Retired Lt. Col. Oliver North said Tuesday that the National Rifle Association needs to be protected and defended now more than ever before.
“This is a time when you need a Marine at the top of the pyramid at the National Rifle Association,” Mr. North said on Fox News.
The newly named NRA president said he may not be actor Charlton Heston, who served as president from 1998 to 2003, but said he feels confident he can take on the job of spreading the group’s message to the American people.
“No, he’s Moses. I’m a U.S. Marine,” he said.
“We’ve got a message to get out to the American people. It’s a very straightforward message. The NRA was created in 1871 to teach the safe handling of firearms, marksmanship and protection of the Second Amendment,” he said.
Mr. North said the group’s recent negative public image has been cultivated by the spread of misinformation from those who do not understand the purpose of the NRA. Gun control and gun rights have become hot political topics once again in the wake of a mass shooting at a Florida high school in February. Students have turned into gun control activists, staging walkouts at school and appearing on television to promote their cause.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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