NASHVILLE, TN — The Second Amendment was front and center at the annual National Rifle Association Meeting on Friday, but another topic was close behind and discussed by the dozen Republican presidential hopefuls nearly as much: Hillary Clinton.
Clinton’s impending announcement that she intends to run for president in 2016 — news of which came on Thursday — shaped much of the conversation. NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre kicked off the event with a 20 minute speech dedicated almost entirely to blasting Clinton and warning of the “permanent darkness of deceit and despair” that would come if she were elected.
“I vow on this day the NRA will stand shoulder to shoulder with you and good, honest decent Americans and we will stand and fight with everything we’ve got and in 2016, by God, we will elect the next great president of the United States of America and it will not be Hillary Rodham Clinton,” he said.
LaPierre criticized her work as an attorney, First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State, digging far back in her resume for some of his critiques. At one point, he listed a series of controversies Clinton has been involved with, including “Benghazi-gate,” “email-gate” and “travel-gate.”
“Hillary Clinton has more gates than a South Texas cattle ranch,” he said.
While the likely GOP candidates were quick to criticize President Obama and his administration’s attempts to restrict the ease of gun ownership, they were just as likely to group Clinton into their criticisms. An NRA video that played early in the event addressed “President Obama and Hillary Clinton.”
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush criticized Clinton and others who want to take guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) also mentioned Clinton when he spoke about shrinking government dependency.
The audience didn’t tire of the rhetoric and each jab at Clinton drew loud applause. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the last to speak, asked the conservative crowd if he was at the Ready for Hillary gathering, to which the room erupted in a loud “no.”
Clinton, who is expected to formally launch her campaign on Sunday, has been a vocal supporter of gun control and making it more difficult for guns to get into the wrong hands. She has said that we need to “reign in” the idea that anyone should be able to possess a gun anywhere, anytime. Last year, she also said that opponents of gun control like the NRA have views that hurt the majority of Americans.
“We cannot let a minority of people, and that’s what it is, it is a minority of people, hold a viewpoint that terrorizes the majority of people,” she said during a CNN town hall. “I was disappointed that the Congress did not pass universal background checks after the horrors of the shootings at Sandy Hook… I will speak out [on this subject] no matter what role I find myself in.”
Cruz was the only Republican to mention the Sandy Hook shooting during the NRA event, but he used it to tout his successful filibuster against legislation that would have tightened background check laws following the tragedy.