America's Gun Violence

OnWis97

HughFreakingDillon said:

sarah beattie is a comedian.....a very filthy one at that. 

Yeah. It's not my type of comedy but I don't really think it detracts from any points made about gun violence.

dudeman

Halifax2TheMax said:

Good to see folks dredging the bottom of the gutter of twitter to try and make a point, whatever their point might be.

Agreed. 

mickeyrat

 https://news.yahoo.com/police-1-killed-2-wounded-162632036.html

An employee suspected of shooting three workers at an office inside a Long Island grocery store Tuesday, killing a manager, was arrested hours after fleeing, p...

static111

https://www.google.com/amp/s/news.yahoo.com/amphtml/columbus-police-fatally-shoot-person-222318319.html Cop kills 15 year old girl when will it end

Bentleyspop

https://twitter.com/semperdiced/status/1386120382101397508?s=19

Halifax2TheMax

Bentleyspop said:

https://twitter.com/semperdiced/status/1386120382101397508?s=19

“Responsible” gun owner? You don’t say?

mcgruff10

You can't get into a gun show unless you are 18 or with an adult.  I think we have some creative editing going on there.  

As per the ATF:
Under the Gun Control Act (GCA), shotguns and rifles, and ammunition for shotguns or rifles may be sold only to individuals 18 years of age or older. All firearms other than shotguns and rifles, and all ammunition other than ammunition for shotguns or rifles may be sold only to individuals 21 years of age or older. Licensees are bound by the minimum age requirements established by the GCA regardless of State or local law. However, if State law or local ordinances establish a higher minimum age for the purchase or disposition of firearms, the licensee must observe the higher age requirement.

https://www.atf.gov/firearms/qa/does-customer-have-be-certain-age-buy-firearms-or-ammunition-licensee

static111

mcgruff10 said:

You can't get into a gun show unless you are 18 or with an adult.  I think we have some creative editing going on there.  

As per the ATF:
Under the Gun Control Act (GCA), shotguns and rifles, and ammunition for shotguns or rifles may be sold only to individuals 18 years of age or older. All firearms other than shotguns and rifles, and all ammunition other than ammunition for shotguns or rifles may be sold only to individuals 21 years of age or older. Licensees are bound by the minimum age requirements established by the GCA regardless of State or local law. However, if State law or local ordinances establish a higher minimum age for the purchase or disposition of firearms, the licensee must observe the higher age requirement.

https://www.atf.gov/firearms/qa/does-customer-have-be-certain-age-buy-firearms-or-ammunition-licensee

I have been to gun shows and no one has ever asked for an id.  Granted this was in New Mexico and Texas, but you absolutely can get in without an ID

mcgruff10

static111 said:

mcgruff10 said:

You can't get into a gun show unless you are 18 or with an adult.  I think we have some creative editing going on there.  

As per the ATF:
Under the Gun Control Act (GCA), shotguns and rifles, and ammunition for shotguns or rifles may be sold only to individuals 18 years of age or older. All firearms other than shotguns and rifles, and all ammunition other than ammunition for shotguns or rifles may be sold only to individuals 21 years of age or older. Licensees are bound by the minimum age requirements established by the GCA regardless of State or local law. However, if State law or local ordinances establish a higher minimum age for the purchase or disposition of firearms, the licensee must observe the higher age requirement.

https://www.atf.gov/firearms/qa/does-customer-have-be-certain-age-buy-firearms-or-ammunition-licensee

I have been to gun shows and no one has ever asked for an id.  Granted this was in New Mexico and Texas, but you absolutely can get in without an ID

I stand corrected.   However there is no way that story went like that.  The mom/dad probably bought the .22 and the kid carried it out.  (Which isn’t a big deal at all)

jerparker20

mcgruff10 said:

static111 said:

mcgruff10 said:

You can't get into a gun show unless you are 18 or with an adult.  I think we have some creative editing going on there.  

As per the ATF:
Under the Gun Control Act (GCA), shotguns and rifles, and ammunition for shotguns or rifles may be sold only to individuals 18 years of age or older. All firearms other than shotguns and rifles, and all ammunition other than ammunition for shotguns or rifles may be sold only to individuals 21 years of age or older. Licensees are bound by the minimum age requirements established by the GCA regardless of State or local law. However, if State law or local ordinances establish a higher minimum age for the purchase or disposition of firearms, the licensee must observe the higher age requirement.

https://www.atf.gov/firearms/qa/does-customer-have-be-certain-age-buy-firearms-or-ammunition-licensee

I have been to gun shows and no one has ever asked for an id.  Granted this was in New Mexico and Texas, but you absolutely can get in without an ID

I stand corrected.   However there is no way that story went like that.  The mom/dad probably bought the .22 and the kid carried it out.  (Which isn’t a big deal at all)

The key phrase in this video, “... bought it from a private seller...”

