Bloomberg’s Gun Ad Set To Run During Super Bowl [Video]

While many of the adverts aired during Super Bowl XLVII will simply endorse products ranging from cola to cars, a 30-second spot on gun control is sure to trigger debate in America’s living rooms.

Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), the gun control group created by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has spent a six-figure sum to ensure an ad promoting stricter gun control airs during this year’s game.

Bloomberg’s gun ad, which features a child narrator, takes aim at the NRA’s recent flip-flop on background checks. MAIG spokeswoman Erika Soto Lamb confirmed to Business Insider that the ad cost six figures and would air in the Washington, D.C. area during tonight’s game between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens.

The ad calls for fresh legislation to tighten up background checks on gun buyers. After the young narrator notes that the NRA previously supported background checks on all gun sales, footage from 1999 shows NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre telling an audience:

“We think it’s reasonable to provide mandatory, instant criminal background checks for every sale at every gun show. No loopholes anywhere, for anyone.”

LaPierre backed down from those comments while recently giving testimony before Congress, declaring the NRA was now opposed to background checks. He argued that checks were redundant as criminals would not submit to them.

Soto Lamb has confirmed that the photos of children used in the ad are stock images. When asked about their significance, she replied that “20 six- and seven-year-olds were lined up against a wall and shot in Newtown.”

You can watch Bloomberg’s gun ad below. Do you think exposure in a Super Bowl slot can influence the national debate on gun control?