NRA Chief Wayne LaPierre Is a ‘Poor Marksman’ Who Went on Safari and Painfully Shot and Killed an Elephant

LaPierre shot at close range and shot the immobilized animal in the wrong place three times.

Since 40 years Wayne LaPierre was Executive Vice President and CEO of the National Rifle Association and still doesn’t seem to be shooting straight away.

A recently published article on The New Yorker exposes the head of the top gun lobby group as “clumsy”, as shown by a video of him on safari with his wife (below).

“After the mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, Wayne LaPierre, director of the National Rifle Association, told Americans advocating new gun regulations, ‘The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a pistol.’ Less than a year later, LaPierre and his wife Susan traveled to the Okavango Delta in Botswana, where they wanted to show NRA members that they could take on another adversary: ​​African bush elephants, the largest land mammals on earth. The trip was filmed by a crew from Under Wild Skies, an NRA-sponsored television series designed to raise the organization’s profile among hunters – a key element of its donor base. According to sources and records, however, the program never aired because of concerns that it could turn into a PR fiasco, ”writes Mike Spies of the New Yorker.

LaPierre’s wife cut off the tail of an elephant and held it up in the air. ‘Victory!’ she shouted, laughing. ‘This is my elephant tail. So cool ‘”

“The Trace and The New Yorker received a copy of the footage that has not been publicly available for eight years. It shows that the NRA chief turned out to be a bad shot when the guides tracked down an elephant for LaPierre. After LaPierre’s first shot wounded the elephant, the guides took it a short distance from the animal, which was lying on its side and unable to move. LaPierre shot at close range and shot the animal in the wrong place three times. Eventually a guide had the host of ‘Under Wild Skies’ fire the shot that killed the elephant. Later that day, Susan LaPierre showed herself to be better than her husband. After the guides tracked down an elephant for them, Susan killed it, cut its tail, and held it up in the air. ‘Victory!’ she shouted, laughing. ‘This is my elephant tail. So cool ‘”

Journalist Yashar Ali introduced top media outlets, personalities and politicians, including former Fox News presenter Eric Bolling, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Lincoln Project co-founder John Weaver and television personality Sharon Osbourne. An avid elephant rights activist, he posted the New Yorker’s video along with some comments.

“Because they are cowards, Wayne and Susan LaPierre shipped parts of the two elephants they killed under the name of a taxidermist,” he wrote in a tweet. “The elephants’ forefeet became stools for LaPierre’s house.”

Attention: graphic and annoying content:

1. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT @TeamTrace & @NewYorker have received footage of Wayne LaPierre from the NRA and his wife Susan who shot and killed two elephants in Botswana. @mikespiesnyc reports https://t.co/lqe4fhYiqm pic.twitter.com/tCyNSLBEED

– Yashar Ali @ (@yashar) April 27, 2021

The details of the killing of the elephant are brutal, obviously the animal must have suffered badly.

“After a guide spotted an elephant standing behind a tree, LaPierre aimed a rifle. While LaPierre peers through the rifle scope, the guide repeatedly tells him to wait before firing. LaPierre wears earplugs, does not hear the instructions and pulls the trigger. The elephant falls. “Did we get it?” Asks LaPierre. “

The guide says yes at first, but then, as he approaches the elephant, it appears that the animal is still breathing. Within a few steps, the guide brings LaPierre to the elephant, which is lying motionless on the ground. He tells LaPierre that another bullet is needed. “I’ll show you where to shoot,” says the guide. “Listen, hold your rifle – I’ll tell you when. Just hold it up. “The guide lifts the barrel of the rifle into the sky while other men involved in the expedition move in the distance. “I’ll show you where to shoot. I’m just waiting for these guys. “

After wounding the animal, he again “shoots the elephant in the wrong place. It is still alive. The guide tells LaPierre to sit down and reminds him to reload while physically getting LaPierre into place. Now on one knee, the NRA leader asks, “Same place?” and then shoot again. The bullet misses the target. “

“I think it’s not quite ready yet,” the guide says to Makris. “Do you want to do it for him?” The guide then says to LaPierre, “I’m not sure where you’re shooting.”

“Where do you tell me to shoot?” LaPierre answers and sounds frustrated. The guide goes back to the elephant and points to the ear. “Oh, OK,” says LaPierre. “Okay, I can shoot there.” He takes a third shot at close range.

“Uh-uh,” says the guide, indicating that LaPierre has missed its mark again.

“No?” Asks LaPierre.

Elephants are considered to be very intelligent, self-confident and show empathy. Scientific American reported in 2014 that they are “some of the smartest, most sociable, and empathetic animals around.”

Read the entire report in the New Yorker.