Mayor Bloomberg (Photo: Getty)

Over the weekend Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled a $12 million ad campaign dedicated to pushing senators to back legislation that would expand background checks against gun buyers. This ad blitz was the latest salvo in the expensive attack on illegal guns the billionaire mayor has focused on in recent months and it prompted National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre to accuse him of trying to "buy America." At a press conference this afternoon where he was announcing a new program to help connect low-income city residents with job opportunities, many of the questions Mayor Bloomberg fielded from reporters were about his war of words with the NRA. Mayor Bloomberg first addressed the response he's received after announcing the ad campaign and said an "enormous number" of people have thanked him for the commercials.

"Nobody's going to walk up to me and say bad things, so I'm not so sure that I can actually represent, but I've just had lots and lots of phone calls, text messages, emails, people in the street ... that are just so thankful that somebody's willing to stand up and to counter the NRA," he said.

Mayor Bloomberg went on to question the logic behind the NRA criticizing the amount of money he's spent advocating for gun control.

"The NRA has spent $100 million and they object to my ten million ... or whatever the number is," said Mayor Bloomberg. "They've had it their own way they keep trying to say what's going on from their point of view."

He went on to say the NRA believed "there is no other point of view." Bringing up the approximately $2.5 million he recently spent to back a pro-gun control House candidate in Illinois, Mayor Bloomberg said he was merely trying to present an alternative perspective. The mayor's candidate, Robin Kelly, was victorious in a race his aides said they had been able to turn into a "referendum on guns."

"In Illinois, I spent a couple million bucks and gave another point of view on terms of how people had voted, and the pub listened and then the public decided," explained Mayor Bloomberg. "Nobody's buying votes. What you are doing is, you're getting access with this money to tell the public the facts. For example, Joe Smith voted for, or Joe Smith voted against this bill and this bill does x, y, z or doesn't do a, b, c. And then, let the public decide."

When he responded to the ad campaign, Mr. LaPierre cited the mayor's previous anti-obesity initiatives and described the gun control efforts as part of a pattern of Mayor Bloomberg trying to use money to "impose his will on the American public." Another reporter at this afternoon's press conference asked Mayor Bloomberg why he thought Mr. LaPierre was focusing on him personally rather than the content of his commercials.

"He doesn't have an argument," Mayor Bloomberg said of Mr. LaPierre. "Standing there and saying, 'Oh, I think we should leave guns in the hands of people that kill everybody and put our kids in danger,' is probably not a good strategy for him. So, he's got to find spomething else to talk about."

Politicker then asked Mayor Bloomberg what he thought about the fact NRA robocalls against gun control legislation have been received by residents of Newtown, Connecticut, which was the site of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December. At this point, Mayor Bloomberg was in no mood to discuss the gun battle any further.

"Enough with the NRA," he said, attempting to move to another question.

However, we pressed the point and Mayor Bloomberg said the NRA "ought to be ashamed" for making their robocalls in Newtown.

"You know, sometimes people just dont express--don't use good judgement. I guess the word shameless sort of comes up," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Of all the places you shouldn't be doing robocalls, I would think most people would say that's not a good place to do it. They ought to be ashamed."

(Photo: Getty)

Governor Andrew Cuomo said he's unfazed by pro-gun groups like the National Rifle Association and their lawsuits against New York's new gun control legislation. Indeed, Mr. Cuomo took his argument a step further this morning and labeled the legal efforts "propaganda" and part of a plot to "misinform and scare people."

"The extremists ... spread fear and unrealistic theories of conspiracies of a citizenry that needs to be armed because the government is possibly tyrannical," Mr. Cuomo said on The Capitol Pressroom. “You need a system and government regulations to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill. ... That's what we put in place in New York with the New York SAFE Act. It doesn't interfere with anybody's Second Amendment right; ... that's not what the New York SAFE Act is about. That's why they need the fear and they have to misinform and scare people because, on the facts, it makes total sense."

Mr. Cuomo, the state's former attorney general, went on to defend the law's constitutionality by pointing to other assault weapons bans. He also dismissed the slippery-slope argument against gun regulations, telling those who believe the government will seize guns to "get real."

"This is about their organizations and their membership and their propaganda," he said. "This nation passed an assault weapons ban before. This state, under George Pataki--a Republican--passed an assault weapons ban before. We banned the new sales of assault weapons; people with assault rifles have to register it. And, by the way, people have been registering handguns for many, many years. ... This whole theory of, 'Well, government will have a list and then they'll come to our house and take our guns because government doesn't want us to have guns because it's how citizens defend themselves.' There's been a handgun registry. ... Has it ever happened? They have to get real!"

(Photo: Getty)

In an announcement surprising many political observers, National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre came out swinging against both the media and a host of other entities in the wake of the recent elementary school massacre in Connecticut. In today's extensive address, Mr. LaPierre further proposed immediately putting an armed security guard in every single school in order to guard students against future shootings. Needless to say, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has become one of the nation's chief  voices against the NRA's lobbying efforts, was unimpressed.

