A top National Rifle Association (NRA) lobbyist said Sunday that politicians who blame the powerful gun lobby for gun violence will "pay a price for it."

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"We have a God-given right to defend ourselves, and firearms are an effective means to doing just that," said Chris Cox, the NRA Institute for Legislative Action's executive director, on ABC's "This Week."

"Politicians who want to divert attention away from the underlying problems and suggest that we are somehow to blame will pay a price for it."

Following last weekend's massacre at an Orlando nightclub, Democrats have called for a ban on assault weapons and a law that would bar those on terrorist watchlists from purchasing firearms.

The NRA, however, points to terrorism for what is now the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S.

"The problem is we have a failed policy when it comes to keeping the American people safe," Cox said Sunday.