NRA sends pro-gun robocalls to Newtown residents
This photo uploaded to Twitter by NBC reporter Liz Dahlem shows Connecticut state police arriving at the scene of an elementary school shooting in Newtown.
People in Newtown have been receiving automated phone messages from the National Rifle Association asking them to oppose gun control legislation. The news was broken by advocacy group the Newtown Action Alliance in a Facebook post on Thursday.
"Aside from being insensitive and uninvited, these calls may be in violation of telemarketing laws as they do not give the option to opt-out of future calls during the call," the post says.
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"I received one of these," Newtown resident Christopher Wenis wrote on Facebook. "I was insulted and offended." In fact, Wenis told The Huffington Post that within the 36 hours since he posted those comments, he received yet two more robocalls from the NRA. And he had even called the NRA twice to request his name be placed on a "don't call" list, he claims.
The calls come as gun control appears to be gaining in popularity in Connecticut. Last week a key committee of the state General Assembly unanimously approved a rule requiring criminal background checks prior to all gun sales in Connecticut, the Connecticut Post reported.
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