NRA advert calling on Americans to 'fight lies' called 'an open call to violence'

The National Rifle Association (NRA,) an organisation known for its controversial advertisements and eyebrow-raising campaigns, has released an ad that some say crosses the line.

The ad, narrated by radio host an NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch, accuses an unnamed “they” of using the media to “assassinate real news,” and inciting protesters to “smash windows, burn cars, shut down interstates and airports; bully and terrorise the law abiding”.

The ad then tells viewers that the only way to combat this is to “fight this violence of lies with the clenched fist of truth”.

“I’m the National Rifle Association of America,” the ad concludes, “and I’m freedom’s safest place.”

The advertisement first played at the NRA’s Leadership Forum in April, and debuted on their website earlier this month as part of the “Freedom’s Safest Place” campaign. It received renewed outcry when writer Jeff Sharlet tweeted out a link to the ad, calling it “barely a whisper shy of a call for full civil war”.

Black Lives Matter activist Deray McKesson added to the criticism, calling it it an “open call to violence to protect white supremacy”.

“If I made a video like this, I'd be in jail,” he tweeted.

In a Periscope video posted to Twitter, Ms Loesch defended the ad by saying left-wing activists had promoted violence first.

“The language of the left is violence, and it has been because they think it’s an acceptable form of protest,” she said. “...If you can’t express your opinion in the context of a civilised debate without violence, maybe your opinion isn’t worth hearing.”

When the ad premiered at the NRA Leadership Forum, it was accompanied by similar rhetoric from NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre.

“It’s up to us to speak up against the three most dangerous voices in America: academic elites, political elites, and media elites,” he said in a speech. “These are America’s greatest domestic threats.”

President Donald Trump also made an appearance at the conference, telling NRA members they had a “true friend and champion in the White House.” The organisation spent at least $30.3 million to help elect Mr Trump in 2016, according to Open Secrets.

The association previously sparked outcry for an ad targeting former President Barack Obama’s daughters, and for allegedly filming in a veteran’s cemetery without permission.

The NRA did not respond to requests for comment.