Comcast bans local gun ads on national channels

Comcast bans local gun ads on national channels

comcastRetailers who sell guns will no longer be able to buy air time on Comcast, the nation’s largest cable provider, MSN.com reported Thursday.

CBS Detroit said the change took place after the cable giant took a controlling interest in NBC Universal, which also had a policy of not accepting advertisements for gun shops. The move, CBS said, also affects retailers like Cabela’s and Wal-Mart.

But according to MSN, the ban only applies to “commercial time sold by Comcast Spotlight, the advertising-sales division of Comcast Cable that sells local spots on national cable channels.”

Advertisements on networks like the Sportsman Channel and the Outdoor Channel are not covered by the policy, MSN added.

Comcast claims the policy puts them in line with other media organizations around the country.

“This policy aligns us with the guidelines in place at many media organizations,” the company told CBS News.

John Kupiec, president of the advertising agency Canadian American Corp., learned of the ban when he attempted to purchase ad time for Williams Gun Sight, and said this was the first major ban that he has ever seen.

Executives of the retail outlet were not pleased with the move.

“We’re a perfectly legal company selling a perfectly legal product and they have chosen us out of all the industries out there to make a stand on what’s right or wrong,” said chief operating officer Dan Compeau.

According to Compeau, the company had accepted their ads in the past.

“We were totally caught off guard by it,” he said. “All these TV stations are taking millions, if not billions, from alcohol companies — and alcohol deaths, alcohol sickness, way outpaces anything a gun can do. [Comcast] is two-faced.”

Kupiec says his company may seek legal action as a last resort.

“The next step is we want to get the lawmakers on Capitol Hill to review the monopolistic rights this company (Comcast) currently enjoys as the largest cable provider in the United States,” he said.

“I’m an avid hunter and I believe this is a direct threat on the Second Amendment, a direct assault on legal businesses in the United States, and I think it’s antitrust,” he added.

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Joe Newby

Joe Newby

Joe Newby is an IT professional. He has written for Conservative Firing Line, Examiner, NewsBusters, and Spokane Faith and Values.

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