This is the “ gun show loophole” that you hear about. Private sellers are allowed to sell at gun shows in some states without being licensed gun dealers. It’s no different than putting a gun for sale on Craigslist and meeting in a parking lot to make an exchange, or the neighbor selling it to the kid next door. No licensing, no background checks, no records, perfectly legal.

I too have been to numerous gun shows and don’t ever recall being IDed prior to entry. As long as I had a $10 bill to cover the admission no one cared. 

mace1229

I never heard of the gun show loophole meaning any age can buy guns. I’m pretty sure there’s still a minimum age even at a gun show. I don’t see how that was legally purchased.

Also, I miss the old gun shows. I used to go the the LA county gun shows with my parents as a kid. My mom who has never owned or shot a gun still loved it because only a small fraction were actually guns. Just a bunch of random cool stuff and a ton of antiques. I don’t know if all guns shows were like that in the 80s or just LA county. But about 25 years ago they shut that one down.

mcgruff10

Yeah I don't think the gun show loop hole allows private sellers to sell to anyone under the age of 18.  Like I said, there was definitely some creative editing with that video.

josevolution

Please you can’t really believe every gun show in America follows any strict guidelines maybe some but not all! Who goes around making sure they do? How many gun shows take place every damn week? 

mace1229

josevolution said:

Please you can’t really believe every gun show in America follows any strict guidelines maybe some but not all! Who goes around making sure they do? How many gun shows take place every damn week? 

Maybe, but that’s not what the video said. It said the gun was purchased legally, not that gun shows don’t follow rules and sold a gun to a 13-year old against the law. 13 year olds can’t legally buy guns legally, gun show or not. So at best it was deceptive, if not flat out staged or wrong. 

I know some liquor stores will sell cigarettes to a 13 year old. But I’m not going to make a video of a kid buying some and claim that means it’s legal. Since that’s be just stupid and untrue to claim that. At best that’s what happened here. Which makes me question the credibility all around.

Halifax2TheMax

According to this, it is legal for a 13 year old to purchase a long gun from a private seller at a gun show. That's the loophole that reasonable people want closed and the one "responsible" gun owners want to remain open. Yea, just stupid.

A mass school shooting in Florida has sparked renewed debate over whether and how to reform gun regulations in the United States. Among the issues under discussion now is the age at which it should be legal to purchase a weapon like the one used to kill 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Under federal law, the minimum age to buy a handgun from a licensed dealer is 21. But the age limit drops to 18 if the gun is being purchased from a private, unlicensed seller, which could be a neighbor or someone online, or at gun show. 

For long guns, which includes rifles like AR-15s and shotguns, the minimum age of purchase from a licensed dealer is 18 under the federal law. But there’s no minimum age to purchase a long gun from a unlicensed seller. 

What are the legal ages for buying guns? | TheHill

mace1229

Halifax2TheMax said:

According to this, it is legal for a 13 year old to purchase a long gun from a private seller at a gun show. That's the loophole that reasonable people want closed and the one "responsible" gun owners want to remain open. Yea, just stupid.

A mass school shooting in Florida has sparked renewed debate over whether and how to reform gun regulations in the United States. Among the issues under discussion now is the age at which it should be legal to purchase a weapon like the one used to kill 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Under federal law, the minimum age to buy a handgun from a licensed dealer is 21. But the age limit drops to 18 if the gun is being purchased from a private, unlicensed seller, which could be a neighbor or someone online, or at gun show. 

For long guns, which includes rifles like AR-15s and shotguns, the minimum age of purchase from a licensed dealer is 18 under the federal law. But there’s no minimum age to purchase a long gun from a unlicensed seller. 

What are the legal ages for buying guns? | TheHill

I have never heard of that, always thought it was 18 (and in many states it is). I looked it up on the ATF website too and its true. I'm actually pretty surprised there is no federal minimum age for a private transfer. I'd be curious how many states don't have a minimum age either, but dont have time right now to check.

Minimum Age for Gun Sales and Transfers* | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (atf.gov)
Long Guns: There are no federal laws preventing unlicensed persons from selling, delivering or otherwise transferring a long gun or long gun ammunition to a person of any age

Halifax2TheMax

Another "responsible" gun owner.

