The National Rifle Association is targeting Sen. Joe Manchin with media ads urging him not to work with President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to pass new gun-control measures.
The pro-gun lobby is spending $100,000 on TV ads set to air for two weeks on local broadcasts in West Virginia,
CNN reports.
The ad begins with a clip of 2010 Manchin Senate campaign ad where he says, "As your senator, I'll protect your Second Amendment rights." A voice-over says, "That was Joe Manchin's commitment. But now, Manchin is working with President Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
"Concerned? You should be. Tell Sen. Manchin to honor his commitment to the Second Amendment and reject the Obama-Bloomberg gun control agenda."
The move represents an about-face for the NRA, who once gave the West Virginia Democrat its highest "A" rating. The group has since targeted the first-term senator after he worked with GOP Sen. Pat Toomey
to craft a bipartisan proposal for an expanded background checks system to include sales at gun shows and over the Internet, an April 10 Newsmax story reported.
The measure failed to win the 60 votes needed to overcome a Senate filibuster, much to the dismay of the president, Newsmax reported on April 17, but Manchin has since pledged to renew his efforts to develop viable legislation on an expanded background checks system that would satisfy critics who said the measure would do little to target likely criminals.
Related: Senators, White House Work to Resurrect Gun Legislation
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