The NRA announced Tuesday that it has decided to shut down NRATV — the live broadcasting media arm of the organization — as well as part ways with spokesperson Dana Loesch. The gun lobbying group is also severing business ties with its estranged advertising firm Ackerman McQueen, which has represented the NRA for nearly four decades and operates NRATV. The two parties have been embroiled in an ugly lawsuit, as the NRA has accused the firm of staging an “executive coup.”
Moreover, the decision to shut down production of NRATV comes in response to several prominent board members expressing their distaste with the far-right, conspiracy theory peddling content NRATV produces, which muddles the NRA’s core mission of protecting second amendment rights:
“Many members expressed concern about the messaging on NRATV becoming too far removed from our core mission: defending the Second Amendment,” Wayne LaPierre, the N.R.A.’s longtime chief executive, wrote in a message to members that was expected to be sent out by Wednesday. “So, after careful consideration, I am announcing that starting today, we are undergoing a significant change in our communications strategy. We are no longer airing ‘live TV’ programming.”
According to the New York Times, The NRATV may continue to run pre-recorded content, however on-air personalities such as Dana Loesch and other Ackerman employees will no longer be the public faces of the NRA.
Loesch specifically has recently come under fire for particularly abhorrent messaging such as putting KKK masks on “Thomas & Friends” cartoon characters and the repeated taunting of Parkland shooting survivors. As such, once the news hit Twitter, people couldn’t help but savor the rich irony — offering the newly unemployed Loesch their most sincere “thoughts and prayers.”
Thoughts and prayers 🤧😤 @DLoesch @stinchfield1776 https://t.co/8uwAqzKHaC
— David Hogg 🟧 (@davidhogg111) June 26, 2019
While Dana Loesch is trending because she was fired by the @NRA from NRATV, a reminder that she put KKK hoods on Thomas & Friends cartoon characters, said she hopes the Mueller report burns in an “AIDS fire,” and called gun safety advocates “tragedy dry humping whores.” pic.twitter.com/yKEsaET501
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) June 26, 2019
https://twitter.com/molly_knight/status/1143710567569346562
hearing NRATV and Dana Loesch are canceled like pic.twitter.com/9p9m0spqsF
— shauna (@goldengateblond) June 26, 2019
So sorry to hear about the demise of NRATV. Thoughts and prayers.
But remember, when life hands you lemons, just make a video that shows you don't understand how lemonade is made. https://t.co/ho7XcUjPgF
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) June 26, 2019
https://twitter.com/WendyMolyneux/status/1143720880196898816
It’s much too soon for us to discuss this.
Let’s not make it political.
A good guy with a gun would have stopped it.
Thoughts and prayers. https://t.co/9RNOGpglB8
— Andrew Weinstein (@Weinsteinlaw) June 26, 2019
Dear NRATV and Dana Loesch,
Thoughts and prayers.
In lieu of flowers, I'm making a donation right now to @MomsDemand in your honor.
Sincerely,
Rev. Dr. Chuck Curriehttps://t.co/M6H94IFM78 via @NYTimes
— Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) June 26, 2019
Congrats to Dana Loesch and the NRA for finally trending for something that doesn’t involve a bunch of murdered schoolchildren.
— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) June 26, 2019
Dana Loesch by this time next year pic.twitter.com/hZlTnNDhYs
— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) June 26, 2019
It looks like the @NRA is killing off @NRATV. Pretty appropriate ending. Thoughts and prayers…
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) June 26, 2019
Dana Loesch wasn’t an activist or a spokesperson — she was a professional mass shooting enabler. Thoughts and prayers won’t save lives, but her losing her job absolutely will.
— Adam Best (@adamcbest) June 26, 2019
And of course Meghan McCain had to weigh in, and that went about as well as you’d think:
Dana Loesch is a bad person who does bad things and defends even worse people. https://t.co/0IJijYke19
— Angelo Carusone (@GoAngelo) June 26, 2019
Here’s Dana Loesch on Meghan McCain: “Meghan McCain’s idiocy offends me. Someone throw her a bottle of bleach and lip gloss to shut her up.” pic.twitter.com/NheYEEGEfE
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) June 26, 2019
https://twitter.com/justinhendrix/status/1143840979973300229
But the whole thing can probably be best summed up by the following tweet:
https://twitter.com/GerryDuggan/status/1143755332268642306
Girl, bye! ?