The last we heard from the National Rifle Association they had filed for bankruptcy. It was mid-January, Trump was on the way out, and news that one of the most reviled organizations in the country had gone Chapter 11 inspired much rejoicing. Executive Vice President (and public figurehead) Wayne LaPierre tried to calm his base, saying it was a convoluted attempt to wriggle out of a New York State lawsuit and that somehow they’d wind up stronger than ever. A new ad shows they’re at least keepin’ on keepin’ on, even if they apparently can’t hire a proofreader.
They misspelled “believe”. https://t.co/tXX89rLxsv
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) May 24, 2021
The brief clip finds Republican senator John Kennedy — no relation whatsoever — clutching and admiring a gun. “Folks, I believe that love is the answer,” Kennedy says. “But you ought to own a handgun just in case.” His words are helpfully printed on the screen. One problem, though: “believe” is spelled “belive.”
The NRA has long played a sinister presence in America, always there to sing the praises of guns after each and every one of the country’s many mass shootings, always able to use powerful lobbyists to keep the government from infringing on sales. So when they made a stupid typo, people who feel helpless to stop them made themselves feel better by doing a good old fashioned social media piling on.
I belive the @NRA can’t afford a proofreader. pic.twitter.com/Orbfq8Ppkw
— tim dewey (@tjdfotographist) May 25, 2021
The @NRA is so broke they can’t even afford to buy a vowel. https://t.co/ZeSluyweca pic.twitter.com/PFYQp70NVp
— YS (@NYinLA2121) May 25, 2021
https://twitter.com/TitusNation/status/1396991425623969794
Folks, I belive that nobody at the @NRA made it past the second grade. https://t.co/g6oeB5OlJD pic.twitter.com/kYrW6IaNXu
— KevinlyFather 🇺🇲🇨🇦🇲🇼🇸🇿 (@KevinlyFather) May 25, 2021
And I belive that educayshion is importent. pic.twitter.com/UF7AH7rc6c
— KevinlyFather 🇺🇲🇨🇦🇲🇼🇸🇿 (@KevinlyFather) May 25, 2021
In Russia, you Belive what the party tells you, or you won't Belive at all…
— letsgo2press (@nativbklyn24) May 24, 2021
Folks, I belive that the NRA and Sen. John Kennedy think you are an idiot.
Nobody is trying to take away guns from any law abiding citizens. Anyone who tells you different is lying to you and trying to get you advocate for gun manufacturers to keep selling guns to criminals. pic.twitter.com/Qw8cGYVs8w
— Brad Bo 🇺🇸 (@BradBeauregardJ) May 25, 2021
Some wondered if it was just a Freudian slip.
If you listen to the @NRA you WON'T "be live". https://t.co/ufg1gyJRxH
— Susan DiSalvo (@VT_Nonna_Suz) May 25, 2021
If the NRA has its way, no one will belive for very long.
— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) May 25, 2021
And others wondered if they intentionally misspelled one of the few words in their ad, just to appeal to a base that finds correct spelling elitist.
Give ‘em credit, NRA knows their customer.
Belive me. pic.twitter.com/qbvgDYKoYl
— Muggsy Pogues (@_CircusMaximus) May 25, 2021
Anyway, it’s just a typo! They’ll survive this and how. And pointing out a misspelled word does absolutely nothing to eliminate their powers. But it still feels good.