The Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) and two Second Amendment activists filed a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court against Katie Couric and the producers of “Under the Gun,” charging that the producers of the so-called documentary intentionally manipulated footage of them to make them look clueless and uncaring when asked about firearm purchase background checks, BearingArms.com reports.
In the film, after Couric asked pro-gun activists, “If there are no background checks for gun purchasers, how do you prevent felons or terrorists from purchasing a gun?,” those activists are shown sitting silent, seemingly flummoxed, for eight seconds—when in reality, those activists immediately replied and debated with Couric for nearly six minutes, as their audio tape of the exchange proved.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs say in their complaint that the filmmakers intentionally, maliciously manufactured the exchange by splicing in footage of the activists sitting silent after producers of the film had asked them to do so to calibrate their recording equipment. The suit seeks compensatory damages of $12 million, punitive damages of $350,000 per plaintiff and an injunction barring further distribution of the film.
