NRA: Obama "attacking firearms and ignoring children"
President Obama unveiled a comprehensive agenda to curb gun violence today at the White House, and the National Rifle Association, true to form, did not find much to like in the president's proposals, issuing a response accusing Mr. Obama of "attacking firearms and ignoring children."
Mr. Obama's proposal, which includes strengthened gun control laws, reformed mental health care, and a raft of executive orders, would only affect "honest, law abiding gun owners" while leaving our children "vulnerable to the inevitability of more tragedy," said the NRA.
Despite their steadfast opposition to the president's agenda, the association took care to link themselves to the president's goal of reducing gun violence. "Keeping children and society safe remains our top priority," promised the organization, vowing to work "with Congress on a bipartisan basis to find real solutions to protecting America's most valuable asset - our children."
The temperate tone stands in stark contrast to the stridency of an ad released yesterday by the association that denounced President Obama as an "elitist hypocrite" for resisting calls for armed guards in schools while employing Secret Service agents to protect his own daughters.
The ad drew a heated condemnation from White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, who told CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett that "to make the safety of the president's children the subject of an attack ad is repugnant and cowardly."