The National Rifle Association has canceled a week’s worth of television advertising in Virginia’s 2017 elections, in the wake of the deadly mass shooting at a concert in Las Vegas that authorities said has left more than 50 dead. The NRA was set to air ads starting Tuesday, media-buying sources said, with five weeks to go until Virginia’s statewide elections. But the group has now gone dark until Oct. 10.
A trade group that represents The New York Times, the Associated Press and other major publishers is calling out the NRA, accusing the gun rights group of crossing a line and threatening journalists.
Exclusives
The NRA produces or sponsors six cable TV shows that appear on either the Outdoor or Sportsman channels, which are each available in more than 30 million homes, including many gun owners.
Don’t Let NRA Misdirect With Media Lies
As a media critic, I will limit myself to the disingenuous attack on the media from NRA VP Wayne LaPierre. Of course, it’s a shameless attempt to avoid accepting any responsibility by his organization. But in the interest of a sane discussion about media violence — rather than the demagogued, crazy-right-wing-paranoid speechifying of LaPierre — some social science research, facts and context need to be presented.
The National Rifle Association broke its silence today on last week’s shooting rampage at a Connecticut elementary school. The group’s top lobbyist, Wayne LaPierre blamed video games, movies and music videos for exposing children to a violent culture day in and day out. “In a race to the bottom, many conglomerates compete with one another to shock, violate, and offend every standard of civilized society, by bringing an even more toxic mix of reckless behavior and criminal cruelty right into our homes,” he said.
