The National Rifle Association accused U.S. presidential candidates on Thursday of trying to politicize the deadly mass shootings in Ohio and Texas, warning against enhanced background checks for gun buyers a day after Republican President Donald Trump embraced the idea.
"Unfortunately, aspiring presidential candidates immediately took to the airwaves this past weekend to politicize these tragedies, and to demonize the NRA and its 5 million law-abiding members," the gun rights lobby said in a statement without mentioning candidates' names or party affiliations.
Many of the roughly two dozen 2020 Democratic presidential candidates pushed for tighter gun restrictions after the weekend shootings that killed 31 people in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas. Many condemned the NRA for blocking meaningful gun control legislation.