Democrat Phil Noble took aim at state Rep. James Smith over his past positive National Rifle Association ratings, saying Smith's track record with the gun lobby should disqualify him from seeking the Democratic nomination for governor.
"South Carolina has one of the most lax set of gun laws in the country because of legislators like Smith, and our kids and families are in grave danger," Noble said in a statement Tuesday. "Smith's NRA Report card should disqualify him as a potential Democratic nominee."
The charge came less than a week after 17 people were gunned down in Parkland, Fla., in the deadliest school shooting in five years.
Smith's campaign accused Noble of trying to capitalize on the attack.
"Phil's desperate attempt to play politics with this national tragedy is shameful. At a time when we should be at our best, Phil decides to be at his worst," Mike McCauley, a spokesman for Smith's campaign, told The Post and Courier in a statement.
In response to the massacre, students nationwide in recent days have joined teen survivors of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School by demanding action on gun control. Following the shooting, Smith said he supported their activism.
"They're right to demand action to end gun violence in their schools & they will be heard!" the Columbia Democrat tweeted, saying he is also taking action on the matter with his colleagues in the state House and Senate.
Noble, a Charleston businessman, said Smith had his chance to do right by these students and failed. Smith received an "A" rating from the NRA in 2006, a B+ in 2008 and an "A-" rating in 2010 and 2012.
The NRA defines candidates with a "A" rating as a "solidly pro-gun candidate" who supported the NRA positions on key votes.
"He doesn’t get to cry crocodile tears over a national tragedy he's been enabling. He should apologize for his record and everyone who has ever earned the endorsement of the NRA should wake up to the carnage they've contributed to facilitating," Noble said.
The most recent election cycle, however, shows Smith earned a "C" rating in 2016, which the NRA characterizes as a candidate with a "mixed record or positions on gun-related issues, who may oppose some pro-gun positions or support some restrictive legislation."
This is not the first time Noble took a swipe at Smith on the gun issue. Noble criticized Smith for his NRA rating earlier this month at the first debate of the three Democratic contenders for governor.
Marguerite Willis, the latest Democrat to jump into the South Carolina governor's race, tweeted Tuesday that lawmakers need to take action on gun reform efforts.
"I hope that the professional politicians in Columbia will finally listen to the voices of the Parkland survivors — and the voices of children and young folks across the country — who are demanding action," the Florence attorney tweeted Tuesday. "South Carolina lawmakers have to start putting the lives of its citizens ahead of their own political ambition. South Carolina demands gun reform now!"