The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) in a statement said it was "clearly disappointed" that Jay Leno has cancelled his performance at the upcoming SHOT show in Vegas. On Tuesday, several gun violence-prevention groups called on the comedian to cancel his appearance partly because the NSSF's headquarters are based in Newtown, CT.
ADVERTISEMENT In canceling the performance, Leno told Mother Jones, "I understand it's Newtown, and of course I get it. It's just sometimes, mistakes get made."
In its statement, NSSF said:
"We are clearly disappointed by Jay Leno's decision not to perform at the 2015 SHOT Show State of the Industry Dinner. He unilaterally cancelled his promised appearance due to pressure from the anti-gun lobby, which included false statements about our industry and its commitment to genuine firearms safety, which we attempted to personally correct with him, but to no avail.
"We are not deterred by their publicity seeking nor are we unfamiliar with the bullying political tactics of the gun control groups that seem to have as little respect for the First Amendment as they continually demonstrate with regard to the Second Amendment.
"We are proud of the many programs that we run that meaningfully contribute to public safety including our long standing Project ChildSafe and Don't Lie for the Other Guy initiatives in addition to our members everyday work in compliance with comprehensive federal and state laws. We will not allow the lawful commerce in firearms nor our industry to be demonized and we will continue to speak out for the Second Amendment rights of the millions of law-abiding citizens who are our customers.
"Despite Mr. Leno's cancellation, we look forward to having our biggest and best State of the Industry Dinner to date with a performer that respects the contributions of our industry and the customers it supports."
On Tuesday, a petition posted by the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence accused Leno of “helping to legitimize a crass commercialism which values profit over human lives” by hosting the NSSF, which lobbied against the background checks bill in Congress following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. The drive was backed by the Campaign to Unload, which pushes for divestment from gun companies, and the Newtown Action Alliance, founded by residents of the Connecticut town who support gun-safety legislation. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which has pushed corporate restaurants and retailers to take a stand against open-carry activists in their stores, also launched a social media campaign against Leno.
In a statement on Thursday, Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Guns Sense in America, wrote, "Moms applaud Jay Leno's decision to cancel his National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) event appearance after hearing directly from Moms and other gun violence prevention supporters on social media. The NSSF opposes common-sense gun safety measures like background checks on all gun sales. This announcement comes just one day after moms launched the social media campaign #JokesOnLeno and reflects the power of holding public figures accountable. Jay Leno now stands with the majority of Americans who support common sense gun laws. Moms across the country are thanking Jay for making the right decision."
