Perhaps, bit I doubt it is illegal.
And like it or not, the spending of money on a political cause is in fact a form of First Amendment expression.
Their goal is to influence elections through issue advocacy. They are vulnerable on this gun-rights fight, because Democrats in pro-gun states are vulnerable. I don’t think they knew what they were dealing with, but they’ve got some emotional advantage, with all the sissies who can’t even look at a gun without trembling.
They want to win back the House in 2014. The Tea Party and the gun owners are a threat to this.
Whether it’s legal or not, we shall see. There certainly hasn’t been this propaganda push by our national administration ever before. If it were grassroots it would be fine, but it is being orchestrated by the president.