Dem lawmaker: I’m not interested in compromise with NRA on gun control

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said Thursday that he his not interested in compromising with the National Rifle Association (NRA) on gun control.

‘“We need to beat them,” Schatz tweeted about the NRA, amid continuing conversations about gun control reform following the Florida high school shooting.

“I am normally interested in compromise,” Schatz tweeted. “Not this time. I cannot imagine a bill that would make a difference that the NRA supports. We don’t need to cut a deal with them, we need to beat them.”

I am normally interested in compromise. Not this time. I cannot imagine a bill that would make a difference that the NRA supports. We don’t need to cut a deal with them, we need to beat them.

— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) February 22, 2018

The senator’s tweet comes the day after President Trump held a “listening session” at the White House with students and parents affected by school shootings.

Schatz has been an outspoken supporter of gun control following the Florida shooting, tweeting earlier this week that he “got an F from the NRA” in the group’s ratings of lawmakers.

I got an F from the NRA.

— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) February 16, 2018

On Wednesday night, CNN held a town hall with survivors of the Florida shooting, as well as representatives from the NRA and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).

At the town hall, one high school student confronted Rubio about accepting donations from the NRA. Rubio, who has an A+ rating from the group, has received more than $3.3 million in campaign donations from it during his career.

Trump has expressed support for a variety of policies in an effort to combat school shootings, including the controversial move of arming school officials with firearms.

The president said he supports “comprehensive” background checks, and tweeted Thursday morning that he wants a ban on bump stocks and to raise the minimum purchasing age for long guns, policies that break with the NRA’s stance.