That was the opening shot, and LaPierre never stopped firing at the “media elite” and the political figures he says are dedicated to “fundamentally changing America” as he addressed the attendees of the National Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington.
“The media darlings,” LaPierre said, can’t take our God-given rights. The NRA will not back down. Not now. Not ever.”
Throughout his remarks, LaPierre pointed out that he wasn’t the only person who was concerned about what he characterized as the “continual lies” perpetuated by the media and the current administration. “More than ever before,” he said, “I am concerned about our country. And wherever I go, people come up to me and say ‘Wayne, I’m worried about the country’. They’re saying it with anger, but there is sadness in their eyes.”
“Here’s the deal,” he said, “rather than expose the dishonesty, the media whitewashes it. The media elite is one of the greatest threats to America.”
“Intentional corruption of the truth,” he said, “is an abomination. The NRA will never surrender to it.”
To make the point, LaPierre asked the audience a simple question: do you trust the government to protect you? The answer was, as expected, a resounding “no”.
“No one trusts the government,” he said, “because government has proven itself unworthy of our trust.” That lack of trust, he said, gives Americans the right “to protect ourselves with all the rifles, pistols, and shotguns that we want.”
“And the fact remains,” he said, “the surest way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
From that point, LaPierre told the CPAC attendees that the upcoming presidential elections would be “a bare knuckles fight, because they’re laying the groundwork to put another Clinton in the White House.”
“And if they do,” he said, “they will continue to work toward their goal of fundamentally changing this country. If they do, it won’t look like the country we love.”
“But,” he said, “we-the NRA- will not go quietly into the night. We will fight. I promise you that.”
“Let’s fight together,” LaPierre told the crowd, “let’s reclaim our nation. Let’s stand and fight for freedom.”
The CPAC continues today at the Gaylord National Harbor Conference Center outside Washington, D.C.
