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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.