On safari in Botswana eight years ago, NRA chief Wayne LaPierre showed that he is a shockingly inept marksman, unable to cleanly shoot a bus-sized animal, even at point-blank range, even after it is immobilized. The Trace reporter Mike Spies obtained the footage, from an abandoned pro-NRA documentary, and wrote the story published there and at The New Yorker.
After LaPierre's first shot wounded the elephant, guides brought him a short distance from the animal, which was lying on its side, immobilized. Firing from point-blank range, LaPierre shot the animal three times in the wrong place. Finally, a guide had the host of "Under Wild Skies" fire the shot that killed the elephant.
But LaPierre's wife, Susan, took down another elephant they were stalking and found its demise much to her liking.
A transcript, should you prefer not to watch:
"That was amazing. Wow. My heart is racing. I feel great. That was awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Aww, he's still there. [Susan seems to thinks the elephant is still alive] Look at his eyes. Beautiful animal. You're a good old guy. A real good old guy. What an experience this is. Once in a lifetime. [A guide tells her she's allowed to cry] What an experience this is. Once in a lifetime [Susan rests a hand on the elephant's forehead] "I was practicing this shot all day long. He wasn't sure what we were doing. Amazing. That's just incredible. Quite a day. Two beautiful African elephant in one day. He's so wrinkly. Wow. A podiatrist would love working on him."
Then later, cutting off its tail:
"Victory! That's my elephant tail! Way cool."
The trip was filmed for an NRA TV show that was meant to boost the organization's profile among hunters, but The New Yorker reports it never aired because they realized "it could turn into a public-relations fiasco," just as it now has.
The elephants' legs are now reportedly stools in the LaPierre's home.
