The head of the NRA (National Rifle Administration)dismissed a renewed effort to tighten controls on access to automatic weapons in the wake of the Orlando massacre on Sunday, saying it was drive by "politics". Appearing on CBS's Face the Nation, Wayne LaPierre said that terrorists are "on the verge of overwhelming us", and should be the focus of the administration's efforts. Gunman Omar Mateen killed 49 people in an Orlando gay nightclub on June 12 using an assault weapon and handgun. "The president, the whole gun ban movement said 'hey don't look at terrorists, look over here, divert your attention, take your eyes off the problem," said LaPierre, "because they don't want to face the embarrassment of their failure in this terrorist area and they want to cover their butts." A national assault weapons ban expired in 2004 and Congressional Republicans, backed by the influential NRA, have beat back efforts to restore it. LaPierre said legislation is not the issue, and that passing new laws is like "trying to stop a freight train with a piece of Kleenex."
