Bloomberg announced this week that he plans to spend $50 million of his estimated $31billion fortune to build a grass-roots network to challenge the National Rifle Association and seek stricter gun control laws.
The billionaire plans to strike fear into the powerful NRA and persuade politicians who kowtowed to gun lobbies around election time that the anti-gun lobby was equally powerful.
The current groups he funds - Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America - will now be encompassed under an umbrella group called Everytown for Gun Safety.
The strategy will focus on expanding the background check system for gun buyers at the state and national levels.
Bloomberg told Today on Wednesday that he is not targeting Americans who want to hunt or protect themselves. Instead, he is advocating for a series of checks so that criminals, minors and the mentally ill do not gain access to firearms.
The group will focus on 15 states, including pro-gun territories like Texas and where gun control initiatives have advanced.
It has set a goal of signing up one million new supporters this year.
When asked by Today presenter Savannah Guthrie whether his goal was simply to outspend the NRA, Bloomberg said that it was 'not a battle of dollars' but for the hearts and minds of Americans, to protect our children.
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