At some point you have to wonder does the National Rifle Association (NRA) have no shame?
One month to the day after the savage murder of school staff and twenty children at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newton, Connecticut they release a violent game NRA: Practice Range. This is the type of entertainment Wayne LaPierre, NRA’s president, criticized during his first press conference in wake of the shooting.
The iPhone and iPad app, which according to Apple’s iTunes description is recommended for children ages 4 years old and up, allows the player to earn points while shooting at coffin shaped targets. The basic game is free but they can upgrade for .99 cents to AK-47 assault rifles and an M-11 sniper rifles.
The NRA promotes the gun safety tips offered throughout the game as the right balance between enjoying a gaming experience with safety. Others such as the New York Daily News simply considers it offensive in their story NRA spits on the graves of Newtown massacre victims with release of mobile shoot-’em-up app for iPhone, iPad.
Even supporters of responsible gun ownership were surprised at the NRA’s new “game”. The New York Daily News reported:
Juan Ramirez, 28, of Brooklyn, who was shown the app at the West Side Rifle & Pistol Range in Chelsea, was also dubious about the NRA’s game.
“You would think the NRA would have a little more sensitivity and put a little more thought into releasing something like this,” Ramirez said. “It’s like they’re out of touch with the people.”
Does Apple have the right to approve this game and release it? Yes, but timing is important. Could they have not said look now is not the right time for such a release.
Is releasing it one month after a crime that stunned the nation reek of profiting off the murder of children? Many would say YES.
What do you think?
