Bloomberg Group to Grade How Lawmakers Vote on Gun Control Issues

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is launching a grading system to rate how lawmakers vote on gun issues.

The non-profit Mayors Against Illegal Guns, financed by the mayor, planned to unveil its scoring system Tuesday, according to The Washington Post.

The system, which will reportedly include a letter grade A through F system, is expected to resemble the one used by the National Rifle Association to rate lawmakers on how well they support the gun lobby's agenda.

Gun Control: Do You Support Gun Control? Vote Now!

“For decades, the NRA has done an admirable job of tracking to minute detail how members of Congress stand on gun bills. We’ve simply decided to do the same,” Mark Glaze, director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, told The Post.

Bloomberg chairs the group, which includes more than 900 mayors nationwide. He is digging deep into his own wealth to finance the organization's operations in what amounts to a major pushback against the NRA's influence on Capitol Hill.

The mayors group will also start airing a minute-long ad Tuesday that features Neil Heslin, whose son, Jesse Lewis, was killed in the Newtown, Conn. School shootings in December. The ads will cost more than $1 million, and will air in cable news markets in Washington, D.C. and in 10 states.

The ad targets a number of senators, including: Republicans Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Dan Coats of Indiana, Jeff Flake of Arizona, Dean Heller of Nevada, Johnny Isakson of Georgia, Rob Portman of Ohio, and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.

The group will also target Democratic Sens. Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, and Mark Pryor of Arkansas.

Gun Control: Do You Support Gun Control? Vote Now!

The group is also spearheading another ad campaign, airing statewide in Pennsylvania, which specifically targets Toomey, who has emerged as a key negotiator on a gun background check bill with West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. The ad urges Pennsylvanians to call Toomey's office and demand action on the measure.

Glaze said the group's new gun control grading system could serve as a guide for voters and donors for the 2014 midterm elections and future campaigns. In addition to how they vote, Glaze noted that the system also includes a way to measure lawmakers on their support or opposition to gun control issues based on their public statements and other factors.