BIG SPLIT: Trump ally Sebastian Gorka turns on the NRA as too weak to protect 2nd Amendment

BIG SPLIT: Trump ally Sebastian Gorka turns on the NRA as too weak to protect 2nd Amendment

Former Trump aide Sebastian Gorka surprisingly slammed Wayne LaPierre, the president of the National Rifle Association, yesterday and urged MAGA supporters to turn to other gun rights groups. In an interview with Newsmax host Grant Stinchfield, Gorka calls LaPierre a “liability,” saying that he was “disappointed” in LaPierre’s re-election as NRA President. Gorka worried that in the aftermath of the Uvalde shooting, the Democrats may gain ground in their fight to pass gun reform legislation, and told Stinchfield that with midterms coming up, “this is crucial”:

Gun Owners of America (GOA) is a far-right gun rights organization that is adamantly against all forms of gun control legislation, including such overwhelmingly popular solutions as red-flag laws and universal background checks, which a majority of Americans support. Almost a week after the deadly Uvalde school shooting, Gun Rights of America encouraged its members to contact their senators and urge them to say “NO” to red flag orders.

Echoing the sentiment of the GOP to harden schools and arm teachers, Gun Rights of America pushed the Republican narrative — spouted by the likes of Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) — that gun laws don’t prevent gun crimes.

Smaller than its more well-known counterpart, GOA has been vocally critical of the NRA, accusing the organization of being “too compromising” on gun rights.  Mike Hammond, general counsel for the organization, told The Washington Post that “The NRA is a convenient foil for the left, but the NRA is not the be-all, end-all.”

After Sandy Hook, the NRA “discussed” expanding background checks, and — after a mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017  took almost 60 lives — the NRA supported then-President Donald Trump’s proposed regulations on machine gun bump stocks.

Gorka, born in the UK to Hungarian refugee parents, has a history of supporting alt-right and far-right groups and has admitted to being obsessed with guns. When asked in an interview with Recoil if he had a favorite gun, Gorka replied, “Anything I salivated over as a kid in the ’80s as I thumbed through Combat Handguns Magazine.”

Gorka told the magazine that he carried two pistols, a knife, and a tourniquet on his person every day. Before Gorka began working in the Trump White House, he was arrested at Ronald Reagan National Airport in early 2016 for trying to bring a firearm through airport security. It was confiscated, and Gorka took an Alford Plea, a guilty plea in which a defendant maintains their innocence and does not admit to the criminal act they are accused of, but admits that the prosecution has sufficient evidence to persuade a judge or jury to find the defendant guilty, and thus agrees to be treated as guilty. In September 2016, Gorka was found to be wanted by the Hungarian government when a warrant for his arrest on weapons charges was issued. But if there’s anything that Donald Trump loves, it’s a criminal. Gorka tweeted this shortly after Trump was sworn in as President:

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The NRA has been embroiled in a scandal over the past few years, with financial problems and rising competition among the least of their problems. While MAGA eating MAGA is always a treat, watching the fall of the largest gun lobby in the country is particularly heartening. In an increasingly radicalized society – with those on the right embracing gun culture with more fervor than ever – simply cutting the head off the snake isn’t enough, when others are waiting in the wings. Hopefully, the Biden Administration and legislators will feel the pressure amid calls to action and for once put the safety of the American people over politics and guns.

Follow Ty Ross on Twitter @cooltxchick

Ty Ross

News journalist for Washington Press and Occupy Democrats.