First on CNN: New player in gun control ad wars
Washington (CNN) - MoveOn.org is moving into the TV fight over curbing gun violence.
The progressive group will announce Friday that it's going up with a television commercial that goes after members of Congress who accept donations from the National Rifle Association.
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The MoveOn spot, which the group says it will spend six figures to run for a week on national cable television (including CNN), is part of their campaign titled, "The NRA doesn't speak for me.”
In the ad, a man named Jerry Thompson, who describes himself as a gun owner and proud defender of the Second Amendment, says "for years I've watched Congress take money from the NRA and then oppose any kind of reform that helps keep us safe."
Thompson goes on to say that he was disgusted by the NRA's response to the December massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, where a well-armed gunman killed 20 young students and six adults.
The commercial ends with Thompson saying "I've had enough. So here's my message to Congress. You take money from the NRA and then continue to do their bidding, we're going to remember that come election time. The NRA doesn't speak for me, and they don't speak for the vast majority of Americans so stop taking their money"
MoveOn's announcement of their new ad comes one day after NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre charged that President Barack Obama's gun control proposals in the State of the Union address were "not about keeping kids safe at school" but rather part of a broad campaign to "dismantle the Second Amendment."
"When nothing else matters to every parent in America, President Obama had nothing to say about school security and nothing he proposed has anything to do with protecting one child in any school in this country," LaPierre said in remarks billed as a response to Tuesday's speech.
Near the end of the State of the Union address the president made an emotional plea for Congress to hold votes on controversial proposals for tougher gun laws. Listing gun violence victims, some of whom were in the audience at the U.S. Capitol, Obama said "they deserve a vote" as many in the audience cheered loudly.
Thursday's NRA speech came one day after LaPierre issued a rally-cry for gun owners, writing in an op-ed that "good Americans are prudently getting ready to protect themselves" against what he described as an onslaught of doom.
"Hurricanes. Tornadoes. Riots. Terrorists. Gangs. Lone criminals. These are perils we are sure to face-not just maybe. It's not paranoia to buy a gun. It's survival," the NRA's executive vice president wrote in the op-ed published Wednesday by the conservative news website, The Daily Caller.
The NRA also went up at the beginning of the week with a web video that asserted that the president's attempts to enact new gun control laws would result in the "confiscation" of people’s firearms.
MoveOn says that besides the TV ad, they'll greet members of Congress as they head home for recess with organized rallies and congressional office drop-bys. The group also says it will distribute "The NRA Doesn't Speak for Me" bumper stickers.
- CNN's Ashley Killough contributed to this report.
The NRA needs to understand that protection with a weapon only works so well. There needs to be a realistic understanding of what the average person needs. I think that if someone wants an assult weapon, it should not be secured at their residence but at a gun range/club that can secure it properly. A weapon like that isn't for home defense.
It's great to see the gun control debate being taken up by groups other than those funded by the gun lobby!
The 2nd AM was written when the US was a fledgling nation that had no national army or defense system in place, and need the "people" to be able to quickly form a militia to defend themselves.
In today's world, it is so outdated... in the US we focus so much on the written word – be that the Constitution, the Bible or laws – so that special interest groups can use those words for their advantage. The 2nd AM is VERY CLEAR about gun ownership not being infringed.. but it's also VERY CLEAR as to that ownership being in a WELL-REGULATED MILITIA.
In other words, OWN ALL THE GUNS YOU WANT as long as you are PART of a WELL-REGULATED MILITIA. Now all the gun nuts can go join the National Guard....
John
The ignorance of these anti gun people is shocking....most don't even know the difference between a clip/magazine, or how to define an assault rifle, or have ever even shot a gun. Biden does not even know the difference between a clip/magazine, and thinks its easier to shoot a double barrel shotgun.....what fantasy is he living in?
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Gun techno talk may sound cool to you, but what you don't get is we don't care about technical specifications. We care about 900 Americans a month-DEAD; we care that the NRA wants more guns and less responsibility; we care that school kids are dying; we care that the NRA is playing a role in arming criminals, drug cartels, and terrorists; we care that "Crazy Wayne" has declared war on the government.
Now, you may want to stand with those guys, WE DON'T.
@girish: Actually the majority of gun related homicides and injuries come from Gang related violence, not anger at the home. If you want to get guns out of the hands of criminals, that's perfectly fine, but don't be taking it out of the hands of the lawful at the same time, especially through laws(which the lawless will not follow). If you really want to reduce the gun homicide rates, go after why they're committing the act rather than how they're committing it. I suppose that'd require members of congress to actually put some effort into research and put effort into acts to reduce our incarceration rate, which would anger the private jails that help line their pockets.
It's not the NRA politicians fear. It's the non NRA member gun owners they fear.
hey pete, muskets and the 2nd amendment, we evolve, we change with the times. in the 2nd amendment it's worded "the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." unlike the 1st amendment "you" do not have the right of free speech or the press. "you only have "the right of peaceable assembly." all they had back then was a "manual printing press" not the mass communication capabilities that we have today. so therefore "you" have no voice or printed words to express your thoughts or opinions.
I am so sick of the "Ball Less" wonders in the House and Senate. NRA has way to much influenence and they should not even be at the table on this discussion. Outlaw all assault type weapons and high capacity mags period.
Maybe all the libs who want to restrict guns should all move to Chicago....You ought to be really super safe there....They have really tough gun laws....enjoy
My next door neighbor wants to ban all guns. Their house is not armed.
Out of respect for their opinions, I promise NOT to use my guns to protect them.
"It's not the NRA politicians fear."
Oh, I don't know about that, Scott. Reading comments from NRA members, I'm beginning to think we should all fear what these NRA stooges are capable of by simply taking them at their word that they are indeed ready to inflict total chaos on anyone who dares suggest that they of all people need to adhere to background checks. How does that Palin ditty go: locked, and ready?