The Billion-Dollar Misfire

How the richest gun safety group in America forgot what it’s fighting for.

It was yet another week of carnage from gun violence across the country. Meanwhile--

There’s Everytown for Gun Safety. It is the richest gun violence prevention organization in America. With Michael Bloomberg’s billions behind it, the group has more money than Giffords, Brady, and the every other grassroots orgs combined. Back when I was a “consultant” for Everytown, I was told that Mike Bloomberg makes about a million dollars a minute. But what’s their flagship initiative these days? Not building power at the state level. Not elevating the voices of survivors. Not keeping promises to families like mine. They meander from one poor decision to the next. The latest example: pouring millions into weapons training programs.

Think about that for a moment. Survivors like me begged for stronger background checks and limits on weapons of war. Instead, Everytown writes checks to teach people how to shoot better. That’s not prevention — it’s a shell game.

When “Gun Safety” means learning to shoot better.

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Contrast with Giffords and Brady

Meanwhile, groups like Giffords and Brady fight to keep gun reform alive with far fewer resources. They don’t have a billionaire sugar daddy. They rely on volunteers, survivors, and small donors. And while they can’t match Everytown’s reach, they at least put their money where it matters: policy, advocacy, and community support.

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The Pat Toomey Lesson

I’ll never forget when Everytown decided to back Republican Senator Pat Toomey in 2016. Yes, he had co-sponsored background check legislation with Joe Manchin after Sandy Hook, but when the pressure mounted in 2013, he wouldn’t stick his neck out. He wavered, and the bill failed. By 2016, it was clear he wasn’t all in. Yet Everytown endorsed him anyway, pouring money and credibility into a politician who was never going to deliver.

It was like Charlie Brown and Lucy with the football. Everytown kept convincing itself there were “good” Republicans on gun safety, even hiring a fleet of Republican lobbyists to chase that fantasy. And every time, predictably, Lucy — the GOP — yanked the ball away when it mattered most. More money pissed away.

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Survivors as Props

That’s the pattern. Survivors are good for photo ops, not for power. We’ve been used to soften up lawmakers and humanize press releases. But when it comes to shaping strategy or deciding where millions should go, our voices are nowhere.

Those of us who worked with Everytown were more often than not handed a script. Barbara and I chafed at that right away. They didn’t want us calling out Republicans, even though we knew they were the ones who would never support common-sense gun laws. At the height of our involvement, we were the “new shiny toy,” just like other survivors before us. We were “consultants” in name only — expected to parrot their lines, not speak our truth.

I’ll never forget doing an interview with CNN right after then-Congressman Mike McCaul, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. I called him out because at the time, people on the government’s no-fly list could still legally buy firearms. How absurd was that? I recall equating republicans with domestic terrorism. When I finished, I got a frantic call from Everytown’s PR handler: “Andy, you can’t say that.” My answer: “yes I can, and I just did — and I’ve got an op-ed coming out saying the same thing in national print”.

That’s how it worked: if you stayed on script, you were golden. If you went off it, you were a problem. The money, meanwhile, flowed into political vanity projects, staff salaries, or, unbelievably now — weapons training. Give me a fricking break.

At this point, you wonder if the name “Everytown for Gun Safety” is really just a hedge for weapons training.

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The Bottom Line

Everytown has the war chest to change America’s gun laws. Instead, it behaves like a Fortune 500 company obsessed with market share. Survivors and grassroots groups are treated like expendable assets. And the blood keeps flowing.

And here’s the kicker: with Michael Bloomberg’s billions behind them, Everytown still has the balls to solicit donations. I find it ironic — and laughable. They shake down everyday Americans for twenty-dollar checks while their billionaire benefactor makes a million a minute.

It’s not about slick marketing. It’s about whether the billions behind Everytown will ever be used to honor the dead, protect the living, and fight for the change survivors have begged for. Right now, the answer is clear: they’re failing.

What happened to you, Mike? After your brief presidential campaign fizzled, did you decide to take your toys and go home?

Everytown for Gun Safety — the Fortune 500 of gun reform.

🎙️ Bonus VO: “When Gun Safety Means Learning to Shoot Better”