--- title: NRA's Wayne LaPierre at CPAC: Liberals Exploit Florida description: A top official with the NRA said politicians and the media are exploiting the deadly Florida school shooting to expand gun control. canonical: https://time.com/5169511/nra-wayne-lapierre-cpac-speech/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-02-22T15:23:59.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T21:47:53.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: NRA's Wayne La Pierre: Gun Control Advocates Are Exploiting the Florida School Shooting Tragedy og:description: "They hate the NRA" og:url: https://time.com/5169511/nra-wayne-lapierre-cpac-speech/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9e2e1d19329c1f0c/69892893cf40a85742c4b6e8/wayne-lapierre-cpac.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5568 og:image:height: 3132 og:image:alt: Wayne LaPierre at CPAC og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: NRA's Wayne La Pierre: Gun Control Advocates Are Exploiting the Florida School Shooting Tragedy twitter:description: "They hate the NRA" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9e2e1d19329c1f0c/69892893cf40a85742c4b6e8/wayne-lapierre-cpac.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:40 video:published: 2018-02-22 section: politics topics: gun control, Second Amendment, school shootings, school security, mental health system, FBI failures, gun-free zones, armed security, political debate genre: speech, news tones: defensive, combative, somber, assertive emotions: grief (medium), anger (high), fear (medium), defiance (high) sentiment: negative audience: gun rights advocates, conservative voters, policy observers, political activists people: Wayne LaPierre organizations: National Rifle Association, Conservative Political Action Conference, FBI content_suitability: tragedy [00:00-00:09]; death [00:00-00:16]; violence [01:22-01:40]; politics [00:25-01:40] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # NRA's Wayne LaPierre at CPAC: Gun Control Advocates Are Exploiting the Florida School Shooting Tragedy > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=3ece0db8-758b-484e-81f8-5ce3cb7c0f60&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre Speaks About Gun Control At CPAC [Watch (HLS stream): NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre Speaks About Gun Control At CPAC](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/i2VT5Kw0.m3u8) (1:40)  _Published 2018-02-22. Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association’s Executive Vice President, said at the Conservative Political Action Conference Thursday that politicians and the media are exploiting the deadly Florida school shooting to expand gun control._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association's Executive Vice President, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference about gun control following a school shooting. He says the NRA mourns the victims and shares the goal of safe schools, but argues the issue is political rather than one of safety. He claims critics seek to eliminate the Second Amendment and blames school security, family, mental health systems and the FBI for failures, while questioning the reliance on armed security and gun-free school zones. ## Key points - LaPierre says the NRA mourns the loss of innocent lives in a recent American school tragedy and keeps the community in its prayers. (00:00) - He asserts that gun control is a political issue rather than a safety issue, claiming politicians want more control. (00:25) - He claims the goal of gun control advocates is to eliminate the Second Amendment and make people less free. (00:39) - He argues that critics want to sweep under the carpet failures of school security, family, America's mental health system and the FBI. (00:47) - He criticizes the FBI, saying it failed in the lead-up to the shooting. (01:00) - He questions whether Americans love money and celebrities more than their children, asking them to answer honestly. (01:04) - He contrasts armed security protecting public figures with children dropped off at so-called gun-free zones he calls wide-open targets. (01:22) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:25] Mourning and shared safety goals. LaPierre expresses sympathy for the victims and says the NRA shares the goal of safe schools and neighborhoods. - [00:25 to 00:47] Gun control framed as political. He argues that gun control efforts are political, aimed at eliminating the Second Amendment and reducing freedom. - [00:47 to 01:40] Blaming failures and gun-free zones. He points to failures in school security, families, mental health and the FBI, and criticizes gun-free school zones. ## Key quotes - [00:25] Wayne LaPierre: "It's not a safety issue, it's a political issue." - [00:39] Wayne LaPierre: "Their goal is to eliminate the second amendment." - [00:47] Wayne LaPierre: "Their solution is to make you, all