Video shows NRA head struggling to kill wounded elephant from feet away: ‘I’m not sure where you’re shooting’

The wounded elephant was on the ground, his hunters drawn close for the kill. But the longtime head of the National Rifle Association — touted as a skilled marksman — struggled to finish the job.

Following a guide and clad in safari gear, Wayne LaPierre fires shots from a few feet away. The elephant’s breathing is labored.

“I’m not sure where you’re shooting,” the guide says. One apparently errant shot later, another man steps in.

The 2013 footage from a Botswana hunting trip — captured for a television show the NRA used to sponsor — never aired out of concern it could become a “public relations fiasco,” according to the New Yorker and the nonprofit newsroom the Trace, which published the video Tuesday. LaPierre at times appears to struggle with basic marksmanship and could have violated the NRA’s ethics code for hunters: “I will do my best to acquire those marksmanship and hunting skills, which insure clean, sportsmanlike kills,” the code reads.

The video came at a fraught time for the NRA, a major political force and powerful lobbyist against gun control. The footage was posted just two days before LaPierre is due to testify for the second time in an ongoing NRA bankruptcy case in Dallas, one that has put LaPierre’s stewardship of the gun rights lobby on trial. A New York native, LaPierre has led the NRA since 1991.

The elephant hunt footage quickly drew backlash and derisive reactions on Tuesday.

“In which @NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre manages to alienate both hunters and gun owners because not only is this inhumane, but he’s a horrible shot,” tweeted Shannon Watts, a fierce NRA critic and the founder of Moms Demand Action, which fights for stronger gun restrictions.

In a statement, NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam confirmed LaPierre was part of a hunt in Botswana and “the corresponding video footage was for an outdoor TV show the NRA once sponsored.”

He defended the hunt as “fully permitted and conducted in accordance with all rules and regulations” and as an activity that contributes to the region’s economy and culture, echoing arguments from other proponents of big-game hunting.

“The video offers an incomplete portrayal of the experience — and fails to express the many ways this activity benefits the local community and habitat,” Arulanandam said.

The video was shot for “Under Wild Skies,” which showcases big-game hunts and is hosted by Tony Makris, an executive at the NRA’s estranged former PR company Ackerman McQueen — now in a legal fight with the gun rights group. Makris could not be reached Tuesday evening for comment.

In 2013, video of Makris shooting an elephant in the face sparked another outcry, leading NBC Sports Network, which aired the show, to respond in a statement that the “Under Wild Skies” episode should not have aired and would not run again. Makris was filmed chasing the injured animal, eventually killing it and celebrating with champagne.

“While this form of hunting is legal, we understand that many viewers find it objectionable,” NBC said at the time.

The video published Tuesday captures LaPierre and Makris on another elephant hunt. After an animal is spotted and LaPierre prepares to fire, a guide instructs him to wait. But LaPierre, wearing earplugs, does not hear the instructions, he later says.

His first shot lands off-screen. LaPierre asks, “Did we get him?” The guide locates the downed elephant and points out where LaPierre should fire a fatal round. LaPierre fires two more shots from only a few feet away.

“I’m not sure where you’re shooting,” the guide says.

“Where are you telling me to shoot?” LaPierre asks.

The guide moves forward and points out a place near the ear — a recommended target to pierce the animal’s brain. He fires his fourth shot and misses again.

The guide laughs and suggests to Makris he finish up. He fires a shot. “That’s it,” the guide says.

Makris downplays his own role, however.

“You dropped him like no tomorrow,” he tells LaPierre.

LaPierre’s wife, Susan, kills her own elephant with better marksmanship than her husband — after shooting a tusked elephant in the head, the guide directs where to shoot it in the chest to ensure it’s dead. Her second shot wins approval from the group, and she laughs with relief.

The guide says it’s a hunter custom to cut the tail off a dead elephant so it cannot be claimed by someone else.

Susan LaPierre saws through the hide with a knife and raises it to the sky.

“Victory,” she says.

African elephants are endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The African forest elephant population has fallen by more than 86 percent over about the past three decades, according to the organization, while the number of African savanna elephants has dropped at least 60 percent over the past half-century. The group points to poaching and loss of habitat, and Botswana’s government has spoken about the benefits of legalized elephant hunts.

Critics called the gory display in Tuesday’s video disturbing. “This is disgusting,” tweeted MSNBC host Joy-Ann Reid.

