At the urging of anti-violence groups, comedian and former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno has canceled an appearance at a Las Vegas gun show hosted by the Newtown-based National Shooting Sports Foundation.
The Newtown Action Alliance, a grassroots organization promoting tighter gun laws, wrote on its Facebook page on Thursday that Leno placed a personal phone call to let the group know he had canceled his spot.
The decision came just hours after the Newtown Action Alliance started a petition alongside the Campaign to Unload and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence asking Leno not to perform, according to the Newtown Action Alliance.
“Less than 24 hours after this petition was launched, Jay Leno contacted Po Murray, the executive director of Newtown Action Alliance, to inform her that he had cancelled his appearance at the 2015 SHOT Show,” the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence posted atop the petition Thursday. “He said he was unaware that the NSSF was a pro-gun lobbying group based in Newtown, Connecticut.”
The NSSF, on the other hand, accused the gun control groups of using “bullying political tactics” to twist the truth about the gun industry.
“We are clearly disappointed by Jay Leno’s decision not to perform at the 2015 SHOT State of the Industry Dinner,” the NSSF said in a statement Thursday. “He unilaterally cancelled his promised appearance due to pressure from the anti-gun lobby, which included false statements about our industry and its commitment to genuine firearms safety, which we attempted to personally correct with him, but to no avail.”
The NSSF, which said it promotes gun safety and Second Amendment rights, is sponsoring the Las Vegas trade show in January.
