The president of the National Rifle Association said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is under "incredible pressure" concerning new gun laws — and it's "anyone's guess" how he will handle to contentious issue.
David Keene, the NRA president, made the comments about Reid on Thursday at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast."He's under incredible pressure right now because he's got, as any member of Congress or senator does, he's got his own beliefs," Keene said, according to CNN.
"He's got the views and the demands of his constituents on the one hand, and the pressure he faces from party leaders and his president on the other. So where Harry Reid ends up in this debate is anybody's guess and I think that's one of the guessing games that's going on around Washington now."
President Obama and a number of legislators have called for congressional action to reduce gun violence in response to a shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December that resulted in 27 dead.
Obama recently enacted a number of executive orders aimed at reducing the number of deaths by gun violence in the United States and has also called for Congress to pass new laws tightening gun restrictions.
Reid himself has said he would bring gun-violence legislation to the floor and allow consideration of a number of amendments.
But that openness to passing new gun-control laws poses a challenge for Reid, who has a "B" rating from the NRA. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Reid has also received almost $8,500 from gun lobbying organizations.
On Tuesday, Reid declined to endorse legislation introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that would reinstate an assault-weapons ban. Feinstein's legislation has the support of Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), the 2nd- and 3rd ranking Democrats in the Senate.
"She’s talked to me about her assault weapons. The new one. She believes in it fervently, and I admire her for that. I’ll take a look at that," Reid said in response to a question from a reporter. "We’re going to have votes on all kinds of issues dealing with guns, and I think everyone would be well advised to read the legislation before they determine how they’re going to vote [on] it."
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