The NRA nearly doubled its ad spending on Facebook for 3 weeks after the El Paso and Dayton shootings

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

September 16, 2019 9:34 PM

The National Rifle Association doubled its Facebook ad spending after the mass shootings in El Pass, Texas and Dayton, Ohio last month, the Intercept reported.

FILE - In this Friday, April 26, 2019 file photo, National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre speaks at the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action Leadership Forum in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The National Rifle Association is meeting in the shadows of Congress as its leaders remain under fire for spending and its operations. Amid the turmoil, lawmakers are considering steps to stem gun violence, including proposals long opposed by the NRA. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

Only a day after the shooting in El Paso, which killed 22 people, and in Dayton, killing 10, the NRA ramped up its spending to spread its pro-gun messaging.
For a three-week period stretching from August 4 to August 25, the NRA spent $360,000 on Facebook, or around $16,500 per day, according to the Intercept.
It peaked at $29,000 on August 29, and the ads were viewed tens of millions of times.
One of the ads read: "Show that you won't be intimidated by the toxic anti-gun hatred and threats."
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The National Rifle Association doubled its Facebook ad spending after the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio last month, the Intercept reported.

Only a day after the shooting in El Paso, which killed 22 people, and in Dayton, where 10 died, the NRA ramped up spending to spread its pro-gun messaging as calls rose for gun control legislation like increased background checks and renewing the assault weapons ban. For four weeks before the mass shootings, the NRA's lobby arm, the Institute for Legislative Action, had spent around $9,400 a day on average for Facebook ads.

For a three-week period stretching from August 4 to August 25, the NRA spent $360,000 on Facebook, or around $16,500 per day, according to the Intercept. It peaked at $29,000 on August 29, and the ads were viewed tens of millions of times. Digital analytics firm Pathmatics analyzed the NRA's spending.

One of the ads read: "Show that you won't be intimidated by the toxic anti-gun hatred and threats."

After the 2018 mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, the NRA briefly halted its ad spending but four days later poured money into Facebook ads. The Chicago Tribune reported last year that its Facebook ad spending quadrupled to $47,300 on average for 24 days following the shooting.

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