“We’re in the midst of a poaching epidemic, and rich trophy hunters like the NRA chief are blasting away at elephants while the international community calls for stiffer penalties for poachers — what message does that send?” Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.

The video’s release comes as the NRA is embroiled in messy legal battles.

After the group was sued last year by New York Attorney General Letitia James for violating state charity laws, NRA leaders announced the organization was declaring bankruptcy and moving to Texas largely to avoid the New York lawsuit. James claimed LaPierre and other executives enriched themselves at the expense of the tax-exempt organization and its 5 million members — and she sought dissolution of the NRA, which was originally chartered in New York state.

James and others have contested the NRA bankruptcy filing and asked the federal bankruptcy court judge to appoint an independent trustee to run the organization. The trial has revealed flaws in the NRA’s fiscal management through the years, including payments made to Ackerman McQueen, one of the group’s leading outside contractors.

“Under Wild Skies” is hosted and owned by Makris, but Ackerman McQueen is not otherwise associated with the venture.

The video was filmed in mid-2013, months after the December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., which resulted in the deaths of 20 children and six adults. Under LaPierre’s leadership, the NRA opposed a regulatory response championed by gun-control advocates at the time.

Wayne LaPierre elephant video: NRA head struggles in Botswana hunt, drawing derisive reactions - The Washington Post

JeBurkhardt

Halifax2TheMax said:

Another "responsible" gun owner.

Video shows NRA head struggling to kill wounded elephant from feet away: ‘I’m not sure where you’re shooting’

The wounded elephant was on the ground, his hunters drawn close for the kill. But the longtime head of the National Rifle Association — touted as a skilled marksman — struggled to finish the job.

Following a guide and clad in safari gear, Wayne LaPierre fires shots from a few feet away. The elephant’s breathing is labored.

“I’m not sure where you’re shooting,” the guide says. One apparently errant shot later, another man steps in.

The 2013 footage from a Botswana hunting trip — captured for a television show the NRA used to sponsor — never aired out of concern it could become a “public relations fiasco,” according to the New Yorker and the nonprofit newsroom the Trace, which published the video Tuesday. LaPierre at times appears to struggle with basic marksmanship and could have violated the NRA’s ethics code for hunters: “I will do my best to acquire those marksmanship and hunting skills, which insure clean, sportsmanlike kills,” the code reads.

The video came at a fraught time for the NRA, a major political force and powerful lobbyist against gun control. The footage was posted just two days before LaPierre is due to testify for the second time in an ongoing NRA bankruptcy case in Dallas, one that has put LaPierre’s stewardship of the gun rights lobby on trial. A New York native, LaPierre has led the NRA since 1991.

The elephant hunt footage quickly drew backlash and derisive reactions on Tuesday.

“In which @NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre manages to alienate both hunters and gun owners because not only is this inhumane, but he’s a horrible shot,” tweeted Shannon Watts, a fierce NRA critic and the founder of Moms Demand Action, which fights for stronger gun restrictions.

In a statement, NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam confirmed LaPierre was part of a hunt in Botswana and “the corresponding video footage was for an outdoor TV show the NRA once sponsored.”

He defended the hunt as “fully permitted and conducted in accordance with all rules and regulations” and as an activity that contributes to the region’s economy and culture, echoing arguments from other proponents of big-game hunting.

“The video offers an incomplete portrayal of the experience — and fails to express the many ways this activity benefits the local community and habitat,” Arulanandam said.

The video was shot for “Under Wild Skies,” which showcases big-game hunts and is hosted by Tony Makris, an executive at the NRA’s estranged former PR company Ackerman McQueen — now in a legal fight with the gun rights group. Makris could not be reached Tuesday evening for comment.

In 2013, video of Makris shooting an elephant in the face sparked another outcry, leading NBC Sports Network, which aired the show, to respond in a statement that the “Under Wild Skies” episode should not have aired and would not run again. Makris was filmed chasing the injured animal, eventually killing it and celebrating with champagne.

“While this form of hunting is legal, we understand that many viewers find it objectionable,” NBC said at the time.

The video published Tuesday captures LaPierre and Makris on another elephant hunt. After an animal is spotted and LaPierre prepares to fire, a guide instructs him to wait. But LaPierre, wearing earplugs, does not hear the instructions, he later says.

His first shot lands off-screen. LaPierre asks, “Did we get him?” The guide locates the downed elephant and points out where LaPierre should fire a fatal round. LaPierre fires two more shots from only a few feet away.

