Vice President Joe Biden took shot after shot at the NRA in a press conference on Tuesday, charging the organization with running a "campaign of disinformation to try to scare people" and encouraging a "black helicopter crowd."
"It's kind of scary, man," Biden said, mocking the NRA's warning of a federal gun registry that would come hand-in-hand with an expansion of background checks for gun purchases. "The black helicopter crowd is really upset."
Biden's comments came during the week in which the White House has rolled out an extensive push for new gun legislation. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday that he would submit for a vote a bill to that would expand background checks, crack down on so-called straw purchasing, and enhance school-safety measures.
On Monday, President Barack Obama gave an emotional plea in West Hartford, Conn., appearing alongside families of victims of the elementary-school massacre in Newtown last December.
On Tuesday, Biden delivered a more demanding message, often raising his voice to dismiss the NRA's arguments. Mostly, he keyed in on the organization's claim that background checks could lead to a national registry.
"There's no way that Uncle Sam can go find out whether you own a gun because we're about to really take away all your rights and you're not going to be able to defend yourself and we're going to swoop down with Special Forces folks and gather up every gun in America," Biden said.
"It's bizarre. But that's what's being sold out there," he said, adding that the new background check laws on the table don't "do anything that's not already being done."
Biden also said he couldn't believe that Senate Republicans were threatening to filibuster new gun legislation, saying it would be "embarrassing" for the U.S. on a world stage.
"I can't believe the Senate is actually going to do it. ... I just can't believe it's actually going to happen," he said.
Please follow Politics on Twitter and Facebook.
Join the conversation about this story »
     |