NRA chief says group accepts background checks

[January 17, 2013]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- The head of the National Rifle Association says the organization has no problem with tighter background checks of gun purchasers.

But association president David Keene also says too much emphasis has been placed on banning certain firearms.

In an interview on "CBS This Morning" Thursday, Keene argues, quote, "The real question that needs to be addressed is not what we do about guns, but what we do to make our schools safer."

The NRA has come under close scrutiny in the wake of Newtown, Conn., shootings that killed 20 children and six adults.

Keene said officials should focus more attention on a "devastatingly broken mental health system in this country," if they genuinely want to end gun violence.

He said the NRA has been "generally supportive" of stronger background checks.

[Associated Press]

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