Texas lawmakers take home large portion of gun lobby dollars

The gun lobby makes Texas-sized donations to the state's congressional delegation.

Details: Texas Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, both Republicans, are among the top three lawmakers whose campaigns or PACs have accepted the most money from the gun rights lobby.

Why it matters: Lobbying groups spend big on lawmakers to directly influence policy. Powerful interest groups like the NRA, can be what stands in the way of gun safety legislation.

State of play: Three members of the Texas delegation make the list: Cruz at No. 1, Cornyn at No. 3 and U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions at No. 9.

• Combined, they have collected more than $1 million from the gun lobby since they first arrived in Congress.

Of note: The figures are much higher if you count indirect contributions, like the NRA's purchase of attack ads against opponents.