NRA Complaint Takes Down 38,000 Websites (vice.com)

Sarah Jeong, reporting for Motherboard:38,000 websites hosted by the automated publishing service Surge went down today, after the National Rifle Association sent a legal notice over a parody website created by the Yes Men. A few days ago, the Yes Men released the parody video, "Share the Safety" -- announcing a supposed NRA program to deliver firearms into the hands of those too impoverished to afford guns. The opening frame of the video says "Paid for in part by the National Rifle Association of America with additional support from Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation." "Systemic poverty and dumb laws keep the urban poor unable to acquire life-saving firearms," says the video, which is available on YouTube. "That's why we at the NRA are teaming up with Smith & Wesson to share the safety.â The YouTube description includes a link to the "official" website, ShareTheSafety.org.

Comments

Nicely done video

[mykepredko]

I suspect the "dumb laws" comment, which was out of character for a video of this type (although I'm sure in line with the NRA's thinking), was put in so that people would know it's a parody. This video demonstrates the extreme positions and statements that go beyond the ridiculous that illustrates the NRA's fear mentality (their fear that their sales will dry up while selling fear to the people).

I'm sure the NRA longs for the '80s, when a president (Reagan) could be shot and there was so much fear of them that nobody said "boo" about how John Hinkley (somebody under psychiatric care and was on anti-depressants and tranquilizers) was able to get weapons with the express purpose of killing the president to make Jodie Foster notice him.

Now, people are starting to question the position of the NRA that *anybody* regardless of who they are should be able to procure guns and the NRA and their supporters (which Mr. Trump is a good example of someone who hurts their cause in the attempt to show that he is on their side) which leads them to make more and more extreme statements and videos like this one (which is interesting to watch) see less extreme and not much of a parody of the NRAs own videos and published statements.

Re:Parody is Fine

[Pfhorrest]

Freedom of speech means you are free to say what you want but it does not mean freedom from consequences when you speak.

Stop parroting that tripe. Freedom of any sort absolutely means freedom from certain consequences. It may not mean freedom from all consequences, but for it to be freedom at all in the first place means that certain kinds of retaliation are forbidden; at the very least, retaliation by the government, but also, for example, calling me a buttmonkey doesn't mean I can break your nose because "lol sure you're free to say that but that doesn't make you free from the consequences of saying it!".