It wasn’t the Sketcher’s commercial with the man chasing a cheetah or the Taco Bell spot with the poppin’ senior citizens that really made a difference this Super Bowl Sunday.
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It was the ad that criticized the National Rifle Association that really stirred some feathers.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a gun violence prevention group chaired by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, aired an advertisement during the Super Bowl that called on Congress to pass universal background checks. The ad, a part of the group’s “Demand A Plan” campaign, focused on convincing elected officials that stronger gun regulations are needed, while highlighting a 1999 speech from NRA’s Wayne LaPierre where he actually supported background checks for all without loopholes.
“The NRA once supported background checks,” the child narrating the ad says, before a clip plays of LaPierre saying that “mandatory, instant criminal background checks for every sale at every gun show” are “reasonable.” The NRA has since reversed its stance on that proposal.
The spot also shows pictures and voices of children, meant to be a harsh reminder of the 20 first-graders killed in December in Newton, Connecticut.
But the message, aimed at a Washington, D.C. audience, didn’t come cheap.
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The nonprofit paid $100,000 to run the spot on CBS affiliate WUSA-TV, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of documents filed by the station to comply with Federal Communications Commission requirements.
Mark Glaze, director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, told the Center for Public Integrity that his organization targeted Washington’s media market because “that’s where the people who make decisions are.”
Miss the gun-control message during the game? Check it out here.
SOURCE: Think Progress
