Jon Stewart Mocks the NRA: 'An Avant-Garde, Joaquin Phoenix-Style Joke' (Video)

6:55 AM PST 1/17/2013 by Jordan Zakarin

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The "Daily Show" host combed through President Obama's gun control proposals, while floating a conspiracy theory about the gun rights group's motivations.

The Daily Show Jon Stewart Gun Control - H 2013

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Jon Stewart wasted no time on Wednesday night, launching into a point-by-point takedown of the NRA hours after the group wholly rejected President Obama's new package of gun control initiatives.

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Opening with the gun rights group's widely-panned web ad focused on the armed security at the President's daughters' schools, The Daily Show compared the campaign with one of the most bizarre publicity efforts in recent Hollywood history.

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"I swear to you, if I didn’t know any better, and I’m not a big conspiracy guy, after seeing that ad, I would think the NRA is either an elaborate, avant-garde, Joaquin Phoenix-style joke, or a false flag operation run by Michael Moore in an attempt to discredit responsible gun owners," Stewart cracked.

He went on to highlight the various aspects of Obama's plan, which includes 23 executive actions and several legislative proposals. One of them, the full-time hiring of a commissioner for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, has been blocked for the past six years thanks to a provision in the Patriot Act requiring the Senate's approval for any such appointment. As Stewart pointed out, Rep. James Sensenbrenner slipped that clause into the 2006 anti-terror legislation -- the same year he was presented with an award by the NRA.

Stewart pounded on the seemingly obvious measures that could be taken to curb the trade of illegal guns, setting up each proposal's sensibility and then pointing out the hidden legislation that blocks the government's ability to pursue it.

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