DeCarlo, an Orlando gay rights advocate, as they arrive on the scene near Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday, June 12, 2016.
Joe Skipper / Reuters
Miami FBI agent Michael Leverock carries an evidence bag and documents to his car outside a condominium complex in Fort Pierce, Florida June 12, 2016.
Joe Skipper / Reuters
Miami FBI agent Michael Leverock carries an evidence bag and documents to his car outside a condominium complex in Fort Pierce, Florida June 12, 2016.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
Men console each other at a Ember Restaurant in Orlando as new reports come over the TV about the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida on June 12, 2016.
David McNew / Reuters
Los Angeles County Sheriff deputies set up a sonic crowd control device following the Orlando attack at a gay night club in Orlando, Florida, at the 46th annual Los Angeles Gay Pride Parade in West Hollywood, California, U.S. June 12, 2016.
Carlo Allegri / Reuters
Police forensics investigators work at the crime scene of a mass shooting at the Pulse gay night club in Orlando, Florida, U.S. June 12, 2016.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
FBI agents investigate the damaged rear wall of the Pulse Nightclub where Omar Mateen allegedly killed at least 50 people on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Florida.
GREGG NEWTON/AFP/Getty Images
People react the Pulse nightclub shooting outside the hotel where family members are gathering in Orlando, Florida, on June 12, 2016. Fifty people died and another 53 were injured when a gunman opened fire and seized hostages at a gay nightclub in Florida, police said June 12, making it the worst mass shooting in US history.
Carlo Allegri / Reuters
Police forensics investigators work at the crime scene of a mass shooting at the Pulse gay night club in Orlando, Florida, U.S. June 12, 2016.
Gerardo Mora via Getty Images
FBI assistant special agent in charge Ron Hopper (C), law enforcement and local community leaders speak during a press conference June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. 50 people are reported dead and 53 were injured at a mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in what is now the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. The suspected shooter, Omar Mateen, was shot and killed by police.
Gerardo Mora via Getty Images
Terry DeCarlo, executive director of The LGBT Center (Gay, Lesbian,Bisexual, Transgender Community) of central florida on North Mills cries near the scene of the Pulse nightclub terror attack on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The suspected shooter, Omar Mateen, was shot and killed by police. 50 people are reported dead and 53 were injured in what is now the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.
Joe Raedle via Getty Images
A Bomb Disposal Unit checks for explosives around the apartment building where shooting suspect Omar Mateen is believed to have lived on June 12, 2016 in Fort Pierce, Florida. The mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida killed at least 50 people and injured 53 others in what is the deadliest mass shooting in the country's history.
Steve Nesius / Reuters
Demetrice Naulings sobs outside the Orlando Police Headquarters where police are interviewing witnesses in the investigation of a shooting at the Pulse nightclub, where people were killed by a gunman, in Orlando, Florida, U.S June 12, 2016.
Gregg Newton/AFP/Getty Images
A woman prays at a site about a block from the Pulse nightclub in the aftermath of a mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, on June 12, 2016. Fifty people died and another 53 were injured when a gunman opened fire and seized hostages at the Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, police said June 12, making it the worst mass shooting in US history.
Orlando Police Department/Reuters
A handout photograph posted by the Orlando Police Department on Twitter with the words, "Pulse shooting: In hail of gunfire in which suspect was killed, OPD officer was hit. Kevlar helmet saved his life", in reference to the operation against a gun man inside Pulse night club in Orlando, Florida, June 12, 2016.
Joe Raedle via Getty Images
Police tape marks off the entrance to the apartment building where shooting suspect Omar Mateen is believed to have lived on June 12, 2016 in Fort Pierce, Florida. The mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida killed at least 50 people and injured 53 others in what is the deadliest mass shooting in the country's history.
Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/Getty Images
Law enforcement walk south of the mass shooting scene at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday, June 12, 2016.
Gregg Newton/AFP/Getty Images
Supported by a friend, a man weeps for victims of the mass shooting just a block from the scene in Orlando, Florida, on June 12, 2016. Fifty people died and another 53 were injured when a gunman opened fire and seized hostages at a gay nightclub in Florida, police said June 12, making it the worst mass shooting in US history.
Gerardo Mora/Getty Images
FBI agents seen outside of Pulse nightclub after a fatal shooting and hostage situation on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The suspected shooter, Omar Mateen, was shot and killed by police. 50 people are reported dead and 53 were injured.
Carlo Allegri/Reuters
A message towed by an airplane urges people to donate blood, after a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, U.S. June 12, 2016.
Gerardo Mora/Getty Images
Long lines of people wait at the OneBlood Donation Center to donate blood for the injured victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The suspected shooter, Omar Mateen, was shot and killed by police. 50 people are reported dead and 53 were injured in what is now the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/TNS/Getty Images
Concerned friends and family of victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting wait outside of the Orlando Police Department on Sunday, June 12, 2016.
Steve Nesius / Reuters
Friends and family members embrace outside the Orlando Police Headquarters during the investigation of a shooting at the Pulse nightclub, where people were killed by a gunman, in Orlando, Florida, U.S June 12, 2016.
Gerardo Mora via Getty Images
Members of the Orlando City Fire Rescue seen around Pulse nightclub after a fatal shooting and hostage situation on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The suspect was shot and killed by police after 20 people died and 42 were injured.
Kevin Kolczynski / Reuters
Police lock down Orange Avenue around Pulse nightclub, where people were killed by a gunman in a shooting rampage in Orlando, Florida June 12, 2016.
Steve Nesius / Reuters
Friends and family members embrace outside the Orlando Police Headquarters during the investigation of a shooting at the Pulse night club, where as many as 20 people have been injured after a gunman opened fire, in Orlando, Florida, U.S June 12, 2016.
Kevin Kolczynski / Reuters
People gather as police conduct questioning near Pulse nightclub, where people were killed by a gunman in a shooting rampage in Orlando, Florida June 12, 2016.
Kevin Kolczynski / Reuters
Police lock down Orange Avenue around Pulse nightclub, where people were killed by a gunman in a shooting rampage in Orlando, Florida June 12, 2016.
Gerardo Mora via Getty Images
Orlando police officers seen outside of Pulse nightclub after a fatal shooting and hostage situation on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The suspect was shot and killed by police after 20 people died and 42 were injured.
Gerardo Mora via Getty Images
Orlando police officers seen outside of Pulse nightclub after a fatal shooting and hostage situation on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The suspect was shot and killed by police after 20 people died and 42 were injured.
Orlando Police Department/Reuters
Police cars and fire trucks are seen outside the Pulse night club where police said a suspected gunman left multiple people dead and injured in Orlando, Florida, June 12, 2016.

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