Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy made an explosive claim this week that the National Rifle Association has “become a terrorist organization.”
“They act, quite frankly, in some cases as a terrorist organization,” Mr. Malloy, a Democrat, said Monday, a local Fox affiliate reported. “You want to make safer guns? We will boycott your company. That’s who they are. That’s what they do.”
Mr. Malloy claimed that the NRA has strayed from the principles it held just a couple decades ago.
“The NRA as it exists today is a far cry from the NRA that in 1999 said that teachers shouldn’t carry weapons in schools,” he said. “Or in the ’90s also said we should have universal background checks. They have, in essence, become a terrorist organization.”
An NRA spokeswoman criticized Mr. Malloy for resulting to “political stunts and childish name calling rather than serious policy discussions aimed at making our schools and communities safer.”
“The NRA is comprised of over 5 million law-abiding citizens, many of whom are teachers, doctors, policeman, farmers, moms and dads residing in Connecticut,” Jennifer Baker told FOX 61. “So let’s be clear, Governor Malloy just called tens of thousands of his constituents terrorists.
“No organization in the world does more to promote the safe and responsible use of firearms than the NRA,” she added.
Mr. Malloy’s comments came ahead of a call by Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin for the Connecticut legislature to scrub any mention of the NRA from state law, which currently states that the NRA’s basic pistol course is an acceptable form of training for Connecticut residents who want to obtain a state pistol permit.
“The idea that the NRA should be recognized as a voice for gun safety is ridiculous,” Mr. Bronin said Tuesday night.
“If the NRA had its way, we wouldn’t be permitting in the first place,” he said. “This is an organization that opposes universal background checks despite the fact that overwhelming majority of Americans and even a large number of NRA members support universal background checks.”
Catherine Mortensen, spokeswoman for the NRA’s lobbying arm NRA-ILA, said the organization’s basic pistol course is the “best training available for anyone seeking to carry a concealed firearm for self-protection.”
“By eliminating the NRA training and standards for Connecticut’s permit holders, Mayor Bronin is putting politics above the safety of Connecticut citizens,” Ms. Mortensen said.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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