ASA Raps Daily Sport For Irresponsible Gun Ads

The ASA has banned a series of ads for air guns that featured in the Daily Sport on the grounds that they glamorised the use of offensive weapons.

The ads, which offered readers the opportunity to call a premium line phone number to receive a selection of guns, described them as “double barrel shotguns” and “rapid fire machine guns”. They sparked a number of complaints from readers across the UK who felt that they were both offensive, irresponsible and misleading.

The ASA considered that descriptions such as “sprays ammo in a rapid burst” and “fires an amazing 300 rounds”, along with the names and images of the guns glamorised the use of offensive weapons and trivialised a serious social problem.

The authority also criticised the Daily Sport and the advertisers for failing to provide enough evidence to prove that the air guns could not be sold to children. However, the advertisers claimed that all callers were checked against the electoral roll to ensure they were over the age of 18.

The ASA reminded the publishers of the Daily Sport of their responsibility for the ads and of their obligation to abide by the advertising codes.

The ruling comes at a poignant time, as gun crime took centre stage in the media after 2 young girls were killed in a suspected gang shooting in Birmingham on New Year’s Eve. The murders caused a wave of outrage and prompted Culture Minister, Kim Howells to criticise the “hateful lyrics” of rap music for glamorising gun culture.

ASA: 020 7580 5555 www.asa.org.uk

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