A super PAC set up by Gabrielle Giffords and her husband received a $1 million contribution. | REUTERS Big donors hope to match NRA

Democratic mega-donors from the 2012 campaign are making gun control their next cause, leading an effort to compete with the National Rifle Association dollar-for-dollar.

Texas attorney Steve Mostyn, who along with his wife donated about $5 million to Democratic super PACs last year, gave $1 million Wednesday to the new super PAC set up by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly.


( Also on POLITICO: Gabrielle Giffords PAC goal: $20 million by 2014 elections)

And Mostyn’s calling his friends for help; he’s organized a conference call Friday with GOP and Democratic donors who gave to outside groups to make his pitch.

The Giffords-linked super PAC, Americans for Responsible Solutions, is one of several gun control groups looking to raise cash and compete in the debate with the National Rifle Association. All of them have big dreams, but the NRA isn’t sitting back either — it’s pulled in 100,000 new members over the last 18 days.

Mostyn told POLITICO he met Giffords four years ago when Kelly, a former astronaut, was stationed in Houston. Having watched their family deal with Giffords’ condition after she was shot in the head in Tucson, Ariz., in 2011, made him want to be a part of a group that could stand up to the NRA. He is serving as treasurer of the super PAC, and says he’ll probably give more to the group in the future.

( PHOTOS: Politicians speak out on gun control)

“I’m a gun-owner, but I’m also a father of a five-year-old who I take to school everyday,” Mostyn said. “We aren’t anti-gun, but we also aren’t anti-common sense.”

Another big donor to Democratic super PACs, New York author Amy Goldman, who gave more than $4 million to super PACs in 2012, said she had not yet been contacted by Mostyn, but she said she would be willing to give to the group once she learns more about it. “I have given money to this cause in a very small way before. Certainly, that would be in line with my interests,” Goldman said.

Giffords and Kelly said the goal of their super PAC was to “raise the funds necessary to balance the influence of the gun lobby” and to “line up squarely behind leaders who will stand up for what’s right,”they wrote in a USA Today op-ed this week.

Mostyn told Reuters he hopes to raise “enough money to compete on an even-keel basis with the NRA on the cycle, which would be $16 to $20 million.” The NRA spent nearly $18 million during the 2012 election, and through September, it spent more than $2 million on lobbying the federal government.

POLITICO Playbook reported Thursday that the group brought in 100,000 new paid members in the past 18 days, bringing its total membership to 4.2 million. It’s goal is 5 million, the group told Playbook. Membership is $25, and comes with a choice of three gifts: Rosewood Handle Knife, Black & Gold Duffel Bag or Digital Camo Duffel Bag.

Giffords’s and Kelly’s views on gun control are more moderate than some of the reforms other groups are pushing, Mostyn said. Americans for Responsible Solutions is advocating for universal background checks to close the gun show loophole and a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Americans for Responsible Solutions is the newest group pushing for gun control reform, but it is by no means the only one becoming active in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which is advising the White House on gun control reform, has also seen an increase in contributions in recent weeks.

“There’s been an extraordinary outpouring of support,” said Dan Gross, president of the group. “There’s no shortage of concerned Americans out there.”

Gross acknowledged that Giffords’ new super PAC could help take their efforts to a higher level. “Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly are critically important voices to the issue. They are jumping into this in a major way, which means a lot to the issue,” Gross said.

Another super PAC called Pledge 26 Americans for Safe Schools, a reference to the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook shooting, also filed paperwork on Monday. According to the super PAC’s website, “Pledge 26 is the citizens’ campaign to match the NRA dollar for dollar in 2014.” The website also asks donors to pledge $26 toward the effort.

A POLITICO review of FEC reports also found a new political action committee called Mothers Against Gun Violence. The group, which is based in Arizona, could not be reached for comment.

The new groups join the already established efforts of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has a super PAC, Independence USA PAC, and nonprofit, Mayors Against Illegal Guns Action Fund, which aired ads Tuesday, urging Washington to stand up to the gun lobby, POLITICO previously reported.

Independence USA super PAC helped candidates who supported gun control reform during the 2012 election. According to the Sunlight Foundation, the super PAC saw a 46 percent return on investment.

Although several groups pushing for gun control reform are now in the mix, Gross said as long as they have the same goal, their message will remain unified.

“The bottom line is the more money we are able to raise, the better … Ultimately, we have to fight fire with fire,” he said.

Mostyn said that the groups are on the same page in their message of wanting to start a conversation on gun control reform without the NRA intimidating members of Congress.

“I see all of these groups working together on the same path,” he said. “We all agree that some type of rational reform is needed.”