The NRA Launches Sexist Attack on Moms Demand Action

[SecularMotion]

Back in May, Mark Follman of Mother Jones wrote a scathing piece describing the way fringe gun rights groups like Open Carry Texas target female gun control advocates. You'd think that the National Rifle Association, which holds itself out as a more professional organization than these fringe groups, would be hesitant to court allegations of sexism by singling out women for attack. But, no.

See the latest issue of the NRA magazine America's 1st Freedom, which features an attempted exposé of Shannon Watts, the leader of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense. Written by Dave Kopel, the piece starts with the accusation that Watts is a "stand-in, stay-at-home" frontwoman for Michael Bloomberg, even though Bloomberg is no shrinking violet on this issue. But Kopel's main argument against Watts is that she is a phony for presenting herself as a stay-at-home mom, when she actually performs paid work:

Had Watts “been a stay-at-home mom” for the previous five years? Not exactly. In December 2008, Watts announced the formation of her public relations firm, VoxPop Public Relations, including an impressive list of clients for which she was already working. The registered address for her PR firm was a residence, so presumably she was running her pr firm out of her house. Her children were all well into school-age or older, so it’s likely that she had plenty of time to run her business during the day.

While Kopel hastens to add that there's "nothing wrong" with being a paid professional (thanks), he then proceeds to cast doubt on his own assertion by painting Watts' career in the worst possible light, complaining that her anti-gun advocacy helped her achieve "the dream of every public relations professional—landing a fabulously rich client," Michael Bloomberg's "gun prohibition empire." See, she's a gold-digger: "She landed the 16th-richest man in the world (according to Forbes magazine): Michael Bloomberg and his $32 billion." Something tells me that Watts' work with Bloomberg's Everytown for Gun Safety organization does not actually entitle her to Bloomberg's billions.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/08/26/the_nra_attacks_shannon_watts_of_moms_demand_action.html

[NYC_SKP]

1. Oh good grief. This changes nothing.

People who hate the NRA aren't going to hate them more for saying these things.

And people who know Watt's for what she is, a high-paid PR person who effectively used the vision of a "mom at home with kids" as a tool of sympathy.

To me, that effective use is at least equally sexist and kind of insulting to real stay at home moms and dads, parents who are spending day time with little ones who aren't in school yet.

Watt's is a "work at home" woman who also happens to be a mom.

I mean, good for her for having a successful work from home career, but that's as far as it goes.

[IronGate]

2. Shannon Watts puts herself out there promoting the restricting of a enumerated right,

she better expect to be countered.

[krispos42]

3. People that throw around the "shiny metal penis"...

..class of comments should probably think long and hard about the definition of "hypocrisy".

[Nuclear Unicorn]

5. You said, "long and hard." *giggle*

[krispos42]

8. I am, in nothing else, honest

At least, if you're not good at english-to-metric conversions...

[ileus]

11. Best post in this forum in years...

[Eleanors38]

9. "shiny." Ah, there once was a time.

[flamin lib]

4. Oh hell, that's mild compared to gungeoneers who refer to her as "bought and paid for" as if she is

a prostitute. Classy.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

7. Is that what the grabbers mean when they complain politicians are bought and paid for by the NRA?

Perhaps your post is merely projection.

[friendly_iconoclast]

15. It's hardly sexist to note she's as "bought and paid for" as Mitch McConnell

Then again, I don't find some oligarchical purchasers to be more equal than others...

[Eleanors38]

16. pffft. nt

[ileus]

6. Hasn't it been determined these "moms" are mostly Bloomy drones?

All astroturf groups should be fair game.

[beevul]

10. Still waiting on the "sexist" part of the attack.

In their own words, mind you, rather than what someone claimed they (the nra) said, or what someone "believes" they said, or motives attributed to statements they made, motives for which no evidence has been provided to support such dishonest disingenuous attributions.

For the record, replying to this post in any truly germane way could be construed as engaging in discussion, so use caution!

[acalix]

12. Slate misapproiates a lot of things

Same as most conservative sources. It's hard to find an impartial source nowadays

[Duckhunter935]

13. I think it is more sexist

for Shannon Watts to promote her "stay at home mom" over her great accomplishments in her private sector jobs. She should be held up as a role model for her work at Monsanto as a PR executive.

And yes I believe she is being paid well by Bloomberg and her "grass roots " organization is anything but.