NRA wears the pants in its marriage with GOP

By Robert Blanner, North Las Vegas

Thursday, July 21, 2016 | 2 a.m.

Who carries the most weight, 90 percent of Republicans who say yes to a law that would prohibit people on the no-fly list from buying a weapon, or the NRA? What about 92 percent of people who say they want expanded background checks, or the NRA? The above percentages were the results of a CNN/ORC poll.

The answer to both questions is the NRA.

House Speaker Paul Ryan recently said that when it comes to supporting Donald Trump, his members should use their conscience, because he has no business telling members what to do. Why doesn’t he or Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tell their members the same when it comes to gun-control legislation?

Why is the GOP in bed with the NRA? Most NRA members favor reasonable gun-control laws, but their leadership doesn’t. Why? What are GOP lawmakers so afraid of, to the point where they go “lockstep” into the night? Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said expanded background checks and a no-fly, no-gun law would trample on the Second Amendment.

Are you kidding me? There is no attempt to take guns away from the “good” guys. These laws have nothing to do with what the Second Amendment is all about. Not getting these laws passed is another illustration of what is wrong with Washington and why people are so angry and frustrated with lawmakers.