NRA readies gun-control counterattack

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- The head of the National Rifle Association says his group is digging in for an expected political battle over gun control in the United States.

The public-relations counterattack will be based on print and television advertising and will target proposals the lobbying group expects the Obama administration to raise, to restrict access to assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips.

The association is dispatching representatives to gun shows nationwide to rally grassroots support, and urging members to contact their congressional representatives.

"We are mobilizing for a fight," NRA President David Keene told CNN. "We will engage our members."

The NRA has said it received a surge of new members following the Dec. 14 massacre of 20 children and six adult staffers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

The shooting spree produced new calls for restrictions on access to combat-type weapons and a series of White House meetings conducted by Vice President Joe Biden intended to identify possible government action to reduce gun violence.