In his post-Newtown press conference, NRA Veep Wayne LaPierre tried to deflect attention away from Adam Lanza’s Bushmaster AR-15. LaPierre criticized society for fostering homicidal urges through violent movies and videogames. “Isn’t fantasizing about killing people as a way to get your kicks really the filthiest form of pornography?” TTAG pointed out the lunacy of this strategy. If nothing else, firearms-intensive movies and video games are to gun culture 2.0 what Pamela Anderson was to California tourism. Forbes magazine exposes the folly of Wayne’s world with The NRA’s Amazing Hypocrisy About Hollywood Gun Violence. Turns out the editors of the NRA’s American Rifleman didn’t get the memo about cultural culpability . . .
American Rifleman just came out with its list of the 10 “coolest gun movies” ever. They include The Terminator, admired for how “Arnold Schwarzenegger played an advanced killing machine that is almost completely unstoppable,” and The Godfather, which “affected millions in many different ways with its cinematography, plot and underlying themes, such as how with determination anyone can become powerful, even if that power is of the criminal nature.” . . .
So now the NRA is praising, among other things, a movie hero who’s an “almost unstoppable” “killing machine,” a career in criminality, and making a shootout a dance with great music. Talking Points Memo’s Hunter Walker writes that “TPM called the NRA to ask how celebrating gun movies fit with the group’s past comments criticizing Hollywood. No one from the organization responded.”
Needless to say, Forbes, TPM, MSNBC and the other left-leaning media mavens picking up on this story were blind to the editorial nuance provided by American Rifleman’s caption writers. Here’s the rest of that Terminator summary:
This movie made shooters realize the importance of firepower, and that preparedness might be needed in the future. That is what this movie is about—the future—and how anything is possible, even the creation of cyber units that are a mix of man and machine, which isn’t that unbelievable since recent news reports reveal that scientists have built a bionic man that utilizes a working heart, a set of lungs and a face. Let’s just hope they don’t come for us.
One thing’s for sure: the mainstream media’s coming for us. Well, the NRA and us. To that end, these “gotcha” reports on the American Rifleman’s movie list also ignored the pro-liberty context provided for other flicks such as this capsule summary for Red Dawn:
Up until the fall of the Berlin wall, many folks prepared for a possible invasion by what Ronald Reagan called the “Evil Empire.” This movie emphasized that Americans fought, and would fight again, for their freedoms.
The Alamo: “While the movie is probably not historically accurate, it features some good battle scenes and the pioneering spirit that made this country a beacon of freedom in the world.”
Die Hard: “While few of us actually followed through and became police officers, which is probably best since this is very untypical in the life of most law enforcement officers, this movie reminds us that good can triumph over evil with skill, training, determination and a few well-placed shots. Yippee-ki-yay.
Etc. Clearly, the NRA sees the positive value of firearms-related violence in movies. Some movies, anyway. All the more reason Wayne should have STFU about the “cultural causes” supposedly enabling and/or encouraging spree killers. The NRA Veep played into the hands of the enemies of the Second Amendment and alienated the members of tomorrow.
Oh well. You win some, you lose some, but the love of liberty that drives the NRA membership is unstoppable. So to speak.
yeah, that was pretty dumb. bad move.
RF is undoubtedly correct — firearms-intensive movies and video games promote gun culture. So now the MSM — which has been dissing “violent” movies and games for years (yes they have — use your google-fu and read their reviews), is now supporting them for no other reason than because the NRA opposes them.
Now if we could just get the NRA to just come out against guns, we’d be all set.
Yeah, that was honestly my biggest complaint with the NRA following the Newtown shootings; you don’t protect the 2nd by trampling on the 1st.
On the plus note; my LGS was fully restocked with .22 lr and .38 Special today, at pre-panic pricing for the most part; with no limit. (And no, I didn’t go too nuts, don’t want to ruin it for everyone else.)
One of the most important aspects of Red Dawn was that the Russians were able to find gun owners based on the registration records. When guns were missing they killed the owners. The remake of the film completely ignored this point.
the remake should have been called anything but red dawn, it didnt touch on any important part of the original movie. it seemed to turn an american classic it the now common crappy bad written movie
I said this when the NRA first made that move… they published in AR an article about Call of Duty and how modern video games and their realistic firearms are bringing in a new generation of American shooters and it’s a great thing, then they go and vilify movies and video games. Hell, they have a movie exhibit in the NRA Firearms museum dedicated to film and tv firearms…. how the F did they not think that one through?? Stupid. (and a stupid argument to boot)
“Somebody has been playing Grand Theft Auto”
They left is adamant that movies and tv have no effect on violence,
but are quick to attribute violence in Muslim communities
(Bengazi anyone?) to movies and tv. Hypocrisy indeed.
Forbes has published several positive pro 2A pieces this year. I’ve read a few and probably missed others.
LaPierre is the single worst thing that ever happened to the NRA. And he will continue to be, until the Board gets the message and gives the jerk the boot.
Crickets.
To tell… What was the second worst thing?
Whinging non-members without a dog in the hunt?
Um, Forbes isn’t a left-leaning magazine. Its editor, Steve Forbes, ran to the right of other Republican candidates in the 90s.
Forbes is a business magazine. That doesn’t make it left or right.
For what it’s worth, Christopher Buckley, who is one of our funniest conservative humorists, has been involved with the Forbes machine for years. His (15 year old) “Wry Martinis” – a collection of stuff he wrote when he was editor of Forbes FYI while writing for other mags – is the funniest used book I’ve run into in years. And yes, the younger Mr. Buckley is just a bit to the right of PJ O’Rourke and perhaps a bit funnier, in a very dry way.
Christopher Buckley; the son of William F. Buckley; the one who voted for the hope and change of Dear Leader Obama,…that Christopher Buckley? Uh-huh.
Now I want to hear TTAG’s picks for their top gun-related films. How about it?
I’m sure those movies and video games have negative impact on some kids, but it is their parents’ responsibility to decide what the children are exposed to. Each child is different, even within the same family.
LaPierrre made a major goof in alienating some serious potential allies, throwing video games under the bus, feeble as it was.
A much better move would’ve been throwing in behind the games industry, pointing out that neither one is the least bit dangerous in the hands of a responsible owner.
+6.02E23
I’ll make a compromise with the anti-s. Un-regulate suppressors, SBR, SBS, full auto, and implement national CCW, and I’ll let you ban Terminators.
First, no explanation is given on how these got picked “top-ten” movies.
The Godfather is a gun movie? Really? So if guns are used in the movie,
does that mean it’s proper to rank it as a “gun movie?” Not in my book.
Who created this “so-called” list? Not one Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry
movie made the list? Or even one of his Spaghetti Westerns like, For A
Few Dollars More? How about the WW-II flick, Where Eagles Dare?
How is Predator is not on that list? And one of the biggest gun movies
ever made, The Longest Day, is somehow not on the list? It’s GI/GO.
By the way….I just watched “Jack Reacher” recently, and without going into the fact that the “real” Jack Reacher is 6’5″ and all muscle…and Tom Cruise, um, is not….that movie featured some of the most accurate and realistic depictions of the use of small arms I’ve ever seen, even featuring a guy rolling his own rounds in the beginning.
I think Wayne was right about “some” of the games, he should not have lumped them together. Wayne was right about critisizing o & his holier than thou standard on his kids get protection & yours don’t. Wayne should never have backed off the brady dickheads. As mentioned, Waynes heart is in the right place & I’m not looking for perfection as few people are that, Randy
Wayne LaPierre is not stupid he is corrupt. He is scamming the patriots for his own gain. He must be exposed.