New reporting is shining a light on Don Bacon’s long record of siding with the gun lobby and putting Nebraska families in danger, all to help himself get re-elected.
Bacon has repeatedly voted against common sense gun safety legislation, including voting against bills supported by law enforcement, while taking more than $80,000 from the gun industry.
Bacon has made clear once again that he cares more about getting re-elected than keeping Nebraskans safe.
DCCC Spokesperson Mallory Payne:
“Not even Nebraskans’ safety comes before Bacon’s self-serving mission to stay in Washington. Bacon will cave to every dangerous extremist if it means protecting himself and his political career.”
Although there have been more than 400 other school shootings in the United States since 1999, Nebraska Republican U.S. Rep. Don Bacon has consistently opposed legislation to prevent gun violence.
In an April 15 social media post, he touted an endorsement from the National Rifle Association, which opposes gun safety regulations: “I am honored to be the only #NE02 candidate to earn the endorsement from the @NRA for my re-election in 2024. I will always stand strong to protect our 2nd Amendment rights, unlike my opponent Tony Vargas.” Since his first congressional campaign in 2016, Bacon has accepted more than $20,000 in campaign funds from the NRA’s political action committee.
In 2019 and 2021, Bacon voted against requiring background checks for all gun purchases. He claimed, without evidence, in a March 2021 press release, “There is no question that loss of life due to gun violence is traumatizing and heartbreaking, but we cannot ignore the fact that the numbers do not show background checks, gun registries, and other measures will work.”
Bacon also opposed the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a compromise that expanded background checks required of gun purchasers under age 21 and offered federal funding to help states implement red flag laws. Bacon questioned whether red flag laws are constitutional and said in a press release, “I do not believe federal tax dollars paid for by Nebraskans should be used in other states, such as California and New York, to fund Red Flag programs that do not have due process protections nor a right to attorney.”
Bacon is currently co-sponsoring bills that would roll back existing gun laws, including proposals that would override state laws preventing out-of-state gun owners from carrying concealed weapons, grant special nondiscrimination protections for firearm and ammunition manufacturers in contracts with the federal government, and prohibit states or localities from taxing guns.
On his campaign website, Vargas lists endorsements from anti-gun violence organizations Brady and Giffords.
According to Everytown for Gun Safety, an average of 196 Nebraskans die by guns every year, 17 of them children and teens.
A 2020 SurveyUSA poll sponsored by Everytown found 80% of Nebraska voters supported red flag laws, including 75% of Republicans and 74% of gun owners. A Morning Consult poll that same year found 86% of Nebraska voters favored universal background checks.
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