Thursday on the Senate Floor, Democratic Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said the National Rifle Association has “transformed into a quasi-militant wing of the Republican Party.”
Reid said, “Now, there was a time in my legislative career that I tried to work with the National Rifle Association. But the NRA today is a far cry from a sportsman’s organization that I once supported. The NRA once called mandatory background checks reasonable. That’s what they said. I’m not making this up. But now the leadership and that organization are transformed in a quasi-militant wing of the Republican party. They’re being pushed more and more into the camp of guns for everybody any time they want them. And they’re being pushed by—they have a competitor now, gun owners of America.”
He continued, “Those who choose to do the NRA’s bidding will be held accountable by our constituents. Their vote against these sensible measures will be a stand for all the American people to look at and look at it and look at it. Something has to be done. We must take a stand. The American people are desperately looking for help, some help, any help. It will never be possible to prevent every shooting. We know that. But we have a responsibility to try. There are certain things we can do. Someone that is deranged mentally and is a criminal—should they be able to walk in and buy a gun any place? Of course not. We have a responsibility as lawmakers to enact commonsense reforms that have been proven to stop attacks and save lives. I hope Republicans will find the courage to join with us and pass meaningful legislation to prevent further gun violence.”
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