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NRA chief stresses common ground with McCain

May 14, 2008 @ 07:10 AM

The Associated Press

Herald-Dispatch.com

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Notwithstanding occasional spats between John McCain and the National Rifle Association, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has shown himself to be a reliable ally to gun owners on a number of issues, a top NRA executive said Tuesday.


The Arizona senator has found himself in the powerful lobbying group’s crosshairs on high-profile issues such as campaign-finance reform and background checks at gun shows.


“We’ve had our disagreements, everybody knows it,” NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre told The Associated Press in an interview. “I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree on those. We’re not foolish enough to ignore the vast areas of agreement in which John McCain has been a friend to gun owners.”


McCain is scheduled to speak at the NRA convention that opens later this week in Louisville.


The NRA hasn’t made an endorsement yet in the presidential race, but LaPierre didn’t hold back in criticizing Democratic presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton. He accused them of “mouthing pro-Second amendment words and pandering to gun owners” on the campaign trail.


“They try to say one thing in the heartland of the country and they vote another way back in Washington,” he said. “And I just think the public sees through it.”