Kevin Lamarque / REUTERS New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks to reporters after his meeting with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington February 27, 2013.
Time
Rich people do crazy things with their money, but no one’s ever accused billionaire New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg of being the kind to throw money away on a lost cause. So some observers are confused by his $12 million ad buy during Congress’ Easter recess. Bloomberg’s ads push for the expansion of legally required background checks to include private sales, a move that close to 90 percent of Americans support, including 74 percent of NRA members, according to Republican pollster Frank Luntz.
Bloomberg’s not the only one pushing the issue this week. Backed by the mothers of victims of gun violence, an impassioned President Obama held an event at the White House Thursday morning touting his multifaceted gun control package and singling out the background check issue in particular. “Ninety percent of Americans–90 percent–support background checks,” Obama said, “How often do 90 percent of Americans agree on anything?” Groups allied with Bloomberg, like Gabby Giffords’ Americans for Responsible Solutions, are also launching a background check blitz.
That should be a sobering thought for all the gun-rights fanatics who've been prematurely celebrating the demise of Obama's gun control agenda. Bloomberg is not the kind of guy to throw good money after bad.
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