[Update: Double your pleasure, double your fun. And you can now double your take if you can identify this guy. Steve Ormand who runs yourgunman.com has decided to match our $500 bid so if you’re able to positively ID the star of MAIG’s commercial, you’ll take home a cool grand. Start digging.]

As we noted earlier, the NRA’s finally out with their response to the Mayors Against Gun Ownership Illegal Guns’ comprehensive background check spot they unveiled in March. Now the credulous New York Daily News has pronounced the gun rights org’s efforts to call the, um, gun owner’s authenticity into question a “misfire.” And their proof? Well, Bloomberg’s boys’ say-so . . .

The NRA released a video suggesting the shotgun-toting star of the Bloomberg ad is an actor. But a spokesman for the mayor’s group said the man is a real-life gun owner. “He’s not an actor. He’s a West Virginia hunter,” the spokesman said.

Well then, why didn’t they say so earlier? In these parts, Mayor Mike’s word is gold, isn’t it?

But as Columbo used to say just before he’d walk out the door…there’s just one more thing that’s bothering us. Whether it’s because MAIG didn’t volunteer the info or the Daily News reporter, James Warren, failed to ask, the article doesn’t identify the stereotypically folksy guy with the shotgun? Other than claiming he’s a just a simple Mountain Stater, that is.

Of course, he may, in fact, be just that. It’s possible he’s just a concerned gun-owner who wants to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and wackos and genuinely believes MAIG’s universal background checks will accomplish that. Still, we hope they’ll forgive us if we adopt the Reagan doctrine of trust but verify.

To wit: TTAG is offering a $500 reward to anyone who can positively ID this guy before he’s identified anywhere else. Got that? Tell us who he is with some corroborating information before it appears anywhere else on the Intertubes and collect five Benjamins. Just hit the ‘Email Us’ link or call the number at the top of the page. Starting…now!

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153 COMMENTS

    • Can I ask a question? So when the panthers put a bounty on finding Treyvon Martin’s killer that was bad, right, but when you put a bounty on a guy that’s OK? I just want to check that I have my rank hypocrisy gauge properly calibrated.

      What are you going to do when you find him anyway? Send the good ol’ boys who read here down to “re-educate” him in their white sheets?

      • Yeah, there’s a difference and you know it. RF wants to know who he is, to ascertain that he’s an actor. End of story. In your stellar example, things were a little… different.

        Members of the New Black Panther Party are offering a $10,000 reward for the “capture” of George Zimmerman, the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who shot Trayvon Martin.

        New Black Panther leader Mikhail Muhammad announced the reward during a protest in Sanford Saturday. And when asked whether he was inciting violence, Muhammad replied defiantly: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

  3. Uh, he’s a crisis actor involved in a false flag operation that someone on the internet found out. Duh.

    • These are boom times for crisis actors. I hope he can be positively identified, but he’d probably go on Piers Morgan and say, “that ain’t me”. And everyone will nod knowingly, and blame the bombing on gun owners…

      Oh, WAIT! They WILL blame it on gun owners, sure as the sun rises in the morning….

  4. He’s a man named Jed. A poor Mountaineer who barely kept his family fed. And then one day he shot a movie for MAIG. The next thing you know, ol’ Jed got paid.

  5. He’s a gun owner not an actor? Maybe he’s both or someone who was well-paid to do deliver MAIG’s speal? Another thing, MAIG might be playing chess here anticipating such a reaction to their anti-gun ad. Next MAIG pre-planned step, maybe bring the guy out in public?

  6. You mean this many weeks after the commercial first aired and the NRA hasn’t done the oppo research to find out who this tool is yet? Did the NRA hire Romney’s old staff? The oppo is running circles around the NRA. Why isn’t Colin spooling off a video every few days or so? How much material does Slow Joe have to hand the NRA on a silver platter before they make use of it? Hey NRA…..I’m not giving you money to sit on your hands.

    • Keep in mind the inherent conflict of interest the NRA and other groups like them have. Without a threat to gun rights, they perish. Just saying…

      • You do realize that the NRA only got into the gun rights debate because they had to. For years they stayed on the sidelines until the GCA hit.

        Even it gun rights debate is settled in a favorable way the NRA will continue to provide marksmanship competition, training, youth shooting programs, instructor certifications, industry insurance programs, range building methodology, et al.

        The NRA is much more than gun rights.

  7. Just want to point out that there’s nothing that says that you’re not both right. He could be an actor and a West Virginia gun owner.

  9. The obvious 2nd question is ………Just HOW LONG EXACTLY has Jethro been a gun owner?

    You have to be cognizant that the enemy isn’t totally stupid. If you were hiring an actor wouldn’t you make sure that the actor ran out before the commercial was filmed and quickly picked up a used piece of crap…TaDa!!! Oh yeah….he’s a gunowner.

  10. Better be careful or the antis will get some rogue judge to issue a warrant against you for issuing a “bounty”. Same thing happened to a “white supremist” in Illinois a few years ago when he published information on a jury…

    • Doxing (documenting another Internet user) may violate EULA and Terms of Service, but I’ve never heard of it being illegal. Getting info on a jury could be construed as jury intimidation.

