Sen. Harry Reid took nearly $5,000 in campaign cash from the National Rifle Association the last time he ran for election — which made his vicious attack on the gun group Tuesday striking.
After watching his gun control plans founder the night before in competing votes on the Senate floor, the Nevada lawmaker blamed the group for the loss and said the NRA it doesn’t mind suspected terrorists getting their hands on guns, doesn’t care about Americans’ constitutional rights and only worries about its own bottom line.
“Here is a little secret for my Republican colleagues: The NRA doesn’t care about you. It doesn’t care about your constituents. It doesn’t care about the constitutional rights of its followers. The NRA and its leadership care about two things: making money for gun manufacturers and making money for the NRA,” Mr. Reid said as he kicked off the legislative session.
His frustration boiled over after he and fellow Democrats were unable to win passage of a proposal to ban those on secret FBI watch lists from buying guns. Even several Democrats defected to vote against the plan, joining Republicans who said the proposal ensnared too many Americans and denied them their Second Amendment rights without due process.
Mr. Reid and fellow Democratic leaders lashed out, accusing the GOP of arming the Islamic State terrorists.
A new compromise emerged Tuesday, led by Sen. Susan Collins and eight other senators from both sides of the aisle, which would both cut the number of lists that can be used to refuse a gun purchase and create a specific path for those denied a weapon to challenge this in court.
“All of us are united in our desire to getting something significant done on this vital issue,” said Ms. Collins, Maine Republican.
Mr. Reid said he didn’t question her motives — though he did question the rest of the Republican Party, accusing them of caving to the NRA at every turn.