The NRA Pays For Dave Kopel, Too

14 Comments

by: Colorado Pols

Dave Kopel.

Dave Kopel, the Independence Institute’s resident Second Amendment expert, is the lead attorney on the lawsuit.

And FOX31 Denver has found that Kopel has received $1.39 million in grant money from the N.R.A. Civil Rights Defense Fund between 2004 and 2011. The group continues to fund Kopel, although tax information from 2012 and 2013 isn’t yet available…

Kopel has never before acknowledged the N.R.A.’s financial support, not even when testifying earlier this year before Congress and before state lawmakers at the Capitol in Denver.

“I’ve never heard a think tank person testifying before the Congress reveal their organization’s funders,” Kopel said. “We don’t ever disclose anything publicly about our donors other than what the donors themselves disclose.

“Given that they’ve disclosed it, it seems legitimate for me to confirm that. I think every legislative body knows that think tanks are private, charitable organizations that raise money from people who agree with them…”

As we've discussed in this space, Dave Kopel of the Independence Institute attained an undeserved degree of nonpartisan credibility during the recent debate over gun safety legislation, to the extent that he was considered a "winner" by the Denver Post this year even though most of the bills he opposed passed. Far from an "expert resource," Kopel and the Independence Institute developed and purposefully spread misinformation, intending to irrationally anger the gun-owning public about the legislation passed by the General Assembly on guns this year. Much like peeling back the illusion of "grassroots" organizing in the fully-funded recall campaign underway against Senate President John Morse, learning that Kopel is more or less a fully-funded agent of the National Rifle Association is highly instructive–and should change the way everything he touches is reported going forward.

But what this news is not, in any way, is surprising.

14 thoughts on “The NRA Pays For Dave Kopel, Too”

rathmone says:

May 29, 2013 at 5:29 pm

For $175,000 per year, I might stretch a fact or twelve.

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ProgressiveCowgirl says:

May 29, 2013 at 5:36 pm

Damn, you beat me by 13 minutes… I'm leaving mine up, it's funnier.

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1. Colorado Pols says:
  
  May 29, 2013 at 5:38 pm
  
  We gave it a link! Thanks for posting.
  
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2. Colorado Pols says:
  
  May 29, 2013 at 5:38 pm
  
  And it probably is, yes. We're terrible judges.
  
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ClubTwitty says:

May 29, 2013 at 5:39 pm

I heard he sees dead people. Getting arrested.

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1. Gray in Mountains says:
  
  May 29, 2013 at 6:45 pm
  
  😉
  
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JADodd says:

May 30, 2013 at 7:18 am

I just did a quick check of the SOS's website. Kopel does not appear to be registered as a professional lobbyist. Nor is he listed as an NRA lobbyist. Could we have a little violation of the law?

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1. Phoenix Rising says:
  
  May 30, 2013 at 10:06 am
  
  Only if he has been doing lobbying in the state capital. Testifying doesn't necessarily count.
  
  I think it would be enough if the papers started referring to him as "Dave Kopel, who is paid by the NRA" every time he's quoted on gun matters.
  
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  1. JADodd says:
    
    May 30, 2013 at 5:39 pm
    While I really don't have the time for this, I went back to the statute and it isn't quite that simple. Testifying is not lobbying only if:
    
    You are subpoenaed, or
    
    You testify and limit your activities to testifying and "clearly identify themselves and the interest for whom they are testifying or providing information," or
    
    You are an attorney and identify you client.
    
    I'll admit that I wasn't present when he testified and don't know what he may have said. However, if he disclosed his actual interest and who was paying him, I don't think this would be such a revelation.
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    1. JADodd says:
      
      May 30, 2013 at 5:42 pm
      
      Why don't the bullets work? This is the second time that I put them in and they disappear when the comment posts. The formating for the comment section doesn't work right.
      
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      1. Phoenix Rising says:
        
        May 30, 2013 at 7:21 pm
        
        I noticed that, too. Had a couple of bullet lists disappear on me.
        
        Testing…
        
        Bullet 1
        
        Bullet 2
        
        Bullet 3
        
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        Phoenix Rising says:
        
        May 30, 2013 at 7:21 pm
        
        Those worked, anyway.
        
        Other bullet
        
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        Phoenix Rising says:
        
        May 30, 2013 at 7:22 pm
        
        But not unordered list bullets. I see '<ul>' listed in the valid HTML below the editor…
        
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Diogenesdemar says:

May 30, 2013 at 11:19 am

Meh . . .

What's the fun if being a shill if you're not being well-compensated for it???

. . . right, ArapaGOP??????

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