Santorum says his daughter is a 'life member' of the NRA

Rick Santorum said his three-year old daughter Bella is a now a “life member” of the National Rifle Association (NRA).

“Karen and I are life members of the NRA, and we wanted to announce today that…now Bella is a life member of the NRA, too," Santorum said in a speech before the pro-gun rights lobby on Friday. “I hope it is a long life.”

Bella suffers from Trisomy 18, a rare chromosomal disease that's usually fatal in children.

Bella was released from a Virginia hospital last Monday after recovering from pneumonia, and Santorum suspended his campaign the following day.

“She is a fighter and she is doing exceptionally well and she is back with us and our family,” he said. “It did cause us to think of the role that we have as parents and with the rest of our family. This was a time for prayer and thought, this weekend, just like it was when we decided to get into the race."

Prior to that Friday hospitalization, Bella had to visit the hospital two other times in the campaign cycle.

At his speech to the NRA, Santorum also touted his wife’s love of guns.

“When it comes to gun rights advocates I have to say I don't hold a candle to my wife," Santorum said. "I have to say I am hunter and I am a gun owner, but she owns way more guns than I do, and she gets a chance to shoot them more often than I do.”

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