of you, less free." - [01:04] Wayne LaPierre: "Do we really love our money and our celebrities more than we love our children? No." - [01:30] Wayne LaPierre: "wide- open targets for any crazy madmen, bent on evil, to come there first." ## Questions this video answers - How does the NRA respond to the school shooting? [00:00] - Does the NRA view gun control as a safety issue or a political issue? [00:25] - What does the NRA say is the goal of those seeking gun control? [00:39] - What failures does LaPierre say are being ignored in the aftermath of the shooting? [00:47] - Why does LaPierre criticize gun-free school zones? [01:30] ## Content suitability - tragedy [00:00-00:09]: References a recent tragedy at an American school. - death [00:00-00:16]: Mourns the loss of innocent lives in a school shooting. - violence [01:22-01:40]: Refers to crazed madmen bent on evil targeting schools. - politics [00:25-01:40]: Political debate over gun control and the Second Amendment.  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Updated: Dec 12, 2023 9:47 PM UTCPublished: Feb 22, 2018 3:23 PM UTC Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association’s Executive Vice President, said at the Conservative Political Action Conference Thursday that politicians and the media are exploiting the deadly Florida school shooting to expand gun control.  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Updated: Dec 12, 2023 9:47 PM UTCPublished: Feb 22, 2018 3:23 PM UTC Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association’s Executive Vice President, [told the Conservative Political Action Conference](http://time.com/5169538/cpac-conservative-political-action-conference-republican-crisis/) Thursday that politicians and the media are exploiting [the Florida school shooting](http://time.com/5162936/florida-high-school-shooting-timeline/) to expand gun control and ultimately abolish the second amendment, striking a defiant tone in his first public remarks since the mass shooting that killed 17 people and [reignited the gun control debate in the U.S. to a fever pitch](http://time.com/5169436/florida-shooting-kids-gun-control-debate/). “As usual, the opportunists waited not one second to exploit tragedy for political gain,” LaPierre said during CPAC, the annual gathering of conservative activists and Republican leaders in National Harbor, Md. “Chris Murphy, Nancy Pelosi, and more, cheered on by the national media, eager to blame the NRA and call for more government control.” “They hate the NRA,” LaPierre said.”The elites don’t care one wit about school children. If they truly cared, they would protect them.” Although LaPierre spoke at CPAC, his name was not on the public schedule and his speaking slot details had not been finalized—at least publicly— as of Wednesday afternoon. The Washington _Examiner_ [reported](http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/cpac-keeps-nra-executive-wayne-lapierres-name-off-schedule-after-florida-shooting/article/2649540)that CPAC organizers had left LaPierre’s name off the speakers’ list following last week’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and NRA officials were not providing details as of Thursday morning. “It’s not a safety issue, it’s a political issue,” LaPierre said. “They care more about control. Their goal is to eliminate the Second Amendment and our firearms freedoms so they can eliminate all individual freedoms.” “They don’t care if their laws work or not,” he added. They just want get more laws to get more control over people. But the NRA, the NRA does care.” Five years ago, in the aftermath of the shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., the NRA responded by urging more armed security at schools, a similar tack to [Trump’s suggestion Wednesday at a listening session for school shooting survivors](http://time.com/5169534/donald-trump-arm-teachers-listening-session-school-shooting/) at the White House, and [again Thursday morning in a series of Twitter posts.](http://time.com/5170304/trump-teachers-armed-guns-florida-school-shooting/) > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/966650397002813440) > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/966653833047887874) > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/966657362789568512) > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/966660169194229761) LaPierre had similar words of advice on Thursday, urging people interested in investing in school security to look up the NRA’s School Shield program, rhetoric that was similar to his speech at CPAC in 2013, a few months after the Newtown shooting. “To protect our children at school, we recommend a trained professional with a gun. They recommend scissors. And they say we’re crazy? That’s sheer madness,” LaPierre said at the time. “Here’s what the political elites offer instead — a placebo called ‘universal’ background checks.” He concluded this year’s