NRA's list of enemies includes Britney

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-23-2003
NRA's list of enemies includes Britney
8
Mon, 01-05-2004 - 3:10pm

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=NRA%20Enemies%20List


Sunday, January 4, 2004 · Last updated 7:52 p.m. PT


NRA's list of enemies includes Britney


By ZINIE CHEN SAMPSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER


RICHMOND, Va. -- What do Britney Spears, the United Methodist Church, the St. Louis Rams and Hallmark Cards have in common? They're among the hundreds of celebrities, organizations and companies on the National Rifle Association's roster of entities that it considers hostile to gun-ownership rights.


The Fairfax-based NRA has compiled a 15-page list of supporters of the Brady law - which requires federally licensed gun dealers to do background checks on gun buyers - and other gun-control measures.


NRA spokesman Ted Novin said the list was solely for "informational purposes and that it's nothing new."


"It's a good way for our members to know who's opposing their Second Amendment rights and who's not," he said.


But many consider being included on the blacklist a badge of honor, and some have even complained about being left off. Dustin Hoffman's name was added after he wrote to NRA President Kayne Robinson in October, saying that "as a supporter of comprehensive gun safety measures, I was deeply disappointed when I discovered that my name was not on this list."


Along with Spears, and usual NRA targets Michael Moore and Barbra Streisand, the organization's anti-gun roster names actors Julia Roberts and George Clooney. Professional athletes Doug Flutie and Rick Fox join entire teams on the list, including the St. Louis Rams and Cardinals, and the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals.


The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence recently drew attention to the NRA list after linking to it on its Web site to encourage people to lend their names to support gun-control measures. Close to 100,000 had signed up for the Brady list by the end of 2003.


"We were trying to bring attention to the paranoia, for lack of a better word," said Peter Hamm, a Brady Campaign spokesman.


Hamm said his group also wanted to point out "the innate humor in this list while also making a serious statement that in America we're not too fond of enemies lists and blacklists."


Both sides are looking ahead to later this year, when the ban on assault weapons is set to expire in September.


---


On the Net:


NRA List: http://www.nraila.org/Issues/FactSheets/Read.aspx?ID15


Brady: http://www.bradycampaign.org


iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Mon, 01-05-2004 - 3:38pm
Well, as long as you're (generic of course) compiling a list of idiots, no such list would be complete without Bratney.


~mark~

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-23-2003
Mon, 01-05-2004 - 6:17pm

LOL!


iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Mon, 01-05-2004 - 6:22pm
Well, I think you're being a bit overgenerous there with "microscopic". As for the list itself, it strikes me as being a little absurd as well, but given the nature of those on the list and some of their statements on issues of interest to the NRA I'm not sure that "enemies" is inaccurate. Their antipathy to the NRA and to firearms ownership isn't much of a secret.


~mark~

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-23-2003
Mon, 01-05-2004 - 6:31pm

Their antipathy to the NRA and to firearms ownership isn't much of a secret.


I agree and I would never argue that.


iVillage Member
Registered: 07-25-2003
Tue, 01-06-2004 - 5:39pm
With the lengths she goes to for publicity, can you really blame any group for using her name in whatever the context may be, to gain some for themselves?

Renee

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-23-2003
Tue, 01-06-2004 - 6:48pm
I don't think I was blaming anyone for anything...besides, it was the list in and of itself that I found amusing, whether or not Britney Spears is on it.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-25-2003
Wed, 01-07-2004 - 12:41am
<>

I wasn't blaming you; I was using an idiomatic expression--"You can't blame a girl for trying, right"

<>

Sure it's amusing, that's why it made the news, and why I made a tongue-in-cheeck post.

Just a couple things to keep in mind, though; this is not an 'enemies' list, it's just a list of Brady bill supporters, no different really than opposition lists that are on many activist websites, and it isn't anything the national NRA endorses. This was one the Fairfax, VA chapter's website which brings us back to my original comment, about publicity seeking since this branch is probably delighting with the firestorm and attention they've stirred up for themselves.

Renee

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-06-2003
Wed, 01-07-2004 - 10:35am
this is where i would normally jump in to defend Britney, but she's been making it really hard lately...

and i think PETA has an 'enemies' list as well... it would seem that most groups would (or it would seem to me, at least).


just a random question, why does the NRA have a Fairfax branch when their HQ are located there too?