“The NRA's Washington leadership has long been out of step with its members, and never has that been so apparent as this morning," Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement. "Their press conference was a shameful evasion of the crisis facing our country. Instead of offering solutions to a problem they have helped create, they offered a paranoid, dystopian vision of a more dangerous and violent America where everyone is armed and no place is safe. Leadership is about taking responsibility, especially in times of crisis. Today the NRA's lobbyists blamed everyone but themselves for the crisis of gun violence. While they promote armed guards, they continue to oppose the most basic and common sense steps we can take to save lives - not only in schools, but in our movie theaters, malls, and streets. Enough. As a country, we must rise above special interest politics."

At least two of Mr. Bloomberg's would-be successors have also sent out statements so far, Comptroller John Liu and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio. Both slammed the NRA and discussed Mr. de Blasio's call to divest the public pension from the gun industry.

“The NRA’s press conference was a bizarre misfire," Mr. Liu said. "The NRA’s grotesque proposal insults the memory of the innocent victims who were gunned down in Newtown, Connecticut. The gun lobby’s argument that our children would only be protected if schools had armed guards is a twisted vision of a future in which no one is safe. If we want our children to be safe at home or at school today, we need tougher controls over guns today. As my office stated on Tuesday, the NYC Pension Funds are reviewing their holdings in gun manufacturers and are considering all options, including divestment, to ensure that public pension dollars do not support weapons that can destroy a community in the blink of an eye."

“The NRA’s response to the tragedy in Newtown is a complete disgrace," Mr. de Blasio echoed. "Only the NRA would have the audacity to claim the solution to horrific school violence is to put more guns in our schools. Through divestment, through tougher laws and through a national movement, we are going to take the gun lobby head-on and win.”

Update (3:07 p.m.): Council Speaker Christine Quinn, another mayoral contender, sent out a press release on the topic:

“Seven days after those teachers and children were murdered in Newtown, Connecticut the NRA has broken their silence. I wish they had kept their mouths shut. All they did today was add more pain and heartache to those Newtown families. Their remarks are some of the most stupid, asinine, insensitive, ridiculous comments I have ever heard made in the public arena. All these remarks tell us is that the NRA does not seem to care about protecting our children. I do not understand how even with all of those little coffins being rolled out in Newtown, that the NRA believes the answer is more guns. All that would have happened if there were armed guards in Sandy Hook Elementary is that we would now have dead armed guards. Why do we need an army style gun in that school, a gun we send to Afghanistan? I think the NRA’s comments today were a clear and blatant attempt to throw salt in the wounds of families who lost their loved ones. As a human being, I am surprised and tremendously disappointed in what the NRA did today.”

(Photo: Wikimedia)

Earlier today, National Rifle Association C.E.O. Wayne LaPierre and other leaders from the gun group held a much-anticipated press conference to react to the ongoing controversy surrounding the shootings at a Sandy Hook elementary school one week ago. For those hoping for a grand speech, Mr. LaPierre certainly didn't disappoint. In the address, Mr. LaPierre pushed back hard against those calling for additional gun control measures while accusing the media of being "silent enablers, if not complicit co-conspirators" in the violence. He also seemed to hold a host of other entities and events responsible, such as Hurricane Sandy.

"Violent crime is increasing again for the first time in 19 years," Mr. LaPierre said. "Add another hurricane, terrorist attack or some other natural or man-made disaster, and you've got a recipe for a national nightmare of violence and victimization. And here's another dirty little truth that the media try their best to conceal. There exists in this country, sadly, a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells and stows violence against its own people. Through vicious, violent video games with names like 'Bulletstorm,' 'Grand Theft Auto,' 'Mortal Kombat,' and 'Splatterhouse.'...A thousand music videos, and you all know this, portray life as a joke and portray murder, portray murder, as a way of life. And then they all have the nerve to call it 'entertainment.' But is that what it really is? Isn't fantasizing about killing people as a way to get your kicks really the filthiest form of pornography?"

Mr. LaPierre then accused the media of financially profiting from these digital forms of violence, which result not only in unfair coverage of the gun industry, but causes the bloodshed itself.

"In a race to the bottom, media conglomerates compete with one another to shock, violate and offend every standard of civilized society by bringing in an even more toxic mix of reckless behavior and criminal cruelty right into our homes, every minute, every day, every hour of every single year," he continued. "A child growing up in America today witnesses 16,000 murders and 2,000 acts of violence by the time he or she reaches the ripe old age of 18. And throughout it all, too many in the national media, their corporate owners and their stockholders, act as silent enablers, if not complicit co-conspirators. Rather than face their own moral failings, the media demonize gun-owners."

