The Parkland shooting tragedy immediately spurred an emotional call to action to enact gun control legislation.

The urgency was understandable, and the pain was palatable: A teen gunman killed 17 people were killed wounded another 17 people in the incident in South Florida last February.

Parents of the students launched a political action committee, with the hope of making a significant impact in the upcoming mid-term elections.

Fast-forward to the reality of late October, 2018: Disappointing fund-raising goals has forced the group to scale back its plans significantly.

“None of us had a grasp of how difficult this would be,” Matt Gohd, the group’s California-based executive director, told the Miami Herald. “We needed more resources, more people.”

But it just hasn’t happened.

The goal was to raise $10 million, trying to land a counter-punch to the influential lobbying efforts of the National Rifle Association. The plan was to target politicians who were opposed to gun safety regulations.

But the group has only raised $230,000, and a substantial amount of that came shortly after the group was first launched. The group took in less than $30,000 from July through the end of September, and now has only $13,000 left in the bank.

“I would say it was idealistic of us to think that we could get something through at this point,” Gohd said.

Steven Senne / AP FILE - In this Aug. 26, 2018 file photo, David Hogg, center, a survivor of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla., addresses a rally in front of the headquarters of gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson in Springfield, Mass. to call for gun law reforms. FILE - In this Aug. 26, 2018 file photo, David Hogg, center, a survivor of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla., addresses a rally in front of the headquarters of gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson in Springfield, Mass. to call for gun law reforms. (Steven Senne / AP)

Part of the problem is comparable to nonprofits chasing donors and dollars. The market is glutted with possibilities, and they have considerably more clout.

They include a group founded by former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords of Arizona, who was shot at a constituent meeting in Tucson in 2011, and the Michael Bloomberg-backed Everytown for Gun Safety.

“When we started, we just didn’t realize how crowded the space was,” Gohd said.

Answer: Very much so.

gdiaz@orlandosentinel.com Read George Diaz's blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/enfuego