Opinion
By Larry Keane
The glamour and influence of Hollywood just ain’t what it used to be. That explains why Brady United for Gun Control’s recent announcement that they’re bringing on Hollywood executives and producers to help sell gun control makes perfect sense.
Americans don’t want to be lectured to by out-of-touch actors who make millions and live in safe, gated communities and are protected by armed bodyguards. They don’t care what they think. They’re tired of paying good money to have “woke” movie directors bludgeon them with progressive politics in a movie theater.
The gun control industry, in the same light, continues to push an agenda that Americans aren’t buying. Recent history and polling has shown law-abiding Americans are fed up with the defund-the-police and soft-on-crime policies imposed on them in America’s biggest cities, including Los Angeles and Hollywood. Instead of remaining victims to politicians taking away their rights and letting criminals run the show, they’re taking personal safety into their own hands by embracing their Second Amendment rights.
With their announcement, Brady is joining other national gun control groups in trying to sell Americans on giving up more of their rights. That agenda is not an award-winning one.
In The Tank
The abysmal viewership numbers of the various yearly Hollywood awards shows are in the dumps. Recently, the Academy Awards, or Oscars, had just 10.1 million viewers, a plunge of more than 55 percent from the year prior. Anyone recall the 2020 Ricky Gervais monologue? (Disclosure: not safe for workplace viewing.) “So if you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a political platform to make a political speech. You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything,” Gervaise chastised the live audience of actors and entertainment industry suits.
The feeling is similar among Americans who see gun control groups lecture them about community safety, endorse and support prosecutors and elected officials who go soft on criminals and then work to deny law-abiding Americans from taking lawful steps to protect themselves and their families. No amount of Hollywood dress up will help.
Brady announced the addition of three big names to help them sell more gun control. In a release, the gun control group touted the hires, saying they will “bolster efforts and cultivate new relationships in the entertainment industry.” The goal is to “ignite a movement among culture leaders and creators to spark positive norm and behavior change and reshape America’s relationship with guns.”
America’s relationship with guns certainly has changed dramatically over the past three years, too. So much so that Americans have lawfully purchased more than 1 million firearms every month for 50 straight months, this historic stretch includes large percentages of women gun buyers, minority gun buyers, and first-time gun buyers, making the gun-owning community the most diverse ever.
Deep Gun Control Ties
Joining the Brady gun control outfit are Christy Callahan, a former motion picture creative executive and TV writer; Jared Milrad, an “award-winning filmmaker, actor, entrepreneur and advocate for inclusion and social impact in entertainment”; and Matt Littman, who is leaving his position at the gun control group 97 percent. Previously, he served as then-Sen. Joe Biden’s chief speechwriter and is currently a senior advisor to President Biden’s reelection campaign. President Biden, of course, continues to repeat lies about the firearm industry in his speeches and public appearances calling for more gun control.
Callahan helped spearhead an “open letter” that was signed by more than 200 Hollywood writers, producers, and actors. The letter demonstrated how one-sided the effort is.
“Guns are prominently featured in TV and movies in every corner of the globe, but only America has a gun violence epidemic. The responsibility lies with lax gun laws supported by those politicians more afraid of losing power than saving lives,” the letter reads. Among other goals, the letter states the signatories support “Limiting scenes that include children and guns, bearing in mind that guns are now the leading cause of death for children and adolescents.” The false statistic is often repeated by gun control groups, as well as President Biden, who knowingly ignore that a majority of the deaths included involve criminal firearm violence committed by persons aged 18 and 19 who are legal adults. I wonder how many acting gigs these signatories have turned down because they depicted and glorified the misuse of gun violence. Let’s see them put their money where their mouth is.
Leading Real Change
The firearm industry supports safe and responsible gun ownership and has a proven track record of making a positive impact. NSSF’s Real Solutions. Safer Communities.® campaign has helped reduce unintentional firearm deaths to record low numbers since data was first tracked in 1903. That includes supporting safe and secure firearm storage in the home and not in use. Through that effort, Project ChildSafe® has distributed more than 40 million free firearm safety kits, including locking devices, through partnerships with over 15,000 law enforcement agencies in all 50 states and five U.S. territories. This campaign has been recognized by the National Safety Council’s Green Cross Awards and the Government Accountability Office for its efficacy in reducing the criminal and negligent misuse of firearms through voluntary safe storage.
Additionally, NSSF’s Operation Secure Store® and Don’t Lie for the Other Guy
campaigns work with firearm retailers to provide educational resources and services to better secure their inventory and reduce robberies and burglaries and remind the public it is a serious crime to lie on the federal background check form to buy a firearm for someone else who cannot do so on their own. ATF data from this year confirms once again these programs help make communities safer.
Hollywood elites continue to ignore the real crime problems plaguing America’s cities. Gun control groups are no better and continue to advocate for policies that limit rights and leave law-abiding Americans less safe. Hollywood and gun control working together won’t change anything.
Instead, the firearm industry will continue doing the hard work on safety initiatives that actually do make communities safer, all while protecting rights – not eliminating them.
About The National Shooting Sports Foundation
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org
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