Joe Manchin: The NRA has "lost its way"

The Washington gun lobby "is more concerned about political power than gun rights and gun safety," he said

Published June 13, 2013 3:43PM (EDT)

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., sharply criticized the NRA for attacking him on his background check measure, saying that the gun lobby has "lost its way" and is not telling the truth about his stance on gun control.

Manchin was responding to a new ad put out by the group that urges his constituents to tell him to "honor his committment to the Second Amendment," and connects Manchin to the "Obama-Bloomberg gun control agenda."

Manchin co-sponsored a measure to implement stricter gun background checks, along with Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, though it failed in the Senate.

“The Washington NRA could spend one hundred million dollars on ads against me; it still won’t make what they say true," Manchin wrote in a statement, TPM reports. "If they were honest with their members they would see that my bill not only protects 2nd Amendment rights, it enhances and strengthens them."

"Unfortunately, the NRA leadership in Washington has lost its way and is more concerned about political power than gun rights and gun safety," he added.

Watch the NRA's ad:


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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Background Checks Gun Control Joe Manchin Nra Patrick Toomey Video