Churchill: Cuomo targets the NRA — and free speech

The public brawl with the group Democrats hate most is just what Cuomo needs to carry him through next month's primary and to elevate his standing for the coming presidential race. It's a wonderful way to change the subject and brush aside those unpleasant corruption headlines.

But there's something to consider if you are among those cheering the governor during this particular fight: His attack on the National Rifle Association is more harmful to the First Amendment than the Second.

Cuomo, you see, has essentially weaponized the state's regulatory authorities to go after a political organization with which he disagrees. It is also an organization that will stand in his way if he really does run for president.