‘Disappointed’ NRA sees White House ‘agenda to attack’ gun rights

The National Rifle Association said it was “disappointed” with the focus of a Thursday meeting with Vice President Joseph R. Biden and other groups over new gun measures, arguing that the White House gathering had less to do with keeping the country’s children safe and more to do “with an agenda to attack the Second Amendment.”

“We attended today’s White House meeting to discuss how to keep our children safe and were prepared to have a meaningful conversation about school safety, mental health issues, the marketing of violence to our kids and the collapse of federal prosecutions of violent criminals,” the gun lobbying group said in a statement. “While claiming that no policy proposals would be ‘prejudged,’ this task force spent most of its time on proposed restrictions on lawful firearms owners — honest, taxpaying, hardworking Americans.”

Last month, the nation’s largest gun rights group announced that it would push to add armed guards in schools across the country in the wake of the shootings in Newtown, Conn., last month, when 26 people, including 20 children, were shot to death at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

“It is unfortunate that this administration continues to insist on pushing failed solutions to our nation’s most pressing problems,” the statement continued. “We will not allow law-abiding gun owners to be blamed for the acts of criminals and madmen. Instead, we will now take our commitment and meaningful contributions to members of Congress of both parties who are interested in having an honest conversation about what works — and what does not.”

Mr. Biden, who was tapped to head the task force by President Obama said that he would be delivering recommendations to Mr. Obama by Tuesday. He said suggested actions that have consistently come up in his meetings with “stakeholders” have been strengthening background checks on gun purchasers, placing restrictions on high-capacity magazines and allowing federal agencies to conduct research on gun violence.

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