Gun-control group's Super Bowl ad seizes on past NRA statement

Past statements by the National Rifle Association (NRA) supporting of background checks for all gun sales are at the center of a new advertisement by the gun-control group Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

The New York Times reported on Saturday that the ad, which will air in the Washington, D.C. area during the Super Bowl on Sunday, will feature NRA chief executive officer Wayne LaPierre testifying in support of universal background checks before a Senate committee in May 1999.

"We think it's reasonable to provide mandatory instant criminal background checks for every sale at every gun show," LaPierre said in the testimony featured in the ad. "No loopholes anywhere, for anyone."

The testimony is preceded, then followed, by images of children as "America The Beautiful" plays in the background.

But more recent testimony points to a philosophical shift by LaPierre, as he opposed such a measure in a Senate judiciary committee hearing earlier this week.

The change in attitude was brought to light on Thursday by The Daily Show's Jon Stewart, who contrasted LaPierre's 1999 testimony with his statement this week that "background checks will never be universal, because criminals will never submit to them."

Officials with the Mayors Against Illegal Guns campaign did not comment on how much the ad cost, saying only that it was in the "low six figures." It is scheduled to air during the commercial break at the conclusion of halftime of the game.

Watch the campaign's new ad, released online on Friday, below.