House Dem blasts NRA for blocking gun limits in Congress

By Pete Kasperowicz - 07/23/12 12:38 PM ET

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) criticized the National Rifle Association (NRA) on Monday for convincing Congress that there is no room to debate ways to limit the accessibility of weapons that can kill rapidly, including the automatic weapons used in the Colorado movie theater massacre last week.

"I find it appalling that we as citizens have enabled Congress to act in a spineless fashion, to be taken over in the area of gun safety by the NRA, that we refuse to deal with something that has serious, law-enforcement implications so that we alone in the developed world are most at risk for random gun violence," he said on the House floor.

Blumenauer said the Colorado shooting should again show that some weapons should not be sold to the general public. But he said the NRA has argued that any limitation on the sale of these weapons and ammunition would limit their right.

"I continue to feel that there's no reason to permit armor-piercing cop-killer bullets to be sold like Tic Tacs, that automatic weapons should be available over the counter with 100-bullet magazines, like the killer in Colorado had, that facilitate such sprees," he said. "These things have no useful purpose in sports activities or target shooting."

Blumenauer said the NRA has prevented Congress from making it harder for people to buy unlimited guns at gun shows without an adequate background check, or allowing the government to share data between agencies that would help people on the no-fly list from buying guns.

He also called on gun owners to make a better case to the NRA that some of these limitations can be explored.

"Perhaps the gun owners themselves — the majority of whom disagree with the NRA's extreme positions — will join with politicians, business, the health community to come together to deal with an epidemic of gun violence, in the way we would treat any other threat to the safety of our families and our communities," he said. "Sadly, we're still waiting."

Members of Congress and President Obama lamented the shooting last week, but so far have not indicated any push for new gun legislation.