WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) issued the following statement following a recent Hearst newspaper investigation that found that the Newtown-based National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) spent more on lobbying than the National Rifle Association (NRA) over the last two years:

“This troubling report exposes the money behind the politics of gun lobbies like the NSSF. The NSSF is spending millions of dollars to prevent expanded background checks and protect immunity for gun manufacturers— priorities that are simply out of step with the views of the majority of law-abiding gun owners. The fact that the NSSF is now spending even more than the NRA on lobbying means we must double down on our push for commonsense reforms to reduce gun violence. No matter how much money is spent fighting our efforts, we will continue to stand with Connecticut families and advocates touched by gun violence. We won’t give up.”