The NRA has been a troublesome entity in this nation for a very long time, for a variety of sickening reasons. But now it seems they’re not just openly and willingly contributing to the deaths of school children and minorities, but endangered animals as well.
A newly surfaced video reported on by The New York Post shows the head of the National Rifle Association, Wayne LaPierre, in a pretty serious looking struggle to kill a now-endangered African bush elephant.
In the clip that dates back to 2013, LaPierre appears to struggle with basic hunting skills as he’s seen firing at the animal from feet away during his trip to Bosnia. The video was published by The New Yorker and The Trace yesterday.
The NRA head can be heard saying, “Did we get him?” after firing once.
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The animal is laying on its side, wounded, as the guide is seen pointing out where Wayne should aim his shots to actually, successfully kill the elephant.
The NRA head fires two additional, unsuccessful shots at close range, prompting the guide to say, “I’m not sure where you’re shooting.”
The guide points to a large target on the elephant’s ear, but LaPierre fires and misses once again.
This seemingly prompted the guide to suggest that Tony Makris, host of the NRA-sponsored TV series Under Wild Skies, finish the job of putting the animal down, and Makris fires the final shot.
Savannah elephants were recently categorized as “endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Endangered Species and the footage has naturally prompted heavy criticism from conservation advocates.
Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement to USA Today: “Savannah elephants were just declared endangered by international experts, and these intelligent beings certainly shouldn’t be used as paper targets by an inept marksman.”
“It’s sickening to see LaPierre’s brutal, clumsy slaughter of this beautiful creature. No animal should suffer like this. We’re in the midst of a poaching epidemic, and rich trophy hunters like the NRA chief are blasting away at elephants while the international community calls for stiffer penalties for poachers — what message does that send?”
NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam responded to the footage and confirmed that LaPierre did join the Bosnia hunt back in 2013 and “the corresponding video footage was for an outdoor TV show the NRA once sponsored.” He went on to claim that the trip was “fully permitted and conducted in accordance with all rules and regulations.”
“The video offers an incomplete portrayal of the experience — and fails to express the many ways this activity benefits the local community and habitat,” he added.
You can watch the footage here:
Featured image via screen capture
