New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Thursday ripped the National Rifle Association's (NRA) CEO for “peddling lies” after Wayne LaPierre named the governor in an attack on national Democratic leaders.

“If Wayne LaPierre is attacking you, you know you’re doing something right,” Cuomo said in a statement.

“As a father and a gun owner, I think it would be nice if the NRA listened to the millions of children across the country who are asking the President and the GOP Congress to stop this senseless gun violence,” Cuomo added.

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LaPierre earlier Thursday warned conservatives that socialists are smearing gun rights advocates and seeking to eliminate their rights. Cuomo and other prominent Democrats are “European socialists” who are taking over the Democratic Party, LaPierre told the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

Cuomo, who is considered a potential 2020 Democratic candidate for president, earned the support of gun control advocates through his 2013 passage of the New York SAFE Act, which enacted stricter gun laws in the state. The law includes provisions that expanded background checks, restricted access to assault weapons and high capacity magazines, and required gun owners to renew permits every five years.

LaPierre spoke as gun control advocates, Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans call for legislation to curb gun violence in the wake of a shooting last week at a Florida high school that left 17 dead and more than a dozen others wounded. Some Republicans have cautioned against moving too quickly on legislation as a reaction to the incident.

President Trump on Thursday morning tweeted that he will push for comprehensive background checks “with an emphasis on mental health,” and has said he supports raising the age requirement to purchase a weapon. Those positions put him at odds with the NRA.