Jay Leno was scheduled to make an appearance at the Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT) in January, but has changed his plans after pressure from a Newtown, Connecticut group to do so.
The event is held at the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a gun lobby that is actually based in Newtown. After learning of the comedian’s plans, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence began a petition.
Po Murray, whose children attended the Sandy Hook Elementary School, the site of a mass shooting, also called for Leno to cancel the appearance. She is the chairman of the Newtown Action Alliance.
“I'm not sure if Jay Leno has done his research and understands that NSSF is the corporate gun lobby and they spend a significant amount of money to lobby congressional leaders to not pass significant gun reform legislation,” Murray told Mother Jones. “It's a disheartening as a Newtown resident to see him make this appearance at the SHOT Show. So we're urging him to cancel his appearance."
Leno later spoke with Mother Jones to offer a short statement and confirmed that he personally spoke to Murray.
“I understand it's Newtown, and of course I get it,” Leno said. “It's just sometimes, mistakes get made.”
Leno previously hosted NBC’s Tonight Show before handing it over to Jimmy Fallon earlier this year. He will be hosting a car show for CNBC in 2015.
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