The National Rifle Associated tweeted its condolences Sunday to those affected by mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, but it said it would not participate in the "politicizing of these tragedies."
Why it matters: Per, the New York Times, political momentum in the gun control debate has shifted in the year leading up to the weekend's mass shootings, amid NRA in-fighting. Gun control advocates and leading Democrats, including 2020 candidates, have pointed to the latest tragedies in their call for tighter weapons restrictions.
Read @NRA's statement here: pic.twitter.com/Yl7xp8cefU
— NRA (@NRA) August 4, 2019
The big picture: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) demanded Sunday that Senate Republicans put an end to their "outrageous obstruction" — in reference to the refusal of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to bring 2 background check bills passed in the House this year for a vote on the Senate floor.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called on McConnell — who's recovering from a fractured shoulder after a fall at his Kentucky home — to recall lawmakers from recess for an emergency session on gun control in the Capitol.
Go deeper: How many guns there are in the U.S.
