Catholic Priest Michael Pfleger Slams 'Pure American' Gun Billboard In Chicago

[rug]

Posted: 03/18/2014 10:51 am EDT
Updated: 03/18/2014 10:59 am EDT

Are assault rifles as American as baseball and apple pie? A billboard put up by gun manufacturer Slide Fire in Chicago seems to say so, and it's come under fire from groups like Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense as well as Catholic priest Father Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Church.

Pfleger told ABC7, "With the loss of so many of our children due to gun violence, the last thing we need is to make an assault weapon a symbol of American life. This is disrespectful and must be removed."

In addition to the large photos of a baseball glove, an apple pie, and a gun commonly described as an "assault rifle," the billboard has symbols like an American flag, a Second Amendment emblem, a Christian fish symbol, and the Statue of Liberty.

Chicago has long faced problems with gun violence. Its high crime rate and restrictive gun laws are the reason that Slide Fire chose to advertise there, according to the Washington Times. Laura Shackelford, chief executive manager of Slide Fire, told the Washington Times, "We specifically put the ad up there to show that a firearm is normal Americana. We have to stop allowing a small group of anti-gun people dictate how we think about guns.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/18/michael-pfleger-pure-american_n_4985500.html

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

1. So they are saying that a solution to gun violence is more guns?

I suppose that makes sense to a gun nut. After all, one of the bases of gun-nuttery is disdain for the safety of others.