Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press" right after NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre today, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) slammed the NRA head for "extreme, tone deaf" views that he said "actually helps the cause" of trying to pass legislation for stricter gun control.
"I think he's so extreme and so tone deaf that he actually helps the cause of us passing sensible gun legislation in the Congress," Schumer told host David Gregory.
"He blames everything but guns, movies, the media, President Obama, gun-free school zones, you name it, the video games, he blames them," Schumer said. "Now, trying to prevent shootings in schools without talking about guns is like trying to prevent lung cancer without talking about cigarettes. He is so doctrinaire and so adamant that I believe gun owners turn against him as well."
Earlier, LaPierre and Gregory went back and forth for more than 20 minutes during a contentious interview, in which LaPierre repeated his call to put armed officers in schools as a method of mass-shooting prevention. LaPierre wouldn't support any new legislation on gun control, including a ban on high-capacity clips on which Gregory challenged him.
Schumer said that he believes it's "common sense" to enforce new measures. LaPierre said Friday "the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is good gun with a gun," Schumer said. "What about trying to stop the bad guy from getting the gun in the first place? That’s common sense. Most Americans agree with it."
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