Are there laws preventing advertising of guns on TV?

[k9870]

I never see gun companies running ads on TV. Even on shows about hunting or shooting. You expect that during top shot or the IDPA nationals or something youd see smith and wesson or reminmgton, one of the big names would be running an ad or two. I know that the anti tobacco people made it illegal to run cigarette ads on tv, wondering if the anti gunners did the same or if gun companies just dont want to air ads?

[Markost]

http://makethelogobigger.blogspot.co...o-problem.html

http://blog.americanjusticecenter.co...thanks-to.html

[BurtReynoldsMoustache]

I remember seeing a commercial for some brand of ammunition years ago. It was during an early morning broadcast of some outdoors type show on TNN, before it became Spike TV.

[Swordfish941]

Originally Posted by Markost

http://makethelogobigger.blogspot.co...o-problem.html

Those guys got Pwned by a chick!

[Yournamehere]

I've a Smith & Wesson ad on a hunting channel or something, and I've seen a locally made commercial for a local gun store too.

[BurtReynoldsMoustache]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLfff5lV-78

[S&Wshooter]

Outdoor Channel runs gun ads all the time

[k9870]

Ads are also regional, so its different in different parts of the country.

[MT2008]

Originally Posted by Markost

http://makethelogobigger.blogspot.co...o-problem.html

This blog points out the obvious:

Not that it matters. You have how many TV shows that help the industry indirectly anyway as Jack Bauer points his HK close enough to a terrorist’s face to read the name.

(Of course, he forgot to mention that IMFDB helps out, too. )

Anyway, as best I know, there are no laws preventing gun manufacturers from advertising on TV (whether or not network execs would accept gun manufacturers' money for advertising is another story). I think the more likely explanation is that gun manufacturers have simply never tried to produce or sell TV commercials.

Think about how much it costs to run an advertisement on primetime television. Then think about the size/target demographic of the American gun industry compared to almost any other industry. It wouldn't make sense from a cost-benefit perspective. Even though there are a lot of gun owners in America, guns are still a niche market compared to any other consumer product - cars, computers, cosmetics. There may be 80 million gun owners in America, but there are 300 million people who will always (at some point) be in the market for a new car, a new laptop, some awesome new cologne guaranteed to get them laid, etc. Gun manufacturers are targeting a specific group of people who they know will almost always read gun rags or visit gun sites. Whereas other consumer products manufacturers are constantly competing with each other for the attention of the entire American public.

And I don't know about y'all, but my HDTV almost never gets used for anything besides watching Blu-Rays and playing Xbox360. I watch all of my favorite TV shows (like "Chuck") on Hulu. Most of my friends and acquaintances do the same. At this point, it would make no sense for gun manufacturers to advertise through a dying medium.

[BurtReynoldsMoustache]

They still have print ads...