NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The pro-gun sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wis., thanking the NRA for helping him win re-election despite heavy spending by anti-gun former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, said the arrows held by a bald eagle on the Great Seal of the United States should be replaced with an "assault rifle."

Stepping up his attacks on gun control advocates, David Clarke said the threat to America isn't more guns, but the effort to disarm the nation by liberal politicians.

"Don't trust politicians," said Clarke at the 144th annual meeting of the National Rifle Association here. "Trust the NRA."

Clarke made headlines in 2013 when he said that Americans should arm themselves to fight crime. In a radio spot, he said, waiting for a cop after calling 911 might not be the best bet.

"You could beg for mercy from a violent criminal, hide under the bed or you could fight back. But are you prepared?" he said. "Consider taking a certified safety course in handling a firearm so you can defend yourself until we get there. You have a duty to protect yourself and your family."

Anti-gun advocates like Bloomberg were outraged and tried to defeat him during a re-election campaign. But the NRA helped and he won, Clarke said. "Only with your help was I able to kick him out of dodge, so to speak," he said of Bloomberg.

Clarke, in uniform, said he was proud to be one of the "bitter clingers," a reference to President Obama's 2008 slap at those who cling to guns.

He said that there is "nothing else I would rather hold" than a Bible and a "Winchester rifle, the symbol of liberty and freedom in the United States of America."

Then he suggested a change to the U.S. seal. It would keep the olive branch in the eagle's right talon, but swap out the arrows for an AR-15.

"I propose that we change the Great Seal of the United States, you know the one, with the American bald eagle holding an olive branch in one claw, and arrows in the other. And we should take those arrows out of the eagle's claw and replace them with a semi-automatic rifle," he said to cheers.

Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com.