As a senator from the state that is still reeling from the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Murphy is taking a swing for the fences in this time in which gun control is the primary topic of debate in Washington.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., right, accompanied by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 9, 2013, following a private meeting with families of the victims of the deadly shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
In what is a valiant, yet most likely losing, effort, a United States senator is attempting to convince one of the world's biggest media moguls to pull the plug on this weekend's NASCAR race.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., wrote a letter to Rupert Murdoch, chairman and CEO of News Corp., suggesting that the Fox network not air Saturday night's Sprint Cup race from Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
The reason? The National Rifle Association has attached its name to the event, calling it the NRA 500.
As a senator from the state that is still reeling from the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Murphy is taking a swing for the fences in this time in which gun control is the primary topic of debate in Washington.
“Considering your support of sane gun control measures and the extreme nature of the NRA, I urge you to not broadcast this race on April 13th. Inserting Fox Sports in this debate at this critical time will give credence to an extreme organization that is opposed to reasonable policies to stem gun violence,” Murphy wrote in part, according to NBC Connecticut.
Also at issue is Texas Motor Speedway's practice of giving its qualifying winner a rifle and the race winner a pair of six-shooters to fire in Victory Lane.
“This celebration of guns is inappropriate in the immediate wake of the Newtown massacre," Murphy wrote.
Last month, Murphy sent a similar letter to NASCAR CEO Brian France, asking him to reconsider the decision to allow the NRA to sponsor the race.
"Whether or not this was your intention, your fans will infer from this sponsorship that NASCAR and the NRA are allies in the current legislative debate over gun violence," Murphy wrote in that exchange.