Gun Laws & Legislation

NRA goes to Colion Noir to broaden message for newest ad campaign

Mike Piccione Editor, Guns & Gear
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The National Rifle Association has enlisted Colion Noir, a self-described “urban gun enthusiast,” for its latest ad campaign.

Critics of the NRA, an organization that claims to be the oldest civil rights organization in the United States, often like to point out the lack of racial diversity in the organization.

“No, it didn’t surprise me to not see a single African-American man or woman in the many photos because I see the NRA as a branch of the Tea Party-influenced Grand Old Party, and we all know how white the Republican leadership circles are,” Michael Petrelis writes in the DailyKos in January regarding a two-year-old NRA annual report.

The commercial, which is 1 minute 24 seconds, begins with the brutally frank statement by Noir: “The same government who at one point hosed us down with water, attacked us with dogs and wouldn’t allow us to eat at their restaurants and told us we couldn’t own guns when bumbling fools with sheets on their heads were riding around burning crosses on our lawns and murdering us.”

Watch:

In an op-ed piece in The Daily Caller, Wayne LaPierre, the executive director of the National Rifle Association wrote, “Latin American drug gangs have invaded every city of significant size in the United States.”

That prompted an on-air attack by MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, who described it as a “racially-tinged, very suggestive op-ed.”

To counter the race claims this commercial will be the first in a series that will highlight a diverse group of NRA contributors, the first being Noir.

“David Gregory wears makeup and has a spray-on tan, and he was able to get his hands on an illegal magazine. So how hard do you think it would be for Pooky, Billy, Winn and Jesus to get their hands on one if they wanted to?” Noir cites the Gregory incident because he was in possession of an illegal 30-round magazine, but Washington, D.C., officials decided not to prosecute him.

The statement also illustrates that just because something has been declared illegal that alone will not stop a criminal. A common complaint for gun rights supports is that passing restrictive legislation for gun ownership does not deter a criminal from breaking the law.

“This isn’t a black or white, Democrat or Republican issue. This is common sense. This is self-preservation. It’s about natural rights.”

“I wish I had less bullets said no one ever who’s been in a gun fight,” Noir said, disagreeing with Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s announcement that she would introduce a bill to restrict magazine capacities to ten rounds.

Noir closes the commercial by saying, “Guy telling me to get rid of my guns when I need them the most isn’t my friend, isn’t looking out for my best interests and doesn’t speak for me or the community that I’m part of.”

His first interview will take place this Friday, March 8th, with Cam Edwards on NRA News Cam & Company