U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), a lifetime NRA member, fired back at the association on Thursday in an ad debuted on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
The ad served as a response to the NRA's attack ad on Manchin it debuted last week, blasting him for co-authoring a failed amendment that would have expanded background checks on gun purchases.
The ad in response from Manchin, who isn't up for re-election until 2018, puts him in a rural setting and reassures West Virginia residents that "you know me."
"I'm a lifetime NRA member, but I don't walk in lockstep with the NRA's Washington leadership, this administration, or any other special interest group," Manchin says in the ad. "West Virginia — you know me. I haven't changed. And you know I've always fought for our gun rights."
Politico reported earlier this week, citing a Manchin aide, that the senator plans to at least match the NRA's ad buy in West Virginia.
The ad comes amid signs of a renewed push from both the Senate and White House on reviving Manchin's legislation. Earlier this week, Vice President Joe Biden warned members of Congress that they "will pay a price" for not backing a reform of certain gun laws.
Here's Manchin's ad:
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