Guns and Weapons

NRA rolls back 'open carry' criticism

Supporters of Michigan's Open Carry law attend a rally April 27, 2014 in Romulus, Michigan.
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The National Rifle Association is rolling back an earlier statement in which the group criticized "open carry" rallies in Texas.

Gun rights advocates have brought military-style assault rifles into businesses as part a push for less restrictive gun laws.

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The NRA's lobbying arm, the Institute for Legislative Action, said last week in a statement on its website that the demonstrations were counterproductive, scary and "downright weird."

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But ILA Executive Director Chris Cox said Tuesday in an interview on an NRA-hosted radio show that the statement was a "mistake."

Cox says the staffer who wrote the piece was expressing his personal opinion.

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Open Carry Texas, a group behind the recent demonstrations, had said if the NRA didn't retract the statement, Open Carry would withdraw its full support for the NRA.

—By The Associated Press