...from democrats.

Seems that the paperwork that they had to file showing their donations to politicians showed that they donated $42,500 to republicans in the state legislature, including $10,000 to the House Speaker, but only donated $12,500 to democrats in the state legislature, including $2,500 to the House minority leader.

The group has been claiming since the middle of last year that they are bipartisan, but democrats loved them because they supported gun control.  Now that it has come out that they gave more money to the party that has enough seats in the legislature to do more than just complain about the other party, democrats are questioning their contribution strategy and reportedly condemning the group's actions.



https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2024/07/11/tennessee-gun-safety-group-voices-for-safer-tennessee-takes-heat-for-donations-to-top-republicans/74365891007/

Lol

https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/voices-for-a-safer-tennessee-facing-criticism-over-gop-linked-donations/









If it's not about the money, why were they considered such great allies before the paperwork detailing their monetary donations came to light, but are now being publicly trashed by Tennessee democrats?

Other than giving more money to republicans than to democrats, they seemed to be acting just like democrats.  Using a UPS store box as their address.  Buying a list of the people who left public comment on last year's special session of the legislature on the state website and declaring that those people are members of their group.  Claiming they represent the majority of Tennesseans, yet when they provide "proof" they appear to represent only a small minority.  Running a fundraising campaign and then bragging about how many other states had donated to cover the cost of lobbying to change TN state laws.  Using every chance they had to use the "do it for the children" argument in front of the news media.  Replying "no comment" to at least one reporter who asked what changes in state law would be needed before they were satisfied...

https://tennesseelookout.com/2024/07/11/post-covenant-gun-reform-group-donates-over-55k-to-tenn-lawmakers-most-goes-to-republicans/







Could it be that TN democrats are now thinking that this was a scam to get leftists to donate to a group that would then funnel the majority of the money to republicans (after the group took their cut off the top)?

As democrats will not take the house or senate in the foreseeable future, donating to democrats is a waste of money if they actually want to enact gun control.  They need republican support.  A far better strategy is to support pro gun control republicans and outright bribes to leaders in the republican house IF gun control is the objective.

if the objective is just money laundering for democrats, well, thats different.

Exactly this.  These folks who are upset don't understand the finesse of the game, or the long game, or both. What a coup it would be for them to get enough RINOs to support gun control that they could get it pushed through even with an R supermajority.

They're upset because the out-of-state money that Voices for a Safer Tennessee collected (just their fundraising campaign for last November got them over $85,000, with the money coming from 19 states in addition to Tennessee) did not go solely to democrats.  It may not have been set up as a money laundering tool for democrats, but that seems to be what the democrats (probably those that were donating, in addition to the ones that were expecting to be receiving) viewed it as.

There is still the danger that you point out, which is why the shady methods used by this group needs to be pointed out as often as possible.  Maybe now that Tennessee democrats realize that the group is funding republicans, the news media might stop giving the group free publicity.