NRA shooting app

[peterb]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/nra-releases-free-target-practice-app-ages-4-151235393.html

Perhaps not the best timing.....

The coverage shouldn't surprise anyone:

"The National Rifle Association, exactly a month after the shooting at Newtown, Conn., has released a branded target shooting game deemed suitable for kids ages 4 and up.

The NRA has been highly critical of the video game industry following the elementary school shooting in Newtown that left 26 dead and sparked a national debate about guns and school safety.

"NRA: Practice Range," available free in the iTunes app store, allows players to shoot at coffin-shaped targets in indoor or outdoor settings. For $.99 extra, players can upgrade their gun to a pistol grip Mossberg or a semi-automatic sniper rifle."

[LOKNLOD]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/nra-releases-free-target-practice-app-ages-4-151235393.html

Perhaps not the best timing.....

The coverage shouldn't surprise anyone:

"The National Rifle Association, exactly a month after the shooting at Newtown, Conn., has released a branded target shooting game deemed suitable for kids ages 4 and up.

The NRA has been highly critical of the video game industry following the elementary school shooting in Newtown that left 26 dead and sparked a national debate about guns and school safety.

"NRA: Practice Range," available free in the iTunes app store, allows players to shoot at coffin-shaped targets in indoor or outdoor settings. For $.99 extra, players can upgrade their gun to a pistol grip Mossberg or a semi-automatic sniper rifle."

Once again reading comments and reviews sections (on various articles, including the app store reviews) reveals lots of anti-gun violent nutters. Goodness. No wonder they're scared of guns- they seem to want to kill everyone who disagrees; I wouldn't trust myself with guns either if that is how I reacted to things.

I downloaded the game...why not? it's free. It spits out gun safety tips and NRA facts on all the load screens. I think it was odd that they chose more 'tactical' type guns as the starters. I'm guessing it was related to some existing game engine and those were probably existing models that were available. Obviously cool guns are more fun but from a PR standpoint it would have probably made more sense to start out with some more basic stuff with the option to work your way into the cooler stuff (also more profitable to work the upgrade plan that way?). On the one hand there's no need to play into the stigma around certain guns, but on the other hand when you are in a fight about which guns are legal or not, including differentiating between "machine guns" and "assault rifles" and whatnot, then having the default rifle be an M16 (not AR15 even...) seems kind of...odd. Normally I wouldn't think twice about it but it is somewhat awkward timing. Perhaps this has been in the pipeline from months ago?

To those saying it's ironic for the NRA to mention violent games, and then release a shooting game, I say not at all. Its a target shooting game with gun safety tips. It might make perfect sense to release a game that promotes shooting without the violent imagery, if that's the stand you've chosen...