Exclusive:Gun violence: NRA lobby group spending millions pushing gun ads on Google in America

Google has made millions hosting gun adverts paid for by America’s National Rifle Association (NRA), prompting calls from campaigners for it to "prioritise public safety over profits", NationalWorld can reveal.

The highly polarising gun rights advocacy group has spent almost $7 million on more than 5,000 Google ads since 2018. The ads have been shown to Google users in America hundreds of millions of times, with some being shown around 10 million times each.

One ad currently live on the search engine shows images of two large guns and asks users to answer an NRA survey about whether guns should be confiscated. The ad has targeted middle-aged and older American men and has been shown around 800,000 times as of 29 March, at a cost of around $1,500 to the NRA of America Political Victory Fund. Some ads have had as much as $150,000 spent on them to reach a bigger audience.

The analysis comes as the US experiences its 130th mass shooting of the year. On 27 March six people were killed – including three children – after an ex-student opened fire at a school in the US city of Nashville, Tennessee. President Biden has repeatedly called for stricter rules on gun sales and after the shooting asked Congress to pass an assault weapons ban – something that is unlikely to happen while the Republicans control The House of Representatives.

NationalWorld used Google’s political advertising dashboard to analyse spending from two branches of the NRA – the Institute For Legislative Action (ILA) and Political Victory Fund (PVF). The ILA is the ‘lobbying arm’ of the NRA, while the PVF is the ‘political action committee’, according to its website. The NRA is arguably the most powerful gun advocacy group in the US and has many high profile backers, including former president Donald Trump.

Google has ad policies in place restricting dangerous products and services, like guns, but because the NRA ads are about legislation they are allowed. Not all ads feature guns, and many are promoting pro-gun politicians. Campaigners say Google’s policies do not go far enough and called for tougher restrictions on gun-related content, saying the company needs to “prioritise public safety over profits”. The tech giant was contacted for comment but did not reply.

Earlier this week (30 March) the Financial Times reported that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, was considering a ban on political advertising in Europe because of concerns it will be unable to stick to new EU campaigning laws which would force it, and other tech companies like Google, to reveal detailed information about political advertising. Google has made almost €34 million from political advertising in the EU and just under £2 million from the UK since 2019 – although this is just a fraction of the $1.2 billion made from the US market since 2018.

How much has the NRA been spending on Google ads?

The Google advertising dashboard shows between 31 May 2018 and 29 March 2023 $6.5 million worth of ads have been bought by PVF, while $400,000 has come from the ILA. The ads were published through Google Ads and GDV360 (Google Display and Video 360). The ads vary from links to the NRA site to videos, and can appear anywhere on Google from the search results page or YouTube.

The weekly amount spent on the site has fluctuated since 2018 but peaked in October 2020 (one month before the November midterms) when over $400,000  was spent collectively by the lobby group. The trend shows spending on ads tends to increase in the months before midterm elections.

Depending on the amount spent, a single ad can be shown millions of times. One ad which has had up to 10 million views was published at a cost of $15,000 to $20,000. It features pictures of President Biden, Vice President Harris and a gun, with a caption that reads: “Fight back against anti-gun politicians. Join NRA. Free gift.” Some of the NRA ads offer free gifts for signing up such as Camouflage-style duffle bags or NRA branded coffee cups.

On ad with the joint-highest spend behind it was a link to an NRA gun ownership survey which includes the caption “make sure we do not lose our right to bear arms”. The ad had between $150,000 and $175,000 spent on it and was shown over 10 million times. It ran 445 days, nonconsecutively, from September 2019 to April 2021.

Another ad had a similarly high cost. A video promoting Republican politician Herschel Walker called on people to vote for him to “stand against the anti-gun liberals” alongside an image of Biden and other politicians. It had between $150,000 and $175,000 spent on it and ran for nine days until 7 December 2022. It was shown 3.5 to 4 million times.

The NRA is not the only gun lobby group spending money on political ads on Google. The database shows the National Association for Gun Rights has spent around $50,000. In comparison, Mike Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety, which advocates against gun violence, has spent a more modest $2.4 million on ads.

‘Under-the-radar firearm advertising’

Dr Iain Overton of charity Action on Armed Violence told NationalWorld that it is imperative online platforms like Google have “robust policies” in place to regulate gun-related advertisements.

"Advertising can have a significant impact on people’s attitudes and behaviour towards firearms,” he said. “Given the increased risk of domestic abuse and suicides associated with gun ownership, it is crucial for online platforms like Google to have robust policies in place to regulate such politically-framed gun ads. We urge Google to take a tougher stance on under-the-radar firearm advertising and to prioritise public safety over profits.”

What are Google rules on gun advertisements?

Google rules means there are restrictions on what can and cannot be advertised on its site. Guns, gun parts and related products are largely restricted but there are exceptions – ads for gun parts and associated items that increase the safety of a weapon are allowed.

Because the NRA ads are political it means they can run on the website. Not all ads have remained on the site however –  some were found to have breached policy and subsequently removed. It is not known what policy they breached. NationalWorld contacted Google about its position on gun-related advertising but it did not reply. The NRA was also approached for comment but did not respond.

How many mass shootings have there been in the USA in 2023?

Data published by Gun Violence Archive shows there have been 2,000 mass shootings since 5 April 2020. A mass shooting is defined as four or more victims killed or injured, excluding the perpetrator, in one location.

The data shows 1,998 people have died as a result of mass shootings in the same period, including 193 in 2023. There have also been more than 8,200 injured.