What, no zombies? At conservative confab, NRA’s LaPierre lists threats to civilization, starting with the media

What do the mainstream media, liberal protesters, violent criminals, Mexican drug cartels and potential terrorists have in common? According to the National Rifle Association’s Wayne LaPierre, “They’re angry, they’re militant, and they’re willing to engage in criminal violence to get what they want.”

LaPierre painted a grim picture of the current political climate during the second day of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland on Friday.

“For the first time,” LaPierre warned the crowd at CPAC, “we face an enemy utterly dedicated to destroy not only our country but also Western civilization.”

The NRA chief described recent protests as angry riots carried out by “soldiers of the violent left” and declared that “our country is under siege from a media carpet-bombing campaign,” pointing to recent coverage of the Trump administration’s ties to Russia as proof that the national media are “purposely and maliciously aimed at destroying Trump’s presidency.”

“A hundred years ago, if you eavesdropped and published the affairs of the head of state, you would’ve been tracked down and hanged for treason,” he said, playing off the president’s expressed frustration over leaks from within the intelligence community.

Of course, LaPierre continued, “With all the threats facing America today, your right to protect yourself and your family may be more relevant and more urgently needed than ever before.”

Without explicitly encouraging the audience to arm themselves, LaPierre instead presented the NRA as the “lawful, peaceful” alternative to his list of threats to American values, promising to “defend our freedom and secure our safety against any enemy” and asking, “Are you ready to take on the leftists and protect the foundation of American democracy?”

“Stand up! Speak up! Fight back!” he urged the crowd, assuring them that “we will win because we are the majority in this country.”

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