The National Rifle Association pulled video of its chief repeatedly shooting an elephant at point-blank range over fears of PR disaster, a report claims.
Wayne LaPierre was filmed for the NRA-sponsored Under Wild Skies TV show botching the killing of the elephant on a hunt in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, according toThe New Yorker.
The hunt took place in 2013 but went so badly that it was never aired, reported the magazine alongside The Trace.
“The trip was filmed by a crew from Under Wild Skies, an NRA-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.
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Mr LaPierre reportedly wounded the elephant with his first shot, causing the animal to lie on its side, video obtained by the media outlets shows.
He then failed to kill the animal with a further three shots from close distance after shooting it in the wrong spot, added the magazine.
“Finally, a guide had the host of Under Wild Skies fire the shot that killed the elephant,” stated the magazine.
At a later point in the hunt Mr LaPierre’s wife, Susan, shot and killed an elephant before cutting off its tail and holding it aloft like a trophy.
“Victory,” she shouted in celebration.
“That’s my elephant tail. Way cool.”
The Trace describes itself as a “non-profit journalism outlet devoted to gun-related news in the United States.”
The Independent has reached out to the NRA for comment.
It is the latest in a string of difficulties for the gun rights group, which filed for bankruptcy protection in January and announced it was leaving New York for Texas.
That came on the heels of an August 2020 lawsuit by New York attorney general Letitia James filing a lawsuit to dissolve the NRA.
Mr LaPierre has also been accused of using the non-profit’s membership fees to pay for millions of dollars worth of designer suits and private jet flights.
