The National Rifle Association's CEO gave a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference defending guns and claiming "European-style socialists" were the real threat to Americans.
Wayne LaPierre's speech was nothing new for him, or for the NRA. It's the largest, most powerful gun lobby in the U.S. National conversations about restricting gun rights often inspire a strong response from the group.
LaPierre put blame on the federal background check system for not catching buyers who shouldn't be able to purchase a firearm. He also put blame on the FBI and the country's mental health system.
He said existing gun laws and regulations, if executed properly, would decrease instances of mass shootings. He also repeated the NRA refrain, "To stop a bad guy with a gun, it takes a good guy with a gun."
But his message became overtly partisan several times. He called prominent Democrats "opportunists" for using the recent school shooting as a vehicle to pass gun restrictions, while ignoring school security. He also speculated about mass gun confiscation.
He said, "They hide behind labels like Democrat, left-wing and progressive to make their socialist agenda more palatable, and that is terrifying."
Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.
