In the aftermath of Saturday’s mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, President Donald Trump has been widely criticized for spreading hateful anti-immigrant hysteria. The blame is well earned, but Trump is not alone. For years, the National Rifle Association has pushed the false narrative that law-abiding Americans are in danger from an invasion of violent foreigners crossing into the country from Mexico. The only way to protect yourself and your family, the gun lobby warns, is to stock up on weapons and take responsibility for your own safety. For example, in 2010 Arizona passed a law that required state law enforcement officers to engage in racial profiling and ask for the immigration papers of anyone they suspected of being in the country illegally. When the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit to block the law, arguing it was unconstitutional, the NRA accused the Obama administration of abandoning Arizonans who supposedly lived in fear of violent immigrants. “While terrorized residents throw their deadbolts, draw their blinds and pray not to have their homes invaded or their kids kidnapped in Arizona, in Washington, D.C., the ruling elite bask in the safety of their 24-hour security and scream with outrage at Arizona’s law — all because they insist upon playing political games with our lives,” said Wayne LaPierre, the NRA’s chief executive.

HuffPost Illustration/Getty Images NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre uses racist fearmongering to convince people to buy guns and oppose gun legislation.

On Saturday, the El Paso shooter reportedlyposted an attempted justification for the massacre on 8chan, a hate-filled message board that welcomes racists who have been booted from other platforms. Parts of the document are almost indistinguishable from the NRA’s own racist hysteria. The author portrays himself as a victim of a foreign invasion, left with no choice but to fight back. “This attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas,” the document reads. “They are the instigators, not me. I am simply defending my country from cultural and ethnic replacement brought on by an invasion.” Wielding a weapon of war against unarmed civilian back-to-school shoppers, the author reportedly described himself as the one in danger. “My death is likely inevitable,” he wrote. “If I’m not killed by the police, then I’ll probably be gunned down by one of the invaders.” The El Paso shooter killed 22 people, including a mother who died shielding her 2-month-old from bullets. At least eight of the victims were Mexican nationals.