Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association was blasted on Tuesday after graphic video emerged of his "botched" elephant hunt in Botswana's Okavango Delta.
"The trip was filmed by a crew from 'Under Wild Skies,' an N.R.A.-sponsored television series that was meant to boost the organization's profile among hunters—a key element of its donor base. But the program never aired, according to sources and records, because of concerns that it could turn into a public-relations fiasco," the magazine reported.
"The Trace and The New Yorker obtained a copy of the footage, which has been hidden from public view for eight years. It shows that when guides tracked down an elephant for LaPierre, the N.R.A. chief proved to be a poor marksman. After LaPierre's first shot wounded the elephant, guides brought him a short distance from the animal, which was lying on its side, immobilized. Firing from point-blank range, LaPierre shot the animal three times in the wrong place," The New Yorker reported. "Finally, a guide had the host of 'Under Wild Skies' fire the shot that killed the elephant."
The gun activists was harshly criticized for his hunt. Here's some of what people were saying:
Congrats on killing a 50 year old elephant after shooting it multiple times at point blank range. You're a real fucking clint eastwood.— Adam Serwer 🍝 (@Adam Serwer 🍝) 1619556272.0
Everything about this is terrible. Elephants are smart and empathetic. This was a horrible way to die. This was a… https://t.co/AiOxrmgqoM— New Civil Rights (@New Civil Rights) 1619560736.0
This heartbreaking video captures the two hallmarks of Wayne LaPierre’s leadership: needless death and costly incom… https://t.co/MgqGvCWiaO— John Feinblatt (@John Feinblatt) 1619558303.0
Projectile dysfunction happens to men his age. https://t.co/nxYxnTFEyw— TheCulturalEqualityRaiseroftheDead (@TheCulturalEqualityRaiseroftheDead) 1619558666.0
Outright disgusting just like all stories of Wayne LaPierre's corrupt NRA! As for Susan, victory over what? For ki… https://t.co/DUiq7cQTZ4— Dr. Stephen Ogunyemi (@Dr. Stephen Ogunyemi) 1619557343.0
Seems like once a month I read a story about elephants killing poachers, and this was a real missed opportunity. https://t.co/ZwhsBFk7X9— james_roe (@james_roe) 1619558254.0
2. Wayne LaPierre is a poor marksman. He shot the elephant once from a distance and then three times from point-b… https://t.co/Gfb3diK1a9— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@Yashar Ali 🐘) 1619557812.0
4. Because they are cowards, Wayne and Susan LaPierre had parts from the two elephants they killed shipped to the U… https://t.co/tZBUg4UCTj— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@Yashar Ali 🐘) 1619558632.0
The only thing that stops an endangered creature from living peacefully is a socialite with a gun https://t.co/ffahmWYyID— Justin Miller (@Justin Miller) 1619556575.0
NRA Wayne LaPierre's wife after shooting an elephant. These people have no empathy. They destroy beauty and life an… https://t.co/CpylrMMuXq— Nell Scovell (@Nell Scovell) 1619555499.0
Wayne LaPierre and his wife slaughtered a beautiful, peaceful Elephant in cold blood. And I'm supposed to be impre… https://t.co/gI2lgTdOqB— Mark Judson For Congress - Scorched Earth Dem 2022 (@Mark Judson For Congress - Scorched Earth Dem 2022) 1619557695.0
Would be almost comical if it weren't so barbaric https://t.co/fIY4TIxNTT pic.twitter.com/V9RHiZtrto
— Christopher Ingraham (@_cingraham) April 27, 2021
In the Okavango Delta, the top US gun lobbyist disastrously botches an elephant hunt. "Firing from point-blank rang… https://t.co/e2iYXm2r84— Geoffrey York (@Geoffrey York) 1619557885.0
This is so sickening to watch. More like a murder than a hunt. Elephants are such majestic creatures, and this one… https://t.co/yS1aHiBB5B— Ty McCormick (@Ty McCormick) 1619556737.0
If there's a hell, there had better be a special place in it for people like this who murder elephants. https://t.co/r5gRS4fz7q— Max Fawcett (@Max Fawcett) 1619556648.0
I think it goes without saying, but: fuck these elephant-murdering grifters. https://t.co/5zgmV0Bl3N— Justin Ling (@Justin Ling) 1619556031.0
