CeaseFirePA is calling on supporters to thank Comcast for requiring the National Rifle Association to remove images of children with firearms from an ad they wish to run for the Great American Outdoor Show.
The gun control advocacy group issued a statement earlier this week, requesting that their followers “take a minute and help us send Comcast a message thanking them for refusing to run ads featuring kids with guns” because “even for a big company, it takes guts to stand up to gun bullies.”
According to Philly.com, the NRA had submitted two ads for the GAOS, one of which depicted children with guns — something that violates Comcast’s internal advertising guidelines. An NRA spokesman told the newspaper the images of children with guns were from the show’s air gun range, which is staffed with safety officers.
“With over 18,000 children and teens injured or killed each year due to gun violence, this isn’t a joke. And we certainly shouldn’t be running ads that encourage the dangerous mixing of children and guns. We applaud Comcast’s decision,” said CeaseFirePA.
A statement from the NRA responding to the ad change was not immediately available, but when the conflict first surfaced last week, NRA spokesman Kyle Jillson expressed frustration to The Washington Examiner because firearms are a major attraction for the show.
“We designed an ad campaign to depict the events, activities, and sights people could expect to see at the Great American Outdoor Show. To remove a crucial aspect of the show from our ads would be a major disservice to people who may be interested in attending. We do not have plans to alter the ads at this time,” he said.
The NRA took over promotion of the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in 2013 and turned it into the Great American Outdoor Show, after the initial promoter — Reed Exhibitions — banned the sale or display of AR-15’s and other similar firearms, and the 2013 show was ultimately cancelled after an overwhelming number of vendors opted out of the show.
The show runs Feb. 6-14 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg and the Outdoor Channel has been named the presenting sponsor for the third consecutive year. In the 650,000 square foot exhibit space, roughly 1,100 vendors will showcase guns, ammo, and hunting and fishing gear.
The nine-day show also pumps around $70 million into the local economy, according to the 2014 report by the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau.
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