Mr. LaPierre and the other NRA leaders at the press conference did not take questions at the press conference. Protesters twice interrupted the proceedings with chants of "The NRA has blood on its hands...ban assault weapons now!" and "NRA Stop Killing our children!" Though reporters in attendance tried to ask Mr. LaPierre to respond to the protesters, he continued with his remarks.

The N.R.A. head didn't only have criticisms, however, as he also proposed solutions, including eliminating "Gun-Free School Zones" and putting an armed security officer in every single school in America.

"With all the foreign aid the United States does, with all of the money in the federal budget, can't we afford to put a police officer in every single school? Even if they did that, politicians have no business and no authority denying us the right, the ability and the moral imperative to protect ourselves and our loved ones from harmed," Mr. LaPierre argued. "We can immediately make America's schools safer, relying on the brave men and women in America's police forces. The budgets--you all know this, everyone in the country knows this--of our local police departments are strained, and the resources are severely limited. But their dedication and courage is second to none and they can be deployed right now. I call on Congress today, to act immediately, to appropriate whatever is necessary to put armed police officers in every single school in this nation! And to do it now! "

In order to facilitate getting armed guards into American schools, Mr. LaPierre announced the launch of an NRA "National School Shield" program spearheaded by former congressman Asa Hutchinson that will help advise officials on how to properly secure their schools. He said this program will not be a strain on budgets because it will involve volunteer guards.

"This will be a program that does not depend upon massive funding from local authorities or the federal government. Instead, it will make use of local volunteers serving in their own communities," Mr. LaPierre said. "The National Rifle Association is the obvious choice to sponsor this program. "

With mounting calls for gun control measures, it remains to be seen whether politicians will be willing to take the NRA up on their offer to put armed volunteers in schools.

Additional reporting from Hunter Walker

The NRA Country logo.

After this morning's shooting at a Connecticut elementary school, the National Rifle Association cancelled a planned Twitter promotion with country music rapper Colt Ford. A live "Tweet & Greet" with Mr. Ford was scheduled for 1 p.m. (Central Time) this afternoon on the "NRA Country" account. However, shortly after the event's planned start time, an announcement was posted on the NRA Country Twitter account that it would be rescheduled.

"Apologies for the inconvenience, but the @ColtFord Tweet & Greet will be rescheduled. Please check back for more info!" the announcement said.

We reached out to a spokeswoman for NRA Country to confirm that the cancellation of the "Tweet & Greet" was related to the shooting, which has already led to calls for tougher gun control legislation from several politicians. As of this writing, we have yet to receive a response.

NRA Country is a campaign launched by the gun organization that features country music artists "involved in causes that defend our values." In addition to Mr. Ford, artists involved with NRA Country include Blake Shelton, Rascal Flatts and Hank Williams Jr.

Mr. Ford is currently NRA Country's "Artist of the Month." Earlier this month, Mr. Ford visited the NRA headquarters and performed some of his songs. Mr. Ford described the concert at NRA in a YouTube video that was posted by NRA Country.

"That's the safest I've ever felt playing music," he said. "I've got a lifetime membership in the NRA ... I'm Colt Ford and I'm encouraging all my fans and all those country people out there to go sign up and be part of NRA Country."

The American Rifleman's logo. (Photo: Twitter)

This morning, as the world reacted to the news of the mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado that left 12 people dead, the American Rifleman, an official journal of the National Rifle Association, sent a rather insensitive message from their Twitter account.

"Good morning, shooters. Happy Friday! Weekend plans?" the tweet said.

The message quickly provoked outraged responses from hundreds of other Twitter users including Keith Olbermann and the Columbia Journalism Review. Within three hours, it was deleted and no new messages have been posted on the American Rifleman account.

NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam told The Politicker the tweet was being "completely taken out of context."

"A single individual, unaware of events in Colorado, tweeted a comment that is being completely taken out of context," Mr. Arulanandam said.

View a screengrab of the original American Rifleman tweet below.

Update (4:54 pm): The American Rifleman account now appears to have been taken down entirely. 

(Updated with comment from the NRA 1:26 pm)

(Photo: Getty)

On John Gambling's radio show this morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg took some time to continue his crusade against illegal guns, and made the case for what voters should do to get organized.

"What you've got to do is take a look at your Congressman, your Senator, and say 'Where are you? I'm not going to worry about everybody else. I'm going to work for your opponent unless you do what's right to protect my kids and the cops on the corner who are putting their lives on the line to protect me," Mr. Bloomberg responded when Mr. Gambling asked how voters are supposed to make a difference in such a complicated legislative body.

"If surviving isn't the number one issue, I don't know what else. Let's get serious here!" he added.

Mr. Bloomberg then made the case that Washington legislators should face scrutiny no matter how bad their opponents are on gun control issues. "I'll deal with your opponent when I get that man or woman when he gets into office," he advocated voters tell their representatives.

"Because that's exactly what the NRA does. You say 'Oh my opponent's going to be worse for the NRA than me.' They say 'I don't care, we're going after you.'"