  11. no rear plate on the truck, brand new apple bushel basket, brand new tarps and an “old” flannel that shows little signs of actually being worn. def not an actor.

    • Beat me to it. Beard is groomed, no logo on the cap, and no empty Busch Lite cans in the bed of the truck. Definitely not a genuine Mountain State man.

      • the more i look at the shot i bet those kids are in fact no where near this guy. hes sitting on a table in front of a green screen in studio. edit or at least the truck is in front of a screen the kids are b roll

        • You may be on to something actually. Perhaps somebody with good image enhancing skills can verify this, but I rewatched the video several times, and I could see no discernible gap in the bed of the truck where the tailgate hinge should be (in the opening shot) to the rear left of Mr. Mountaineer.

          Also, a reader with film experience can probably interpret the shadow patterns and lighting to determine whether or not this was shot outdoors.

  12. The gun-grabbing MFM isn’t going to run with this storyline. Ain’t gonna happen.

    The only way to get some free MFM airtime is by going for Slow Joe’s jugular with an ad like this ===> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia4csoQLvGY

    Put an ad like this that mocks their side is the way to show them that you know this is F’ing WAR! The left only does one thing effectively and that is mockery. Time to give them some of their own medicine. Got to get the regulat public to understand that the gun-grabbers are a bunch of morons.

  17. YourGunMan will add 500.00 to this pot making it a 1000.00 reward. Sure people with think about 5 hundred, but the libs will turn in their own mother for a thousand bucks!

    God Bless The USA!

  18. So…….just plugged the image into pictriev.com Closest match was Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I sh*t you not.

  19. the man is such a stereotype that it is hard to believe he is for real. Honestly I think it’s a was to get liberals to identify him as the “common” gun owner and think that all gun owners are really for gun control and that anyone who disagrees is an extremist.

    • LMAO!!!

      “But Sir, in Project Mayhem we have no names!”

      “This is a man, and he has a name: Robert Paulson. He’s dead now because of us. Do you understand that?”

      “I understand. In death, a member of Project Mayhem has a name. His name is Robert Paulson.”

  21. The libs would be stupid enough to hire an actor. I’ve known enough to know that to many, the end justifies the means.

      • His finger is not on the trigger. It is under the ejection port. Way too far forward of where the trigger is. Take a look at a Remmy 870 slug gun and see haw far back the trigger is from the port. His finger is fine. His acting, on the other hand, maybe not so much.

  25. Who doesn’t hang out on their tailgates holding their shotguns whilst your kids play on a swing? I mean once they are all swung out they will be hungry and you must guard the apples from nefarious deer on the prowl.

  29. Personally i don’t give a damn if it is an actor, a fudd gun owner, or a cgi version of Joe Hunting Guy; the important thing is to realize that this a ham handed piece of propaganda. The message is fake, it is lies, and it espouses an agenda that can be dis proven with simple facts. The set, the dialogue, the hand on the trigger, all of it screams anti gunners who know nothing about guns and are full of cr*p. Also it has to be fake, since the ‘hunter’ is wearing plaid. I personally have not seen a hunter wear plaid in over a decade, it is all real tree, scent blocking, under armor, mossy oak, goretex, space age, hunting clothes wherever I see guys in the woods. That or a $5 camo tee from Wally world.

  31. We need someone really good with photoshop should be able to trim the beard to make him more recognizable. The beard makes it hard to identify a person sometimes.

    • I’m on it. Once that’s done, what do i do with the pic of “clean shaven flannel man” ?

      • So i removed the beard and enhanced the color a bit. Plugged beard and no beard pics into pictriev.com, and the only person that was on there both times was Jeremy Piven (Entourage). Works, born, and raised in NYC, just sayin’. but this tool has different earlobes and a beakier nose. so, the search continues.

    • check Canadian Actors Equity and SAG
      I figure this was produced up north to avoid the American Hook and Bullet Crowd

  35. Jimmy Hoffa maybe? Or Batman? I mean has anyone ever seen either of the aforementioned in a room with this guy? Just sayin.

    Actually he kinda looks like that dumb redneck guy from Sons of Guns that married that dumb snaggletoothed girl

  38. it occurred to me that if he was not a gun owner before this ad, now that so many people are looking for him, he probably will be now. Unless Bloomberg lets him borrow his body guards.

  39. It’s a shotgun. Not a bird gun, either.

    So… “Hey there, generic dude [in this nameless widening-of-the-road unincorporated WV hamlet], would you like this here gun?”

    “Sure!”

    “Well, just sit you down here and read what’s on that there screen…”

    Yeah, he “hunts” the rabbits in his vegetable patch – from his porch.

    There. It’s no longer inconsistent.

