The organization reports its strongest numbers since the 2000 election. | REUTERS NRA fundraising best in decade

The National Rifle Association’s fundraising pace continues to quicken amid fears of new restrictions on firearms, with the gun lobby’s political action committee posting its best single month of fundraising in more than a decade.

The group raised nearly $1.6 million in February, according to the latest Federal Election Commission filings posted Tuesday night. February’s numbers follow a $1.1 million haul in January.


The NRA hasn’t posted such strong fundraising numbers since the height of the 2000 presidential campaign, when the committee raised $1.7 million in October.

Its fundraising pace has increased considerably since the December shooting in Newtown, Conn., that killed 26 people.

During the 2011-12 cycle, the committee raised $600,000 per month — for a two-year total of $14.3 million.

The committee’s fundraising pace in January and February alone has doubled from the previous cycle. Its PAC ends the month with a $4 million war chest.

The NRA also has upped its giving to congressional candidates since Newtown. The committee gave to 19 congressional and state-level candidates and party committees in February — up from just two donations in January.

Its donations include a $2,500 contribution to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).

Congressional Democrats and President Barack Obama have vowed to overhaul the nation’s gun-control laws, after a shooting in Connecticut left 26 children dead.

Still, new legislation faces an uphill climb in Congress. Democratic leaders shelved a renewed assault weapons ban this week, citing a lack of votes for the new measure.

Any new laws requiring better background checks or magazine capacity limits would require cooperation from House Republicans — who seem reluctant to back such proposals.