On Va. Tech anniversary, Kaine takes aim at NRA

On the eighth anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine blasted the National Rifle Association for working to block state and federal efforts to adopt stricter background checks for gun purchases.

Kaine said in a Senate floor speech he's come to believe the NRA doesn't care about gun owners and is focused on protecting gun manufacturers' ability to sell as many firearms as possible.

The Virginia Democrat was governor in 2007 when a gunman killed 32 students and educators in Blacksburg. He has long pressed for more stringent background checks on gun purchases to prevent felons or people with mental health problems from buying weapons.

"It's estimated that 40 percent of all guns that are sold in the United States occur with no background records check," he said.

The Tech gunman, Seung-Hui Cho, who killed himself after the attack, was able to acquire weapons from a licensed federal firearm dealer because records about his mental health history weren't shared with the federal background system.

Kaine said he's figured out why the NRA would resist changes to enforce existing gun laws and keep firearms away from people who should not have them.

"I have come to the conclusion that there is only one answer.... The NRA does not really speak for or represent American gun owners," he said. "Instead, they speak for, represent and - most importantly - receive funding from gun manufacturers. And if you make guns, it is in your financial interest to sell as many guns as you can, to whomever you can, whenever you can and wherever you can."

Kaine was critical of federal lawmakers as well.

"I would argue that Congress is equally beholden to the gun manufacturers," he said.

Kaine pointed to a 2005 law approved by Congress and President George W. Bush that specifically prohibits state or federal lawsuits against gun manufacturers for negligent use of firearms. Kaine, a former civil rights lawyer, said the gun industry may be the only private concern that has such protection for its product.

The NRA did not respond Thursday to a request for comment.

Kaine's speech marks the second time he's addressed Congress on the anniversary of the mass shooting.

As he did in a 2013 Senate address, Kaine on Thursday read the names of those killed at Virginia Tech. He spoke about conversations with survivors and first responders who he said remain emotionally scarred by the tragedy. In addition to those who died, 17 people were wounded by gunfire, and six were injured leaping out classroom windows to escape.

He referred to April 16, 2007, "as one of the worse days of my life."

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