Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s has a message for New Yorkers who don’t like their state’s new gun-control measures. Move to Texas.
On Wednesday, New Yorkers in Manhattan and Albany began seeing two web ads, paid for with Abbott campaign funds, and designed to tug on their holster strings. According to The Austin American-Statesman, the text of one ad reads: “Is Gov. Cuomo looking to take your guns? Sick of the media outing law abiding gun owners? Are you a lawful NY gun owner seeking lower taxes?” The second ad reads: “Wanted: Law abiding New York gun owners looking for lower taxes and greater opportunity.”
People who click on the ads are directed to a group sign-up page on Facebook that includes a message from Abbott, encouraging them to move to Texas.
“Here in Texas, you will have the liberty and the opportunity to achieve your dreams. On top of that, we have no income tax, yet still manage to have a multi-billion dollar budget surplus,” Abbott’s message reads. “You’ll also get to keep more of what you earn and use some of that extra money to buy more ammo.”
Eric Bearse, a political consultant and spokesperson for the Abbott campaign, refused to tell the American-Statesman how much money was being spent on the ads, but said it was a “sizable web-based buy” that would continue for several days. The newspaper reported that the ads “will appear as a pop-up on screens on a variety of media web sites, including that of The New York Times.”
As for what motivated the ad campaign, Bearse said Abbott decided to run the ads because he believes that political leaders “should not take advantage of the [Newtown] tragedy to trample on Constitutional rights.”
Read the full text of Abbott’s message on the Facebook page:
Here in Texas, you will have the liberty and the opportunity to achieve your dreams. On top of that, we have no income tax, yet still manage to have a multi-billion dollar budget surplus. We have right to work laws and a reasonable regulatory environment. Texas has created more than 275,000 jobs in the last year alone! And we’ll fight like hell to protect your rights.You’ll also get to keep more of what you earn and use some of that extra money to buy more ammo.
I hope to see you soon in Texas. In the meantime, sign up to show your support for our second amendment rights.
Eric Lach
Eric Lach is a reporter for TPM. From 2010 to 2011, he was a news writer in charge of the website’s front page. He has previously written for The Daily, NewYorker.com, GlobalPost and other publications. He can be reached at ericl(at)talkingpointsmemo.com
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