The NRA Non-Endorsement: Reid's Response

After having supported him in the past, the NRA is not endorsing Harry Reid this election year. Reid's campaign just released its response, from Campaign Manager Brandon Hall:

"The NRA's relationship with Sen. Reid has been long-standing and productive and - unlike for Sharron Angle - they've put their money where their mouth is this cycle. Along with their financial support, the declaration of NRA head Wayne LaPierre that Sen. Reid is 'a true champion of the Second Amendment' and that 'no one has been a stronger advocate for responsible gun ownership than him' shows beyond a doubt that the NRA believes Sen. Reid to be a strong advocate for Nevadans' Second Amendment rights in the US Senate."

Quick points: Reid's campaign points out that, while the NRA says it isn't endorsing Reid because of his votes on Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, it DID NOT say it's endorsing Sharron Angle. Just that it won't endorse Reid. And in responding to the non-endorsement, Reid cleverly points to a previous endorsement to bolster his gun-rights cred.

The Second Amendment has become quite an issue in this race, as Reid has begun airing TV ads hitting Sharron Angle for her remarks about "Second Amendment remedies" and "fight[ing] for ... liberties in more Second Amendment kind of ways."

UPDATE: The NRA confirms that it will not endorse Sharron Angle, either.