Another Super Bowl brings another round of “banned” ads that end up getting nearly as much free publicity online as they would have received for millions of dollars during the big game. An early entry this year comes from Daniel Defense, which would have had to shell outupwards of $8 million to air this 60-second spot had Fox not rejected its pro-gun rights message.
Fox cited the NFL’s rule prohibiting the advertising of “firearms, ammunition or other weapons” during games in its rejection of the ad, but gun rights groups are pushing back, claiming that the ad does not violate the league’s rules. According to Guns & Ammo magazine, the firearms portion of the NFL’s Prohibited Advertising Categories states:
“5. Firearms, ammunition or other weapons are prohibited; however, stores that sell firearms and ammunitions (e.g., outdoor stores and camping stores) will be permitted, provided they sell other products and the ads do not mention firearms, ammunition or other weapons.”They argue that the ad complies with the rules for two reasons: Because “Daniel Defense has a brick-and-mortar store, where they sell products other than firearms such as apparel” and “The commercial itself does not mention firearms, ammunition or weaponry.” Typical of lying gun-rights fanatics, they pretend the ad is about selling tents and backpacks. But most interesting is that Fox has such a policy.
