A gun rights group featured in a documentary produced and narrated by Katie Couric has filed a $12 million lawsuit against Couric and the rest of the film’s producers, claiming they were victims of “deliberate and continued misrepresentations” in the final edit of the film, Under the Gun.
The documentary, which premiered online in May, features an interview with members the Virginia Citizens Defense League.
“We were horrified to see how Couric and her team manipulated us and the video footage to make us look like fools who didn’t stand up for the Second Amendment,” said Philip Van Cleave, president of the VCDL. “We want to set the record straight and hold them accountable for what they’ve done. You shouldn’t intentionally misrepresent someone’s views just because you disagree with them.”
In the film Couric is seen asking “If there are no background checks for gun purchasers, how do you prevent felons or terrorist from walking into, say, a licensed gun dealer and purchasing a gun?” That question appears to be met by eight seconds of silence, though an audio recording of the interview shows the gun rights group’s members immediately provided answers to the question. They called the edit deceptive.
Couric later apologized for the edit, saying “I take full responsibility.”