Fairfax, Va. – The National Rifle Association (NRA) today launched a new radio ad titled "Lying" in the Arkansas Second Congressional District election. The ad attacks Patrick Henry Hays for lying about his anti-Second Amendment record and will air on radio stations across the District, from today through Election Day. This ad comes on the heels of a letter from the NRA to Hays and the Arkansas Democratic Party demanding that they stop using a photo of the NRA's Executive Vice President, Wayne LaPierre, to deliberately mislead voters into believing that the "F" rated Hays is the NRA's preferred candidate. The NRA has endorsed his opponent in this race, French Hill.
"The use of Wayne LaPierre's photo is a dishonest and deliberate attempt to mislead voters into believing that Patrick Henry Hays is endorsed by the NRA," said Chris W. Cox, chairman of the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF). "Nothing could be further from the truth. Patrick Henry Hays has a long record of opposing the rights of law-abiding gun owners. He knows his anti-gun record is at odds with Arkansas voters, so he is trying to hide his support for gun control. The NRA will not let his deception stand."
As a member of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's anti-gun group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Hays actively opposed concealed carry reciprocity; wanted to effectively end gun shows; supported a gun registry; and sought to violate the privacy of law-abiding gun owners by repealing the Tiahrt Amendment.
Despite receiving an "F" rating from the NRA-PVF for his documented opposition to the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, Hays has deliberately tried to deceive voters into believing that he supports the Second Amendment and is the NRA's preferred candidate in this election. Most recently, the Arkansas Democratic Party sent out a patently false mailer containing an unauthorized photo of NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and manipulated a fundraising letter to create the impression that Hays has the NRA seal of approval. The NRA launched this new ad to set the record straight and make sure voters know that Patrick Henry Hays supports former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's extreme gun control agenda, not the rights of law-abiding gun owners in the Second Congressional District of Arkansas.
The NRA letters to Hays and the Arkansas Democratic Party can be viewed here: https://www.nrapvf.org/media/1396/hays-and-insalaco-letter.pdf
The deceptive mailer can be viewed here: https://www.nrapvf.org/media/1399/phh-mailer.pdf
Listen to the ad "Lying" here: https://www.nrapvf.org/media-center/20141031/audio/patrick-henry-hays-audio
