Take the group 97Percent. It wants gun rights advocates to believe it is a pro-Second Amendment outfit, but that is false advertising. Instead, it falls into the category of many other organizations that make no bones about where they stand against gun rights.
And on the subject of false advertising, 97Percent recently ignited a storm of controversy when it used images of female shooters without permission to mark Women’s History Month.
Last Wednesday, the group posted a series of tweets containing images and personal data on nine female shooters. Along with six living women were photographs of Lucille Ball, Mary Edwards Walker and Annie Oakley.
Only, permission was not granted to use the images as an endorsement of the group’s shaky platform.
One of the women featured was Army veteran and professional shooter Julie Golob. 97Percent posted her picture along with the caption, “We continue to celebrate Women’s History Month by honoring Julie Golob!”
The group then gave a summary of her many accomplishments in competition shooting, including U.S. Army Female Athlete of the Year and USPSA Open National Champion.
Only, Golob was never asked for her permission to use the image and does not endorse the group’s murky political stance.
Speaking to the Second Amendment Foundation last week, Golob explained. “I did not endorse their message. I gave no permission for the photo. It is unfair to use my image and likeness to give the perception that I support what they are all about. I certainly don’t.”
Golob added, “And the fact it was used for Women’s History Month is insulting.”
After she voiced her opposition on X, formerly Twitter, 97Percent quickly erased its postings referencing female shooters and Women’s History Month.
The group’s executive director, Olivia Troye, recently spoke on ABC’s “The View” about its purpose. She said the organization works “to bring gun owners into the conversation and to bring them to the table, in order to work on reducing gun deaths happening across the country, while including them in the solutions.”
97Percent drew its name from the discredited Quinnipiac survey that claimed 97% of respondents want mandatory background checks for gun purchases. It asserted the other 3% are “loud voices who have crowded out conversation and prevented collaboration between gun owners and non-gun owners.”
But it is hardly representative of most or even a large segment of the gun-owning U.S. population. Stances the group takes position it far outside of the mainstream of gun rights advocates.
For example, it has supported a ban on so-called “assault weapons,” a standard-capacity magazine ban, a prohibition of bump stocks, mandatory permitting for firearm owners, mandatory permitting to purchase and even possess weapons and expanded “red flag” laws.
97Percent, while claiming to be a gun rights group, further backed mandatory storage laws, claims advocates “overprotect” the Second Amendment, termed modern sporting rifles as “weapons of war” and endorsed mandatory background checks.
The former president of anti-gun extremist group Brady is on 97Percent’s advisory board.
Mark Oliva is the public affairs director for the influential National Shooting Sports Foundation. In no uncertain terms he dismissed the group’s posturing as “a group of concerned gun owners.”
Instead, he noted that “they have never stood to protect the Second Amendment. They only seek to raise their profile by attempting to cleave the gun-owning community apart by claiming those who do not agree with their shifting radical platform are outside of the mainstream.
Oliva added that gun owners are not fooled, and “that mask is off.”
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