speech by reiterating the advice he provided in the wake of Newtown five years ago: “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” This time though, the speech was not just about guns and the Second Amendment. LaPierre used the opportunity to critique other facets of government and society — everything from leaks in the intelligence community to alleged bias in the media to universities that he said were spearheading a socialist revolution by emphasizing the teachings of Karl Marx. At one point, he said the country was trending toward a “growing socialist state.” And at times, particularly when he was discussing the media and the FBI, his tone and rhetoric sounded remarkably similar to President Trump’s. “Some people think the NRA should just stick to its Second Amendment agenda and not talk about all of our freedoms,” LaPierre said. “But real freedom requires the protection of all of our rights. And a Second Amendment isn’t worth its own words in a country where all individual freedoms are destroyed.” LaPierre was preceded on Thursday by NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch, who was at CPAC just hours after appearing on [a CNN town hall on gun violence](http://time.com/5170065/florida-shooting-marco-rubio-gun-control/) with survivors and families of victims of the Florida shooting. Loesch, who said she had to be escorted out by security after the event, also criticized media’s coverage of mass shootings, noting that the focus often intensified when the victims were wealthy and white. “Many in legacy media love mass shootings,” Loesch said. “I’m not saying you love the tragedy. But you love the ratings.” ## Transcript [00:00] Just a week ago, we were all horrified by [00:04] another terrible tragedy at an American school. [00:09] Each and every member of the National Rifle [00:11] Association mourns the loss of the innocent, and [00:16] continues to keep their families, and that community [00:20] In our prayers. We share a goal [00:25] of safe schools, safe neighborhoods, and [00:29] a safe country. It's not a safety issue, it's [00:33] a political issue. They care more about control [00:39] and more of it. Their goal is to eliminate the second [00:43] amendment. Their solution is to make you, all [00:47] of you, less free. They wanna sweep [00:52] right under the carpet the failure of school security, the [00:56] failure of family, the failure of America's mental health [01:00] system. And even the unbelievable failure [01:04] of the FBI. Do we really love our money and our [01:08] celebrities more than we love our children? No. [01:14] Can we answer that question honestly? Any of [01:18] us, can we answer that question honestly. Knowing [01:22] that we surround and protect so much with armed [01:25] security. While we drop our kids off at schools [01:30] that are so- called gun- free zones that are [01:34] wide- open targets for any crazy madmen, bent on [01:38] evil, to come there first. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5169511/nra-wayne-lapierre-cpac-speech/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5169511/nra-wayne-lapierre-cpac-speech/"},"headline":"NRA's Wayne LaPierre at CPAC: Gun Control Advocates Are Exploiting the Florida School Shooting Tragedy","datePublished":"2018-02-22T15:23:59.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-12T21:47:53.000Z","description":"\"They hate the NRA\"","url":"https://time.com/5169511/nra-wayne-lapierre-cpac-speech/","keywords":["onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9e2e1d19329c1f0c/69892893cf40a85742c4b6e8/wayne-lapierre-cpac.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alana Abramson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9e2e1d19329c1f0c/69892893cf40a85742c4b6e8/wayne-lapierre-cpac.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Wayne LaPierre at CPAC","caption":"Wayne LaPierre at CPAC","creditText":"JIM WATSON - AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5169511/nra-wayne-lapierre-cpac-speech/","name":"NRA's Wayne LaPierre at CPAC: Gun Control Advocates Are Exploiting the Florida School Shooting Tragedy"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre Speaks About Gun Control At CPAC","description":"Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association’s Executive Vice President, said at the Conservative Political Action Conference Thursday that politicians and the media are exploiting the deadly Florida school shooting to expand gun control.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/i2VT5Kw0/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-02-22T16:52:14.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/i2VT5Kw0.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5169511/nra-wayne-lapierre-cpac-speech/","duration":"PT1M40S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5169511/nra-wayne-lapierre-cpac-speech/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```