The NRA's first ad of the election season is a false claim about Joe Biden

(Image credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

The National Rifle Association isn't starting its election season ad campaign on an accurate note.

In its first 2020 election-focused ad, the NRA claims Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden "opposes your right to self-defense," using dubiously mushy language to denigrate Biden's stance on gun control. But then it moves on to say Biden "wants to cut police funding," which is simply untrue.

As protests against police brutality elevated calls to "defund police" across the country, Biden's campaign specifically spoke against the idea. Biden "does not believe that police should be defunded," his campaign said in June. "He hears and shares the deep grief and frustration of those calling out for change," but believes instead in "reform" for police forces. The same statement actually called for more funding — for community policing programs, more training for officers, body cameras, and diversifying police departments.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

So while the NRA ad fits with President Trump's vision of Biden's platform, claiming the former vice president would allow for chaos to erupt across suburbs, "take away your Second Amendment," and embrace crime, it doesn't align with what Biden has actually said. Summer Meza

Explore More

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.