Jay Leno Cancels Performance at Gun Trade Show

Jay Leno has canceled his plans to perform at a gun industry trade show in Las Vegas following an outcry from gun control groups.

Leno told Mother Jones that he will no longer appear at the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF) annual Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade show in Las Vegas. Leno stated to the magazine that he called the NSSF to inform the group of his decision.

This move comes after the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence had launched a petition urging the former Tonight Show to cancel the January 2015 appearance. 

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The petition states that NSSF, which is based out of Newtown, Conn., lobbied in Congress against background checks for firearms following the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. The Campaign to Unload and the Newtown Action Alliance were also behind the petition, as was Moms Demand Action, which has issued a statement thanking Leno for canceling the appearance. 

“I understand it’s Newtown, and of course I get it,” Leno, whose CNBC car series is slated to premiere in 2015, told Mother Jones about his decision to skip the event. “It’s just sometimes, mistakes get made.”

Reps for NBC and Leno’s Big Dog Productions declined to comment.

Email: Ryan.Gajewski@pgmedia.org
Twitter: @_RyanGajewski