NRA head: Gun control advocates 'exploiting' Florida tragedy
The head of the most powerful gun lobby in the US has accused Democrats and media of "exploiting" a Florida school shooting that left 17 people dead.
Wayne LaPierre said "opportunists" are using the 14 February tragedy to expand gun control and abolish US gun rights.
Mr LaPierre's comments came during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington.
He also echoed President Donald Trump's call to arm teachers who have been trained to carry concealed weapons.
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"As usual, the opportunists waited not one second to exploit tragedy for political gain," said Mr LaPierre, who is head of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
"They hate the NRA. They hate the second amendment. They hate individual freedom," he said, referring to the second amendment in the US constitution, which governs the "right to keep and bear arms".
His comments were the gun lobby's first more than a week after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Mr LaPierre lambasted the FBI for failing to follow up on a tip about the suspect, Nikolas Cruz, before the attack.
He also criticised America's "European-style socialists" for urging gun control.
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"They don't care if their laws work or not," said Mr LaPierre. "They just want to get more laws to get more control over people. But the NRA, the NRA does care."
Survivors of last week's deadly shooting have renewed calls for stricter gun laws, prompting the nationwide activist movement #NeverAgain.
Mr LaPierre condemned Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chris Murphy, saying they were "eager to smear" the NRA and blame the organisation for the nation's mass shootings.
Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer hit back at the group on Twitter.
Mr LaPierre also voiced the NRA's support for Mr Trump's suggestion to arm teachers.
He said the NRA would help any US school with their safety and security, free of charge.
He added that as "gun-free zones", schools are easy targets for shooters, suggesting that they would be better equipped if teachers were armed.
"Evil walks among us and God help us if we don't harden our schools and protect our kids," Mr LaPierre said.
Mr Trump's suggestion to arm teachers was first voiced during a listening session on Wednesday at the White House.
Reshaping the new gun debate
Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington
On the first day of CPAC, the NRA had an uninterrupted hour to offer its response to Parkland - and respond it did. In a one-two punch, Dana Loesch and Wayne LaPierre launched a blistering attack again the mainstream media, the FBI and pro-gun-control Democratic politicians.
The media "love mass shootings" because of the ratings, Ms Loesch said. The FBI rank-and-file should rise up against a "corrupt" senior staff that has failed to stop mass shooters, Mr LaPierre railed. Democrats, he said, "hate individual freedom".
The rhetoric may be an effort to reshape a firearm debate that, over the past week, has shifted towards calls for bans on so-called assault weapons and the emergence of students seeking action on gun control.
The NRA would prefer this to be a conversation about media bias, "European socialist" Democrats and an FBI that has lately become a conservative bogeyman.
When it comes to policy proposals, turning schools into "hard targets" with armed teachers and airtight security is the preferred option.
The NRA has a vast political war chest and a president who views it as a loyal ally. It has been down this road before - after Columbine, Newtown and other school shootings. The NRA's work is just beginning.
During another meeting to discuss school safety at the White House on Thursday, Mr Trump said that he had spoken to the NRA often in the past two days, and that he had told them "we need to toughen up some rules".
He also said age restrictions for long-barrelled guns "should all be at 21 [years old]... And the NRA will back it".
When asked about the difference of opinion with the gun lobby, Mr Trump said "I don't think I'll be going up against them... They're good people."
Mr Trump also repeated his call to "harden" schools by arming faculty, saying: "If we don't have offensive measures within these schools, you're just kidding yourselves folks."
Before Mr LaPierre's speech on Thursday, Mr Trump took to Twitter to push for national background checks for the mentally ill, a policy which the NRA chief echoed at the conference.
"No one on the prohibited persons list should ever have access to a firearm," Mr LaPierre said.
"No killer. No felon. No drug dealer. And anyone adjudicated as mentally incompetent or dangerous to society should be prevented from getting a gun."
