American Morning
Gut Check: Is the NRA bulletproof?
By Ronni Berke and Carol Costello, CNN
(CNN) – The National Rifle Association is expecting a record crowd of 70,000 at its annual meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, this weekend. There, it will outline its goals for the future: up its membership to five million, launch a get out and vote campaign, and continue promoting Second Amendment Rights.
As the NRA celebrates a very good year, there are some who say the gun rights lobby has never been stronger. According to rocker and NRA board member Ted Nugent, the NRA has anti-gunners on the run – with President Obama leading the pack.
“He’s scared,” Nugent says. “We know that President Obama is against the NRA, but he's not going to speak about that, because it would be political suicide, like for those who have stood up in the past.”
Some gun control advocates feel betrayed that Mr. Obama isn’t fighting harder for gun control. He’s even signed bills that allow guns in national parks and on Amtrak trains – bills the NRA loves. Some agree with Nugent that politicians may be ducking the issue.
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[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/05/05/shahzad.3.art.jpg caption="Yesterday's raids were multi-pronged, following different "tentacles" of Shahzad probe, source says."]
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Gut Check: Is the NRA bulletproof?
The National Rifle association is living large these days. Armed with key political victories, the group's annual meeting this weekend is more like a celebration, leading some to ask – is the NRA bulletproof? Our Carol Costello has a "Gut Check" for you this morning.
Sound off: We want to hear from you this morning. Add your comments to the LIVE blog below and we'll read some of them on the show.
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