Everytown Admits One in Ten Registered Supporters Skipped the Ballot
Everytown for Gun Safety's Victory Fund just put a number on its own weakness. In an Oct. 29 volunteer appeal, the Michael Bloomberg-backed group wrote that one in ten of its supporters who registered to vote did not cast a ballot in recent elections. The email went out days before the Nov. 3, 2026 midterms. In the same message, Everytown bragged about more than 13 million voter contacts this cycle. Contacts are not votes, and that gap matters a lot for anyone who owns a firearm.
Key Details
The admission comes from a fundraising and recruitment email, not a press release, which makes it more revealing. Everytown wanted volunteers. It ended up documenting a turnout problem among people who already signed up for its list.
- Date of email: Oct. 29, 2026, urging supporters to volunteer.
- Sender: Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund, the political arm of the Bloomberg-funded gun control organization.
- Turnout admission: one in ten registered supporters did not vote in recent elections.
- Claimed outreach: more than 13 million voter contacts in the current cycle.
- Election date: Nov. 3, 2026.
- Michigan proposals: A governor-appointed task force recommended bans on certain firearms and magazines, new purchase restrictions, and licensing requirements for firearm retailers. None of those proposals has become law.
- Bloomberg's 2020 run: Politico reported that Bloomberg spent more than $1 billion on a presidential campaign that lasted 104 days.
The Michigan race is the one to watch. The task force proposals are not law, but whoever wins the statehouse and governor's office decides whether they move forward.
Background
Everytown formed in 2013 when Mayors Against Illegal Guns merged with Moms Demand Action. Bloomberg has bankrolled the organization for more than a decade, and it has spent heavily on state legislative and local races. Its strategy depends on lowering the cost of political action for gun control, pushing legislatures to pass background check expansions, magazine limits, and permit requirements.
The Supreme Court changed the playing field in June 2022. In New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, the Court struck down New York's discretionary carry permit regime and established a text, history, and tradition test for evaluating modern gun laws. Every state gun control measure now faces that test in court. Michigan has seen the same fight play out in its own legislature, where Democrats gained full control in 2023 and pushed a series of gun bills. Gun owners in the state have watched closely ever since.
Why It Matters for Gun Owners
Everytown's admission tells you where the pressure points are. Gun control groups do not win on enthusiasm alone. They win when their voters show up. A group that loses one in ten of its own registered supporters has a turnout hole, and that hole is smaller than the one the gun rights side can exploit.
The practical impact lands hardest in states where gun control bills are close to the finish line. Michigan is the clearest example. Task force recommendations sit on the shelf until someone with a majority votes to enact them. Ban proposals on certain firearms and magazines, purchase restrictions, and retailer licensing rules all depend on who holds the statehouse and governor's office after this election. Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Colorado have also seen gun control bills move when one party controls the state government.
Watch your state's legislative calendar, not just the top of the ticket. Check which candidates have an A rating from the NRA or a pro-gun voting record from state gun rights groups. Ask them directly whether they will vote against new magazine limits, permit requirements, or retailer licensing schemes. Their answers tell you more than their campaign ads.
DownRange Analysis
Under Bruen, many of the proposals Everytown backs face hard questions in court. A ban on common magazines or a registration scheme for retailers must find a historical analogue that matches its burden on the right. Courts have struck down or enjoined several state laws on those grounds, and the cases keep coming. Legislation that passes this fall will not survive a challenge just because it passes.
The market reads these elections too. Dealers and manufacturers track state legislation, and a licensing mandate for retailers would change the cost structure for every shop in the state. Buy ahead of expected restrictions only if you have a real need, not out of panic. Prices spike on rumor, then fall back.
So what should a gun owner do right now? Register to vote if you have not. Confirm your registration is current. Vote in every race, including the local ones Everytown funds quietly. Then keep contacting your state legislators after the election, because the one-in-ten gap only closes if we fill it.
