NRA mom: ‘Bloomberg’s efforts would leave mothers defenseless’

OPINION:

It’s going to be interesting in Indiana. Activists with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America plan three days of protest-themed events in close proximity to the National Rifle Association annual meeting in Indianapolis.

The mothers - who are affiliated with former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Every Town for Gun Safety initiative - will release an investigative report about the NRA, along with a video spot advocating gun reform. They’ll stage a “stroller jam” rally to end gun violence; the group will display quilts made from fabrics belonging to victims or survivors of gun violence.

Catherine Mortensen, an NRA spokeswoman, has this response.

“I am a mother. I have children. No organization in the world does more than the NRA to promote gun safety and gun education,” she tells Inside the Beltway. “The giant share of our annual budget of $300 million is spent on programs that promote gun safety, education and training. We have 93,000 instructors, and more in the law enforcement field. We reach about 800,000 people a year for our gun safety programs.”

Mrs. Mortensen continues, “27 million school-age children have been through our Eddie Eagle Gun Safe program. That’s what the NRA does, it’s who we are. Michael Bloomberg’s efforts would leave law abiding mothers defenseless. We know that universal background checks won’t work because criminals don’t subject themselves to background checks, and they never will. We have enough laws. Now we need stricter enforcement.”