Bookmarks: NRA

Chris Willman in Popdust explores how the NRA has found a gun propaganda vehicle through country music:

“I would say the community is conflicted,” says one of the most powerful executives in Nashville, who also requested that his name be withheld. “Only the extreme right has stepped out on this. And that will never be Nashville. That will never be Lady Antebellum or even Jason Aldean. It’s too touchy. Most of our artists will stay quiet and appropriately solemn. But you never know.

“If I could do anything,” the executive continued, “I’d push the NRA out of it. I resent the incursion of the gun lobby into this music, and I think I’m not the only one. NRA Country is subversive. It’s like The 700 Club sponsoring country music artists. In fairness, I wouldn’t want anybody buying up our artists who is trying to counter the view of the NRA, either. I wouldn’t want there to be Anti-NRA country—as if you could recruit for that!”
[...]
[At a supposedly apolitical NRA Country event] Academy of Country Music CEO Bob Romero was standing at the podium in front of the participating artists, shaking hands with NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre and mentioning the need to work together to turn Obama out of office. Then Romero chuckled and added that maybe he shouldn’t be saying that.