“I’m not sure where you’re shooting,” the guide says.

“Where are you telling me to shoot?” LaPierre asks.

The guide moves forward and points out a place near the ear — a recommended target to pierce the animal’s brain. He fires his fourth shot and misses again.

The guide laughs and suggests to Makris he finish up. He fires a shot. “That’s it,” the guide says.

Makris downplays his own role, however.

“You dropped him like no tomorrow,” he tells LaPierre.

LaPierre’s wife, Susan, kills her own elephant with better marksmanship than her husband — after shooting a tusked elephant in the head, the guide directs where to shoot it in the chest to ensure it’s dead. Her second shot wins approval from the group, and she laughs with relief.

The guide says it’s a hunter custom to cut the tail off a dead elephant so it cannot be claimed by someone else.

Susan LaPierre saws through the hide with a knife and raises it to the sky.

“Victory,” she says.

African elephants are endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The African forest elephant population has fallen by more than 86 percent over about the past three decades, according to the organization, while the number of African savanna elephants has dropped at least 60 percent over the past half-century. The group points to poaching and loss of habitat, and Botswana’s government has spoken about the benefits of legalized elephant hunts.

Critics called the gory display in Tuesday’s video disturbing. “This is disgusting,” tweeted MSNBC host Joy-Ann Reid.

“We’re in the midst of a poaching epidemic, and rich trophy hunters like the NRA chief are blasting away at elephants while the international community calls for stiffer penalties for poachers — what message does that send?” Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.

The video’s release comes as the NRA is embroiled in messy legal battles.

After the group was sued last year by New York Attorney General Letitia James for violating state charity laws, NRA leaders announced the organization was declaring bankruptcy and moving to Texas largely to avoid the New York lawsuit. James claimed LaPierre and other executives enriched themselves at the expense of the tax-exempt organization and its 5 million members — and she sought dissolution of the NRA, which was originally chartered in New York state.

James and others have contested the NRA bankruptcy filing and asked the federal bankruptcy court judge to appoint an independent trustee to run the organization. The trial has revealed flaws in the NRA’s fiscal management through the years, including payments made to Ackerman McQueen, one of the group’s leading outside contractors.

“Under Wild Skies” is hosted and owned by Makris, but Ackerman McQueen is not otherwise associated with the venture.

The video was filmed in mid-2013, months after the December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., which resulted in the deaths of 20 children and six adults. Under LaPierre’s leadership, the NRA opposed a regulatory response championed by gun-control advocates at the time.

Wayne LaPierre elephant video: NRA head struggles in Botswana hunt, drawing derisive reactions - The Washington Post

Hunting animals that are plentiful for food (deer, ducks etc.) is one thing, but killing an elephant, or any animal, just for the thrill and the trophy is wrong. Killing an endangered animal is irresponsible and morally bankrupt.

jerparker20

I had read about this issue a while back. Will be interesting to see how the court rules, or if they even allow the suit to go forward.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/04/27/chicago-sues-gun-store-tied-850-guns-recovered-crime-scenes/4854619001/

dudeman

Halifax2TheMax said:

Another "responsible" gun owner.

Video shows NRA head struggling to kill wounded elephant from feet away: ‘I’m not sure where you’re shooting’

The wounded elephant was on the ground, his hunters drawn close for the kill. But the longtime head of the National Rifle Association — touted as a skilled marksman — struggled to finish the job.

Following a guide and clad in safari gear, Wayne LaPierre fires shots from a few feet away. The elephant’s breathing is labored.

“I’m not sure where you’re shooting,” the guide says. One apparently errant shot later, another man steps in.

The 2013 footage from a Botswana hunting trip — captured for a television show the NRA used to sponsor — never aired out of concern it could become a “public relations fiasco,” according to the New Yorker and the nonprofit newsroom the Trace, which published the video Tuesday. LaPierre at times appears to struggle with basic marksmanship and could have violated the NRA’s ethics code for hunters: “I will do my best to acquire those marksmanship and hunting skills, which insure clean, sportsmanlike kills,” the code reads.

The video came at a fraught time for the NRA, a major political force and powerful lobbyist against gun control. The footage was posted just two days before LaPierre is due to testify for the second time in an ongoing NRA bankruptcy case in Dallas, one that has put LaPierre’s stewardship of the gun rights lobby on trial. A New York native, LaPierre has led the NRA since 1991.

The elephant hunt footage quickly drew backlash and derisive reactions on Tuesday.

