Sunday, November 02, 2008

The Rifle Association's 'True Story'

A misleading NRA ad claims Obama voted "to deny citizens the right of self-protection."

Summary

The National Rifle Association's misleading attacks on Obama continue. A new ad shows a terrified woman grabbing a gun after an intruder smashes his way into her home. It accuses Obama of voting repeatedly for a measure that would "make you the criminal" in such cases, and voting to "deny citizens the right of self-protection."

The NRA says the incident depicted is "a true story." Not quite.

The actual 2003 burglary didn't involve a woman, and it didn't become violent until the male homeowner went downstairs and started firing before calling police.

The ad fails to mention that the issue was a local handgun ban that made the homeowner's gun illegal to keep in the house.

What Obama voted for was not any general repeal of the right of self-defense, but to uphold enforcement of the local gun ban, a "petty offense" that carried a maximum penalty of a $750 fine.

Note: This is a summary only. The full article with analysis, images and citations may be viewed at FactCheck.org

No comments: