A Democrat congressional candidate made headlines this week after he released an expletive political ad that took aim at the National Rifle Association.
“Fuck the NRA,” Albuquerque City Councilor Pat Davis said in the 15-second spot. “Their pro-gun policies have resulted in dead children, dead mothers and dead fathers, […] If Congress won’t change our gun laws, we’re changing Congress.”
(Cue the applause.)
According to HuffPost, Davis’ ad aired at around 12:30 p.m. local time on Albuquerque's local CBS affiliate, KQRE. Many of Davis’ critics have also taken issue with the TV station for allowing “inappropriate language” to be broadcast in the middle of the day. KRQE’s general manager Bill Anderson explained the station was legally obligated to run the ad; however, they made sure to issue a warning to viewers beforehand.
“We received a request for airtime from a legitimate federal candidate for office, and according to federal election rules, we are required to give him the same access as his opponents,” Anderson told HuffPost. “This station, by law, is not permitted to censor or in any way edit this commercial.”
To no one’s surprise, the NRA has responded with their own ad that blasts Davis’ “foul message.”
Davis, a former U.S. Capitol Police officer, is vying for the Democratic nomination in New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District. Gun control has become one of the primary focuses of his campaign platform, in light of recent mass shootings and increasing calls for gun reform.
“Being polite about our demands has only gotten us thoughts and prayers in return, so I’m sending a message—to the NRA and Democrats alike—that we have to make this our issue when we take back the House. If we won’t, then who will?” Davis wrote on his blog. “I’m not taking any NRA money and I’m proud to be one of only a handful of federal candidates endorsed by the Pride Fund to End Gun Violence […] I definitely won’t be on the NRA’s favorites list Congress, but I need your help to get there.”