“In which @NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre manages to alienate both hunters and gun owners because not only is this inhumane, but he’s a horrible shot,” tweeted Shannon Watts, a fierce NRA critic and the founder of Moms Demand Action, which fights for stronger gun restrictions.

In a statement, NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam confirmed LaPierre was part of a hunt in Botswana and “the corresponding video footage was for an outdoor TV show the NRA once sponsored.”

He defended the hunt as “fully permitted and conducted in accordance with all rules and regulations” and as an activity that contributes to the region’s economy and culture, echoing arguments from other proponents of big-game hunting.

“The video offers an incomplete portrayal of the experience — and fails to express the many ways this activity benefits the local community and habitat,” Arulanandam said.

The video was shot for “Under Wild Skies,” which showcases big-game hunts and is hosted by Tony Makris, an executive at the NRA’s estranged former PR company Ackerman McQueen — now in a legal fight with the gun rights group. Makris could not be reached Tuesday evening for comment.

In 2013, video of Makris shooting an elephant in the face sparked another outcry, leading NBC Sports Network, which aired the show, to respond in a statement that the “Under Wild Skies” episode should not have aired and would not run again. Makris was filmed chasing the injured animal, eventually killing it and celebrating with champagne.

“While this form of hunting is legal, we understand that many viewers find it objectionable,” NBC said at the time.

The video published Tuesday captures LaPierre and Makris on another elephant hunt. After an animal is spotted and LaPierre prepares to fire, a guide instructs him to wait. But LaPierre, wearing earplugs, does not hear the instructions, he later says.

His first shot lands off-screen. LaPierre asks, “Did we get him?” The guide locates the downed elephant and points out where LaPierre should fire a fatal round. LaPierre fires two more shots from only a few feet away.

“I’m not sure where you’re shooting,” the guide says.

“Where are you telling me to shoot?” LaPierre asks.

The guide moves forward and points out a place near the ear — a recommended target to pierce the animal’s brain. He fires his fourth shot and misses again.

The guide laughs and suggests to Makris he finish up. He fires a shot. “That’s it,” the guide says.

Makris downplays his own role, however.

“You dropped him like no tomorrow,” he tells LaPierre.

LaPierre’s wife, Susan, kills her own elephant with better marksmanship than her husband — after shooting a tusked elephant in the head, the guide directs where to shoot it in the chest to ensure it’s dead. Her second shot wins approval from the group, and she laughs with relief.

The guide says it’s a hunter custom to cut the tail off a dead elephant so it cannot be claimed by someone else.

Susan LaPierre saws through the hide with a knife and raises it to the sky.

“Victory,” she says.

African elephants are endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The African forest elephant population has fallen by more than 86 percent over about the past three decades, according to the organization, while the number of African savanna elephants has dropped at least 60 percent over the past half-century. The group points to poaching and loss of habitat, and Botswana’s government has spoken about the benefits of legalized elephant hunts.

Critics called the gory display in Tuesday’s video disturbing. “This is disgusting,” tweeted MSNBC host Joy-Ann Reid.

“We’re in the midst of a poaching epidemic, and rich trophy hunters like the NRA chief are blasting away at elephants while the international community calls for stiffer penalties for poachers — what message does that send?” Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.

The video’s release comes as the NRA is embroiled in messy legal battles.

After the group was sued last year by New York Attorney General Letitia James for violating state charity laws, NRA leaders announced the organization was declaring bankruptcy and moving to Texas largely to avoid the New York lawsuit. James claimed LaPierre and other executives enriched themselves at the expense of the tax-exempt organization and its 5 million members — and she sought dissolution of the NRA, which was originally chartered in New York state.

James and others have contested the NRA bankruptcy filing and asked the federal bankruptcy court judge to appoint an independent trustee to run the organization. The trial has revealed flaws in the NRA’s fiscal management through the years, including payments made to Ackerman McQueen, one of the group’s leading outside contractors.

“Under Wild Skies” is hosted and owned by Makris, but Ackerman McQueen is not otherwise associated with the venture.

The video was filmed in mid-2013, months after the December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., which resulted in the deaths of 20 children and six adults. Under LaPierre’s leadership, the NRA opposed a regulatory response championed by gun-control advocates at the time.

Wayne LaPierre elephant video: NRA head struggles in Botswana hunt, drawing derisive reactions - The Washington Post

Wayne LaPierre is a national treasure. Oh wait. Did I say national treasure? I meant total douchebag.