New NRA president targets Dem Rep. Lucy McBath, says gun lobby will back anyone running against her

Carolyn Meadows became president of the NRA after the resignation of its former chief, Oliver North, following accusations that he tried to pressure executive vice president Wayne LaPierre to resign. (American Conservative Union)

The newly elected president of the National Rifle Association (NRA) pledges to endorse any candidate who opposes the gun-control policies of U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Ga.

Carolyn Meadows became president of the NRA after internal turmoil led to the resignation of Oliver North following accusations that he tried to pressure executive vice president Wayne LaPierre into resigning amid his criticism of the direction the NRA was taking.

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But Meadows says she’s won’t dwell too much on the internal problems of the organization and is instead ready to help the group fight off Democrats supporting strict gun control.

Her first target: McBath, a 58-year-old Illinois native who won in Georgia's 6th Congressional District in the 2018 midterm elections after running on a gun control platform after her son was fatally shot. McBath represents Atlanta's northern suburbs, where Meadows lives.

In this Nov. 2, 2018, file photo, Democrat Lucy McBath speaks at Morehouse College in Atlanta.  (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)

“Whoever (runs against McBath) will get an endorsement from the NRA,” Meadows said after arriving home to Georgia following the NRA convention in Indianapolis, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

“Whoever (runs against McBath) will get an endorsement from the NRA.”

— Carolyn Meadows

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On the issue of internal turmoil at the organization, she was guarded, saying all organizations have their issues. “We are not looking backward. We have 2020 coming up,” she added, in reference to the next presidential election, where virtually all Democratic candidates see tighter gun control as part of their agenda.

Meadows has previously served as a Georgia representative on the Republican National Committee and was a staffer for multiple statewide campaigns.

“I can be tough as nails, and some of them call me Margaret Thatcher, which I thank them for,” she told the newspaper.

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McBath, meanwhile, has been making noise in Congress since taking office in January, co-sponsoring and advocating for measures that introduce tighter gun control.

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Yet despite the pledge from Meadows to throw the full weight of the NRA behind the opponent of McBath, the Georgia Democrat says it won’t make a difference.

“Well, they’ve all gotten NRA backing in the past, so it’s no different,” she told the outlet.