MSNBC's Sharpton Slams NRA Video as 'Tasteless' and 'Offensive'
On the Friday, May 3, Politics Nation, MSNBC host Al Sharpton fretted over the video that was played at Friday's NRA convention in Houston to introduce Rick Perry which shows the Texas governor firing at targets with an AR-15. Sharpton began the segment:
Houston, we have a problem. It's called the NRA. Today, in Houston, the NRA held its annual convention with a whose who list of the far-right pundits and politicians in the country. In fact, the NRA used a tasteless video to introduce Texas Governor Rick Perry, complete with the soundtrack and slow motion effects that showed him shooting an AR-15, the same type of gun used at Newtown.
After a clip of the Perry video, Sharpton responded:
That's offensive. Glamorizing a weapon of murder. That's not what Americans want. At a townhall last night in Arizona, a woman who used to work for Gabby Giffords and who was shot in the Tucson massacre praised Republican Senator John McCain for his "yes" vote on background checks.
After a clip of the audience member, Pam Simon, thanking Arizona Republican Senator John McCain for voting for universal background checks, followed by audience applause, the MSNBC host continued:
That's where Americans stand now on guns. That's why the far right is far from over -- far from over is this fight against the far right on this issue. And that's why President Obama is vowing to renew the push for background checks.
-- Brad Wilmouth is a news analyst at the Media Research Center
