NRA president says Rep. Lucy McBath was elected because she's 'a minority female'

Hope Schreiber
·Writer
This April 27, 2019, photo shows Carolyn Meadows at the National Rifle Association's annual meeting of members in Indianapolis. Meadows was elected president of the NRA during a board meeting Monday, April 29, 2019. Retired Lt. Col. Oliver North lost a bid for a second term as president of the NRA amid inner turmoil in the gun-rights group. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

National Rifle Association President Carolyn Meadows said that Rep. Lucy McBath, who is pushing for stricter gun laws, was not elected for her stance on guns. Rather, Meadows claims that McBath, whose 17-year-old son was fatally shot in 2012, was elected because she is "a minority female."

“There will be more than one person in the race, but we'll get that seat back,” Meadows, speaking to the Marietta Daily Journal, said of Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District seat. “But it is wrong to say like McBath said, that the reason she won was because of her anti-gun stance. That didn't have anything to do with it — it had to do with being a minority female. And the Democrats really turned out, and that's the problem we have with conservatives — we don't turn out as well.”

McBath, a gun control activist and former flight attendant, had defeated Republican Rep. Karen Handel in November, making her the first elected Democrat in that district since the 1970s.

On Monday, McBath tweeted her response to Meadows' comments.

"Hi NRA! It’s time we clear something up. I won this race because – after my son was senselessly murdered in 2012 – I stood up to do something about it. I knew it was time to fight back," she wrote. McBath's son, Jordan Davis, was shot and killed in 2012, during an argument that started over a loud music complaint. The shooter was ultimately sentenced to life without parole.

"The House has already passed gun safety legislation for the first time in decades, and there is much more to come... My work on gun violence, healthcare, and many other issues is just starting," McBath added in a follow-up tweet. "And yes – as a woman of color I am proud to be part of the most diverse class in American history. My experiences drive the work I am doing for my constituents. And nobody can take that away from me.”

Meadows went on to tell the Marietta Daily Journal that, along with working to regain McBath's congressional district, she will aim to get President Donald Trump re-elected during her two-year term as NRA president.

“We’re going to work to get Donald Trump reelected, unity, and that’s primarily it...” she said. “It’s a powerful lobby, not just for gun rights, but for rights."

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