National Rifle Association Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre speaks during the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland on Thursday. | Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images At CPAC, NRA chief LaPierre singles out Democrats for politicizing school shooting

National Rifle Association executive vice president Wayne LaPierre decried the "shameful politicization" of the deadly Florida high school shooting during a speech on Thursday and pushed back against alleged detractors at the FBI, the media and Democrats.

Addressing a crowd of GOP officials and supporters at the Conservative Political Action Conference, the NRA leader bemoaned that "the opportunist wasted not one second to exploit tragedy for political gain" in the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting last week.


The NRA chief said his organization was "horrified by another terrible tragedy" after suspected gunmen Nikolas Cruz allegedly killed 17 and injured more than a dozen others at the Parkland, Florida, high school last week. But LaPierre slammed political figures for seizing the moment to advocate for additional regulations on guns.

“The shameful politicization of tragedy is a classic strategy right out of the playbook of a poisonous movement," LaPierre said.

The NRA leader took broad swipes at his detractors, who he claimed sought to "eliminate the Second Amendment." “Their solution," LaPierre said, "is to make you, all of you less free.” He was critical of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, questioning why their "rogue leadership" and "unethical agents" had not been confronted over why they didn't follow up on tips regarding the suspected Florida shooter.

LaPierra sharply criticized efforts by numerous Democratic lawmakers to bolster gun laws, casting their actions as part of a "socialist" plot to strip law-abiding gun owners of their "firearms freedoms."

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"They hide behind labels like Democrat, left-wing, and progressive to make their socialist agenda more palatable, and that is terrifying," LaPierre said, singling out Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), along with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.).

The NRA’s lobbying against gun regulations has faced heavy scrutiny in the wake of the Parkland shooting, the thirtieth mass shooting to occur in 2018 according to the Gun Violence Archive.

A group of Stoneman Douglas shooting survivors over the weekend announced plans for a nationwide march to protest gun violence, with students criticizing the NRA's impact on stalling gun legislation in Congress.

The NRA leader also blasted what he described as a coordinate "smear" campaign by members of the media to boost initiatives to beef up gun laws.

Prior to LaPierre's speech, NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch attacked news organizations at CPAC, accusing them of profiteering off the Florida shooting.

"Many in legacy media love mass shootings," she said.

Shortly before LaPierre took the stage at the annual conservative summit, President Donald Trump voiced his support for the leadership at the leading gun lobbyist.

"What many people don’t understand, or don’t want to understand, is that Wayne, Chris and the folks who work so hard at the @NRA are Great People and Great American Patriots They love our Country and will do the right thing."