NRA airs 'thank you' ad for Ayotte for gun vote
(CNN) – Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the New Hampshire Republican who's been derided by gun control groups for her "no" vote on expanding background checks last month, is getting some support on the airwaves with a new television spot from the National Rifle Association.
The 30-second ad, airing as part of a $25,000 buy on Manchester-based WMUR, seeks to dispel the notion that Ayotte is opposed to new gun laws.
"Kelly Ayotte voted for a bipartisan plan to make background checks more effective," a narrator is the spot says. "Ayotte voted for a bipartisan plan to reform our broken mental health system. Ayotte voted for more resources to prosecute criminals who use guns. Kelly Ayotte stands with prosecutors and police for New Hampshire values."
The ad, along with an op-ed penned by Ayotte, stress the senator's past votes on measures repairing a background check system she regards as broken, as well as making prosecutions easier for criminals who use guns.
The former prosecutor and New Hampshire attorney general drew on her law enforcement experience as proof of her inside knowledge of laws that work.
"It's clear that criminals who attempt to illegally purchase firearms aren't being prosecuted as they should be – and have not been for years," Ayotte wrote on the local website Bedford Patch. "This sends the message to criminals that there won't be any consequences when they try to get their hands on guns."
"Misleading television and radio ads are counterproductive and only help to poison this important discussion," she continued in the essay.
The response from Ayotte and the NRA comes after a spate of attack ads criticizing her for her April 17 vote against a bipartisan measure that would have expanded background checks to gun shows and internet sales.
The group founded by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband began airing radio ads accusing Ayotte of "ignoring the will of the people." Giffords was seriously wounded in the Tucson, Arizona shooting in 2011.
A spot from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns takes a similar approach, charging Ayotte with giving "criminals a pass" – a hard blow for the former state attorney general who ran largely on her tough-on-crime record.
And Organizing for Action, the political outlet formed from Obama's presidential campaign, took out ads online encouraging supporters to "Remind Senator Ayotte: You work for New Hampshire, not the gun lobby."
Wednesday's ad from the NRA isn't the first time the group has praised Ayotte – the gun rights organization praised Ayotte for her "no" vote on background checks in a radio spot late last month. The ad thanked the senator for her "courage to oppose misguided gun control laws that would not have prevented Sandy Hook."
CNN's Todd Sperry, Sara Fischer and Ashley Killough contributed to this report.
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What a joke of a Senator and ad!
Last nail in her coffin. Too bad, NOT!
This little woman has been standing behind mcnasty and ms. lindsey like the poor little wife whose rethug husband lied and cheated and got re elected in a southern bible thumping family values and high morals state like SC.
Kelly Ayotte / Louie Gohmert 2016
Where North meets South .
Guns/God/Gasoline
More family vaues
You can count on this ad coming back toi haunt her when she is up for re-election. She is a one termer. End of story.
"NRA airs 'thank you' ad for Ayotte for gun vote"
NRA tacitly admits that Ayotte's approval rating has suffered as a direct result of her vote against the background check legislation that 90% of the American public wanted.
FIFY
3 year old blew his head off in FL and a 5 year old shot his 7 year old brother in the back in the past 24 hours. Just another wonderful day in the NRA's guntopia.
Your gone Kelly ,the USA doesn't need another gop stooge for the gun lobby and manufacturs,Kelly out 2014 mid terms.
Is this like some sort of reciept, for services rendered?
She is bought and paid for. period.
NH voters need no further proof that Sen Ayotte is in the pockets of the NRA.
I guess we don't need to ask who she bowed down to.....
I'm sure Sen. Kelly appreciates the NRA pointing out that she sided with them over the vast majority of her State taht expanding Background checks to Internet Sales & Gun Shows MIGHT stop another Conn., Aurora, Va. Tech or Columbine(take your choice)
Imagine if the NRA, National Restaurant Association, began promoting membership to private citizens, above and beyond the companies that make up its' core, companies that manufacture guns and weapons. Imagaine that promote the idea of people eating more and more food, bigger and bigger meals, etc. Well, that is almost exactly what the NRA, National Rifle Association, is doing to its' members who are private citizens.
The holes in the system need to be plugged. To have a check done for one sale but not another is insane. To allow a system where people with stability, or mental issues can go and purchase weapons is insane. But then again so is an explicit right to have guns. But than again that is not written in stone.
When there is an estimated 1 in 10 Americans being treated with antidepressants, or 30 million people, something needs to be chamged. If it is through extended checks, including the use of medical information. So be it. That is what most of you are calling for. But if you include people using medications for some sort of depression then please don't forget that out of those 30million people being treated, 85-90% of those will have guns. What do you do then? I can see it now...have a law but don't apply it to all.
Apply it and see if anyone would abide by it and surrender their now illegal possessions. I highly doubt that would happen. Law abiding, my eye.
Imagine having 20million guns removed. Something like that may actually want me to visit the states.
Thank you Senator for standing up for our rights. Now if congress and the admin could come up with some real proposals to effectively address our violence problems maybe we can get somewhere.
Can they air the same add for the repubes in all the northern states please. We sure can use their help to get rid of all these idiots!!
@Marie MD
Last nail in her coffin. Too bad, NOT!
This little woman has been standing behind mcnasty and ms. lindsey like the poor little wife whose rethug husband lied and cheated and got re elected in a southern bible thumping family values and high morals state like SC
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Our, left or right, opinions don't matter a hill'o beans, unless we are from SC. We don't have a dog in the fight, if that is who the SC people want representing them, not much we can do about it.
every gun is as sacred as an embryo
Ayotte......"gee thanks NRA. You just put the nail in my coffin." This ad is gong to be used A LOT during her next campaign and it ain't gonna help her. All the gun hugging freaks will of course say otherwise but since they've spent too much time breathing in the NRA stink, they'd repeat anything they say, no matter how stupid
@fooper
every gun is as sacred as an embryo
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minor correction: "bullet," vice "gun."
You can't vote for an agenda, which does not fix the problem.
The Dems didn't have a proposal that would address any of the REAL problems.........they just wanted to trample on the Constitutional rights of Americans, and deceive the public about what they were REALLY doing.
Is this like some sort of reciept, for services rendered?
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Correct except that I wasn't aware that 'hos got receipts, but there you go.
This should go over great with her constituants. It will be more helpful getting her voted out of office than anything the opposition could have come up with. Thanks NRA.
Senator: Job well done until the next assignment