WATCH: Joe Manchin fires back at the NRA
The gun-rights superpower helped negotiate Manchin's background-check bill, then sank it, then attacked the West Virginia Democrat on TV
The Senate's package of gun control legislation prompted by the mass murder of 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School may or may not be dead, but the relationship between the National Rifle Association and former A-rated advocate Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) sure seems like it's on life support.
Sandy Hook, Manchin said in December, made him rethink his opposition to gun-safety legislation, and he pledged to sit down with his "friends at the NRA" and work out "a sensible, reasonable approach" to curbing gun violence. The NRA did indeed work with Manchin and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) to draft a bill strengthening federal background checks on gun buyers.
Things went downhill from there. The NRA became a driving force behind sinking the Manchin-Toomey legislation, along with the broader package of gun-control measures. Then, last week, the NRA started running ads against Manchin in West Virginia, promising to spend $100,000 to run the attack ad in heavy rotation. "Manchin is working with President Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg," the ad says. "Concerned? You should be. Tell Sen. Manchin to honor his commitment to the Second Amendment and reject the Obama-Bloomberg gun control agenda."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Manchin isn't up for re-election until 2018, but on Thursday morning, he struck back, debuting his own ad suggesting that he's more in line with gun owners than "the NRA's Washington leadership." (Watch the ad above) "They just don't want to get involved," he said on MSNBC's Morning Joe, which showcased the ad. "They want this paranoia going on, and I'm not going to stand back and let them." He said he's also spending $100,000 on his ad buy.
Here's Politico's Mike Allen and the Morning Joe crew with some background on the NRA's feud with Manchin:
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
LA-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line breaks ground
Speed Read The railway will be ready as soon as 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel's military intelligence chief resigns
Speed Read Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the first leader to quit for failing to prevent the Hamas attack in October
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published