WaPo Wrongly Accuses Gun Rights Advocate of Breaking Ranks With NRA on Background Checks

March 7th, 2013 3:10 PM

The anti-gun media will do anything in their power to undermine and discredit the National Rifle Association.

Doing its part Tuesday was the Washington Post with an article that wrongly accused the National Shooting Sports Foundation of breaking ranks with the NRA on background checks:

The trade group for the nation’s leading firearm manufacturers said it will not actively oppose the expansion of background checks, which are designed to prevent guns from reaching criminals or the seriously mentally ill.

“That’s more the NRA’s issue,” Steve Sanetti, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), said in an interview. “From the commercial side, we’re already there, and we’ve been there, and we were the ones that have been the strongest proponents of an effective, complete background check."

The NSSF was displeased with this characterization of the organization's position, and offered clarification at its website Wednesday:

Be wary of a national news media in search of information they work hard to find that fits a pre-existing narrative. Ever since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, reporters have been trying to drive a wedge between organizations that speak up for the Second Amendment. They often find support for their efforts from anti-gun organizations and politicians. After all, conflict makes news.

As the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry, the National Shooting Sports Foundation believes that the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) needs to be fixed to include more state criminal and mental health records. NSSF and its member companies believe that NICS plays a vital role in keeping firearms out of the hands of those who should not have them. The industry has long supported improvements to the NICS system.

An article is today’s Washington Post incorrectly implies that this position puts NSSF at odds with the National Rifle Association. There is no conflict.


The NSSF and its President Steve Sanetti published the following video at YouTube Wednesday to further explain the organization's position: