NRA's Keene: Cuomo's Plan Won't Stop Gun Violence

National Rifle Association President David Keene insists the nation won’t follow New York if it enacts the nation’s toughest gun control laws, and insisted Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s gun control plan won’t make a difference in the state’s violent crime rate.

Cuomo on Wednesday vowed not only to get the tough laws passed, but predicted the rest of the country would follow New York’s lead, reports Politicker. Keene, in a rare post-Newtown interview given to Brooklyn GOP Radio’s podcast Wednesday night, noted New York already has very tough gun laws, and said he’s amazed Cuomo thinks other states will follow New York.

The NRA president’s comments came the night before he and other NRA officials are to meet with Vice President Joe Biden today at the White House. The Obama administration is sitting down with the NRA and other gun owners’ groups to discuss ways to curb gun violence.

Editor's Note: Should Kerry and Hagel Be Confirmed?

Biden, leading an administration-wide review of gun safety laws, has vowed swift action following last month’s elementary school killings in Connecticut.

Biden’s meeting with the NRA is just one of three he has scheduled today. He and other officials will also meet with sportsmen and wildlife groups and people from the entertainment industry, which has come under fire for violence in movies.

President Barack Obama supports several gun control measures, including reinstating a ban on assault weapons and ammunition magazines, and loopholes allowing gun buyers to avoid going through background checks when purchasing weapons.

The NRA is traditionally opposed to gun control measures, but Keene does support some of Cuomo’s proposed seven-point plan that affects criminals using or trying to buy guns.

But he opposes banning or restricting firearms from law-abiding Americans who want weapons for self-protection.

Cuomo, who presented his gun control proposals in Wednesday’s State of the State address, said his plans are aimed at stopping gun violence while respecting hunters and sportsmen. Keene said he’s not worried about hunters.

Editor's Note: Should Kerry and Hagel Be Confirmed?

“The Second Amendment has nothing to do with hunters. Hunters use firearms. Hunters have every right to use firearms, as do target shooters, as do gun collectors, as do others,” said Keene. “The fact of the matter is that the Second Amendment has to do with personal and national defense. It was put into the Constitution by the founders who considered it as important indeed as the First Amendment.”