‘Target practice’: Critics slam NRA’s headline next to Pelosi, Giffords photo in magazine

Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) escorts former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at the U.S. Capitol. Credit: Ricky Carioti, The Washington Post

Next to a photo of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former Arizona lawmaker Gabrielle Giffords were the words “Target Practice.”

It was the headline of a story in the National Rifle Association’s American Rifleman magazine, where the author, chief NRA lobbyist Chris W. Cox, criticized newly introduced bipartisan universal background-check legislation. But in the eyes of others, the headline and accompanying photo of Pelosi and Giffords, who was shot in the head in Tucson in 2011, said more than the article did.

Some claimed the headline was an intentional attempt to incite violence against the politicians.

View the complete February 25 article by Meagan Flynn on The Washington Post website here.