(Washington, DC) Today, Representative Tom Malinowski (NJ-07) introduced the Responsible Firearms Marketing Act, legislation to crack down on irresponsible advertising and marketing practices used by the gun industry. He was joined by original cosponsor Representative Robin Kelly (IL-02), Vice Chair of the congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.
The bill directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to launch an investigation into the advertising and marketing practices of gun manufacturers, importers, and dealers, including ads that (1) are designed to appeal to children and teenagers under the age of 18; (2) imply or encourage an illegal use of the advertised product; and (3) relate to the sale of semiautomatic assault weapons, like those used in the mass-shootings in Uvalde, Highland Park, Buffalo, El Paso, Pittsburgh, Parkland, Sutherland Springs, Las Vegas, San Bernardino, Newtown, Aurora, and elsewhere.
The bill further directs the FTC to develop and enforce rules to address unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the marketing of firearms. The FTC would be able to seek penalties of up to $46,517 from gun companies for each knowing violation of the rules – the maximum amount allowed under current law – along with other forms of relief, including the payment of damages to consumers and others resulting from the violation of the rules.
Click here to view the full text of the bill. A fact sheet can be found here. Examples of gun industry advertisements can be found here.
The Responsible Firearms Marketing Act has been endorsed by Giffords, Everytown for Gun Safety, Brady, and March for Our Lives.
“There was a time when the gun industry encouraged responsible use of its products; now it runs ads encouraging Americans to make war on each other, and to give military grade rifles to children who are too young to legally buy them,” said Representative Malinowski. “This bill finally subjects the gun industry and its advertising practices to the oversight and scrutiny we apply to other industries, holds companies accountable for marketing to kids, and makes clear that there are consequences for deceptively hawking weapons of war to impressionable consumers.”
“Keeping guns out of the hands of children and those who are a danger to themselves or others is one of our most urgent priorities. We can’t protect our communities without addressing harmful marketing practices by the firearms industry that target children or encourage illegal use of guns,” said Representative Robin Kelly, Vice Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Taskforce. “I’m proud to support the Responsible Firearms Marketing Act alongside Rep. Malinowski. This bill will help us determine appropriate next steps to address harmful gun marketing and save lives.”
“For years, the firearms industry has escaped oversight and regulation of its advertising, which has enabled the use of deceptive tactics to sell guns,” said David Pucino, Deputy Chief Counsel, Giffords Law Center. “In recent years, the industry has relied on marketing tactics focused on exploiting fear and instability to sell their deadly wares. Companies have even begun targeting children in their efforts to sell semi-automatic rifles. This legislation sends a clear message that the gun industry is not above the law or the regulations of the FTC. We applaud Reps. Malinowski and Kelly for their leadership on this issue.”
“I’m a gun owner and it’s important to me that responsible gun owners are part of the solution to address dangerous gun marketing — and that means we must be honest about the problem,” said Ryan Busse, author of Gunfight and Senior Advisor, Giffords. “‘Urban Super Snipers’ marketed to civilians. Boogaloo Bois-branded AR-15s. Ads using cartoons to market JR-15s (Junior AR-15s) to kids — we’re seeing the deadly results of the violence encouraged by the gun industry’s dark advertising fantasies. The Responsible Firearms Marketing Act from Representatives Malinowski and Kelly will begin to hold the industry to account for fueling a culture of extremism, and it should be supported by responsible gun owners like me who harbor deep fears about where this industry is leading us.”
“This bill is critical to holding gun manufacturers responsible for the role they play in fueling our nation’s gun violence epidemic,” said Kelly Sampson, Senior Counsel and Director of Racial Justice, Brady. “Too often we see gun industry advertising practices that are unfair, deceptive, and outright false. These practices, which put profits over public safety, cater to the very types of young men who disproportionately commit public mass shootings and play into extremist views about using firearms to protect freedom. It has been almost 30 years since Brady first called on the FTC to investigate the gun industry’s dangerous advertising. It is time to combat the big lie — that guns in the home make us safer. We applaud Rep. Malinowski and Rep. Kelly for taking action to address these reckless gun industry practices and are proud to support this bill.”
“Over the last decade, the gun industry’s unethical and reckless advertising practices have indoctrinated children into a culture of violence and bred a generation of young men who base their self-worth on the ability to access weapons of war to kill,” said Zeenat Yahya, Director of Policy, March for Our Lives. “We don’t have to wonder what type of society this creates, because we live with the devastation of gun violence and mass murder every day. Gun manufacturers' determination to maximize profits at the expense of our safety is a bloodthirst, plain and simple. March For Our Lives was proud to file a petition with the FTC this spring to enforce advertising regulations on the gun industry, and we’re excited to support the Responsible Firearms Marketing Act today, so that ‘Jr. AR-15’ ad campaigns can be an illegal practice, once and for all.”
Original source can be found here.
