SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ The National Rifle Association has spent $4 million fighting a Nevada initiative that would require background checks for gun buyers but just $145,000 to battle a gun-control measure in California.
The difference has not been lost on California gun owners and those pushing Proposition 63 on the Nov. 8 statewide ballot.
Some on the front lines of the campaign against Proposition 63, like Craig DeLuz of the Firearms Policy Network, say the NRA has more than California to worry about.
"Obviously we'd like to see more being done in California, but the reality is this fight is being fought in numerous states, and in this election, there are a number of battles at the federal level to make sure there is a majority in the Senate that supports the Second Amendment," DeLuz said.
The NRA's low spending in California has left the campaign against Proposition 63 at a major disadvantage financially, forcing it to rely on social media to deliver much of its message.
Those campaigning against the measure, including the NRA-affiliated California Rifle and Pistol Association, have raised a combined $703,000, compared with $4.7 million raised by the pro side.
The campaign against the measure has put out some online video ads, but nothing on television.
The brainchild of Lt. Gavin Newsom, who is running for governor in 2018, Proposition 63 would ban possession of high-capacity ammunition magazines, require background checks for ammunition purchasers, provide a process for taking guns from felons and make possession of an illegal gun a felony.
The campaign has received $1.1 million from the California Democratic Party, $727,000 from Newsom's campaign committee for lieutenant governor and $400,000 from former Facebook President Sean Parker, who also is championing a measure to legalize recreational marijuana in California.
Amy Hunter, a spokeswoman for the NRA, denied that the group is missing in action in California.
She said that by giving to the Coalition for Civil Liberties and other pro-Second Amendment groups, the NRA is seeking to "maximize grass roots and paid media efforts to defeat these misguided laws that will not make anyone safer."
The gun lobby has other priorities. The only broadcast television ads the NRA has paid for in California attack Hillary Clinton, accusing her of undermining gun rights and urging voters to support Donald Trump.
Perhaps the NRA has not jumped into the Proposition 63 fight in a bigger way because of polls showing its support, including a recent University of Southern California Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll that found the initiative favored by 64 percent of registered voters.
In addition, California has a large majority of Democratic voters who might not be open to the NRA's message, said Adam Winkler, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has written about the history of gun control in California.
Another possibility: The NRA is battling the group Everytown for Gun Safety, mostly funded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, which has put $3.7 million into the Nevada effort and also is spending nothing in California.
Winkler said the biggest reason for the NRA's token involvement in California may be the fact that key provisions of the initiative that are objectionable to gun owners already were put into law this summer.
State Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, who disagrees with with Newsom over who is the true leader on gun control, persuaded lawmakers to approve bills requiring background checks for ammunition purchasers and outlaw magazines that hold more than 10 bullets.
"I think the issues in Newsom's initiative would have been big issues to the NRA had they not already been enacted," Winkler said.
From the moment he announced the initiative, Newsom has sought to portray the battle as one of his standing up against the NRA, an effort that could help him with voters two years from now.
The Proposition 63 website features the headline "Stop the NRA," and Newsom urged voters in a recent speech to "send a message to the National Rifle Association We've had enough and we're not waiting around for Congress to solve this."
Even if the NRA does not significantly boost its role in the campaign, Winkler said Newsom still will be able to campaign saying he beat the gun lobby if Proposition 63 passes.
"When he runs for governor, he will be able to demonize the NRA," Winkler said. "California voters know who the NRA is, and they know what the NRA stands for."
