Possible NRA Smartphone App Under Fire
NEW YORK (CBSMiami/CBS News) - The National Rifle Association targeted violent video games in an infamous news conference held after the Newtown school shooting. But the NRA is in the crosshairs of controversy over a new app it is reported to have released.
According to multiple report, the NRA released a new video-game for anyone aged "4 and up" called "NRA: Practice Range." The game is part of an overall app the NRA reportedly said puts all of its resources in the palm of your hand, according to CBS News.
The game portion of the app is a "3D shooting game that instills safe and responsible ownership through fun challenges and realistic simulations. It strikes the right balance of gaming and safety education," CBS News reported the NRA description said.
The NRA said the game isn't like other first-person shooter games that the group previously condemned.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an outspoken advocate of tighter gun control called the NRA's app, "the height of hypocrisy."
However, Tuesday afternoon, Bill Keller of the New York Times called into question whether the app actually came from the NRA.
According to Keller, he contacted a company called IP Lasso which "chases down counterfeit web content on behalf of brand-name clients." Keller reported for the Times that, "nothing in the iTunes listing of the Target Practice app named the National Rifle Association. It just used the initials NRA."
Keller also said the apps officially from the NRA use the full name of the organization and the NRA's logo is slightly different from the one in the app. Keller reported for the Times that IP Lasso contacted both the app developer and the NRA but both declined to comment on the app.
