- The Washington Times - Friday, April 12, 2013

It’s not appropriate for the National Rifle Association to sponsor this weekend’s NASCAR race, and News Corporation head Rupert Murdoch should cancel the broadcast, Sen. Chris Murphy said, in a Thursday letter to the media king.

“The race not only brings national attention to an organization that has been the face of one side of this heated debate,” the Connecticut Democrat wrote in a letter to Rupert Murdoch, the chairman and chief executive of the channel that’s due to broadcast the race, as reported by CNN. “It also features the live shooting of guns at the end of the race.”

Texas Motor Speedway said last month that the NRA was going to sponsor its April 13 Sprint Cup event – marking the first time the group has ever sponsored one of the top series races for NASCAR. NRA did sponsor a NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Atlanta last year.

FOX, owned by Mr. Rupert, is due to broadcast this weekend’s race.

Mr. Murphy said the sponsorship was “inappropriate in the immediate wake of the Newtown massacre,” CNN reported.

And he chided Mr. Murdoch: “You should play a constructive role in our national dialogue by refraining from broadcasting the NRA 500,” he wrote, CNN reported. “By airing this race, you will be strengthening the brand of a radical organization that is currently standing in the way of meaningful progress on this issue.”

Mr. Murdoch did not immediately respond.

 

• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.

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