Gunnery Network
Gun Industry Commercials Counter Litigation
6 August 2000
www.GunneryNetwork.com
Gunnery Network
Gun Industry Commercials Counter Litigation
6 August 2000
| The gun industry plans to begin airing commercials that attack President Clinton and other lawmakers for supporting litigation aimed at gunmakers, the New York Times reported July 28. "We're being blamed for crime and violence by this administration and big-city mayors whose greedy lawyers are using your tax dollars to sue us," says the narrator in one of the two 60-second spots. "So now, we need you." The commercials by the National Shooting Sports Foundation will air during prime-time coverage of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the industry's leading trade association. Robert Delfay, president of the organization, said the commercials are part of a broader effort to target elected officials who have accused gunmakers of being legally responsible for gun violence. The group also is using its nationwide network of retailers and gun clubs to register voters. "Companies have gone out of business, and will go out of business if this continues," said Delfay. "This is a critically important election in our history." In addition to running during the political conventions, the commercials will air throughout the fall in closely contested states with large numbers of hunters, including Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. To counter the message of the gun industry, Handgun Control Inc. also plans to run commercials during the conventions that portray Bush as a pawn of the National Rifle Association. |
