LaPierre speech reminiscent of earlier effort to ‘control borders, not guns’

Seattle Gun Rights Examiner ^ | 16 May, 2010 | Dave Workman

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre delivered a bare-knuckles address to thousands of NRA members here Saturday, challenging the Obama administration over its criticism of a new Arizona statute that cracks down on illegal aliens.

To underscore his fury, LaPierre introduced to the audience the family of NRA member Robert Krentz, the Arizona rancher who was gunned down earlier this year by a suspected illegal alien. Krentz’ tearful family, all NRA members, stood to a thunderous applause, and LaPierre promised that “the NRA will not forget Rob, and we will not forget you.”

Robert Krentz was known among fellow ranchers as a good Samaritan who often helped injured illegal immigrants trying to cross the boiling desert border into Arizona. But the 58-year-old was gunned down while tending to his ranch Saturday morning, and police suspect an illegal immigrant was to blame.—Fox News

“Robert Krentz was one of the good guys,” LaPierre stated. “Robert Krentz was one of us.”

“They killed one of us,” he told the audience. “They attacked an NRA family.”

LaPierre's remarks clearly hit a raw nerve with his NRA audience, and he went on to define what he believes is the ‘real’ problem: Too many politicians in Washington would rather prevent a criminal from being caught than prevent a law-abiding citizen from being killed.

His remarks are hauntingly reminiscent of an effort launched by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, a Bellevue, WA-based group that joined the NRA in a lawsuit to strike down a San Francisco Housing Authority gun ban regulation, and is also a participant with NRA and the Second Amendment Foundation in another legal action that struck down an illegal parks gun ban in Seattle this year.