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

(Image credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

published 21 August 2020

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.

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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.

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