Speech at NRA Meeting Appears to Confuse Its CEO

Homage to Wayne LaPierre's 'thoughts and prayers' was the work of prankster Jason Selvig
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted May 31, 2022 10:10 AM CDT

A man who appeared to defend National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre at the group's annual meeting this weekend, just days after a mass shooting at a Texas elementary school killed 21 people, was doing anything but. Jason Selvig, one half of comedy duo The Good Liars, took the microphone to sarcastically thank LaPierre for all he had done to prevent such shootings in what Indy100 calls a subtle yet "sublime takedown" that left LaPierre noticeably confused. In a clip viewed more than 8 million times on Twitter, Selvig began by saying he was "sick and tired of the left-wing media" and some attendees claiming LaPierre "isn't doing enough to stop these mass shootings and even implying [he] has played a part in making it easier for these shooters to get guns."

He then listed off numerous mass shootings, including the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Fla., and this month's shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, saying the same critique was heard after each one, per the Washington Post. But LaPierre is undeserving of such criticism, Selvig continued. "The NRA, under Wayne LaPierre's leadership, has provided thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families," he said. "And if we give enough of these thoughts and these prayers, these mass shootings will stop." He then addressed LaPierre. "I want to thank you, Wayne LaPierre, for all your thoughts and all your prayers," he said, receiving a round of applause. LaPierre, who was reelected as chief executive on Monday, looked on in confusion, without offering a reply. (More Wayne LaPierre stories.)

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