NRA stresses commitment to veterans in response to Common

The National Rifle Association (NRA) stressed its commitment to veterans in its response to hip-hop artist Common, who criticized the group on stage during the Academy Awards.

“.@common @TheAcademy: This is what the #NRA and its members stand for. #Oscars,” NRATV wrote on Twitter, including a video of a veteran talking about standing for the national anthem. 

Common late Sunday performed an anthem he reworked from the movie “Marshall,” tying in recent events like the school shooting in southern Florida last month. The hip-hop artist also referenced the controversy over kneeling during the national anthem, rapping “a knee we take for our soul’s sake.”

“On Oscar night, this is the dream we tell. A land where ‘Dreamers’ live and freedom dwells. Immigrants get the benefits, we put up monuments to the feminists,” Common said.

“Tell the NRA they ain’t God’s way. And to the people of Parkland, we say Ase,” he added, referring to the site of last month’s high school massacre and a West African philosophy. 

The NRATV account then slammed the rapper for reacting to its original tweet with laughing emojis.

“Here’s @common laughing at a message about honoring our fallen heroes minutes after he went on @TheAcademy stage and said #NRA members are ‘in God’s way.’ #Oscars,” NRATV said.