The head of the National Rifle Association, or NRA, Wayne LaPierre, has broken his silence after last week’s Florida school shooting that left 17 dead and sparked a student-led national conversation on gun legislation. On Thursday, LaPierre attacked his opponents as communist sympathizers hellbent on undermining individual freedoms.

Wayne LePierre: “The elites don’t care, not one wit, about America’s school system and schoolchildren. If they truly cared, what they would do is they would protect them. For them, it’s not a safety issue. It’s a political issue. They care more about control and more of it. Their goal is to eliminate the Second Amendment and our firearms freedoms, so they can eradicate all individual freedoms.”

LaPierre was speaking at CPAC, the annual convention of the Conservative Political Action Conference. He was joined by NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch, who singled out camera crews and reporters in the back of the CPAC convention.

Dana Loesch: “Many in legacy media love mass shootings. You guys love it. Now I’m not saying that you love the tragedy. But I am saying that you love the ratings. Crying white mothers are ratings gold to you and many in the legacy media in the back.”

President Trump will address the CPAC convention today.