  40. As much as I despise Bloomberg and MAIG, I have to point out that this doofus does not have his finger on the trigger. We get after the media for not knowing about firearms and here we are completely ignoring the anatomy of a shotgun. His hand is WAY too close to the ejection port for his finger to be on the trigger. It looks to me like his fingers are curled around the trigger guard. Take another look, to be in a shooting postion with trigger finger on the trigger, his thumb would be where the stock meets the receiver, in the picture it is pretty far foreward on the receiver. I only point this out because while it adds to our arguement that the anti-gun crowd are complete morons, we need to be accurate in our criticism. It makes us look worse if we appear less than knowledgable about our own beloved subject. That being said, the other blatant safety voilations are valid and I would go so far as to call this video racist. It paints gun owners as bearded, flannel-wearing hillbillies. As a bearded, flannel-wearing hillbilly (from TN, not WV) I am offended to be associated with this moron and MAIG. This guy is obviously and actor, likely from NYC. I am looking to put a name to the face and hopefully will have a name soon. I will not accept any reward if I find this information.

    • -Second on the trigger discipline. It might look bad but his had is way to far forward and his thumb is on the reciever. We can’t see any part of the trigger guard because his hand is wrapped around it. With an empty mag tube and short barrel that seams like the natural balance point to carry “briefcase style”.
      -While we’re debunking the debunking I’ll add that there is nothing wrong with having your bolt closed (on a loaded or empty chamber) and it’s not pointed anywhere near those children. I’m contented he’s following rules 1,2,3&4.
      -I agree with NRA’s message, but not their style and unfortunatly style points count.

  41. The man declares, “For me guns are for hunting and protecting my family. I believe in the Second Amendment and I’ll fight to protect it. But with rights comes responsibilities and that’s why I support comprehensive background checks.”

    Caused to wonder here, what if anything, does the Second Amendment have to do with people in the federal government enacting more federal gun control laws…and what plan the person in the television ad has to ‘fight to protect it’?

      • Excuse me, but not all of us have a southern drawl. Those that do tend to be from the southwestern part of the state.

        And for those that care—we prefer the term mountaineer over hillbilly. JMAO.

  43. There’s something else … the afterworld: a world of never ending happiness. Er, uh, those are lyrics to a song. Where was I? Oh yeah, there’s something else. He has a rifled slug barrel on that shotgun. The barrel is obviously short and you can see both the rear and front blade sights. Furthermore, there is an odd white peg sticking out the end of the magazine. (It is parallel to the barrel and points in the same direction as the barrel.) What the heck is that? If that guy really is a gun owner, wouldn’t he probably have a beat up shotgun with a long upland game barrel and a bead site? I don’t know anyone who keeps a shotgun handy for home defense with a rifled slug barrel. So if the guy really owns a shotgun, odds are that it would have a non-slug barrel of some kind. Then again maybe the film crew had absolutely no idea what they were doing … which I would expect of a crew shooting (no pun intended) video for Bloomberg.

    Another observation: that shotgun is in pristine condition. The barrel is deep black (not faded gray). The wood is beautiful and shiny. And there are no scratches anywhere on the wood.

    I do agree with a previous poster that his trigger finger is not on the trigger but on the trigger guard.

    This is curious.

    • I think that “white peg” is a weld inside the tail-gate jam. Just coincidence of perspective that it looks like it lines up. But I’m open to correction if anyone knows better.

      • No sir. When you watch the video, the white peg moves with the shotgun as he shifts around on the tailgate. I have no idea what that is.

    • The bed liner in the truck looks remarkably pristine. I don’t think it has ever hauled anything heavy, metallic, or dirty. Not many “country boys” can claim that about their truck.

  44. I didn’t think there were any democrats left in WV after what has been done to the coal industry.

  45. I don’t want to be a downer, and I would certianly be interested if someone could positively ID this guy, but is this a really an effective use of time and focus? Even if the guy turns out to be an actor, that will just be more publicity for MAIG. If they acknowledge the info at all, they will just say, “Yes, he’s an actor, but that doesn’t really matter because we all know the statements he made reflect the true oppinions of 90% of gun owners. And the NRA are just evil arms dealers who line their pockets while children die in the street, so who cares what they say anyway?” And the MSM will back them up.

    You can’t shame progressives by calling them out for playing dirty, for they are truly shameless.

    So let’s spend our time viciously mocking them for their illogical arguments instead. That can work, and it’s one of the few Alinsky tactics that Americans can morally use against progressives. We don’t even have to lie or distort facts to make the mockery juicy. The fact that progressives will say absolutely anything to further their causes gives Americans plenty of material.

      • Agreed. If TTAG is going to be useful as an alternative to the MSM, it can and should capitalize on its nimbleness, and the deep knowledge of a lot of the posters here.

        Thats what draws eyeballs, especially among those on the fence looking for the Truth, right left or in between, and I suspect theres a lot of lurkers we dont hear from.

        Obviously if it takes the NRA two weeks to come up with a weak rebuttal/objection, its WAY out of the news cycle, much less the OODA loop.

        So why waste time obsessing on that, the guys beard, his flannel vs camo, etc etc… thats playing the MSMs game.

        Better to play to your strengths Robert, by staying ahead and leveraging that.

        Heres an example- provide facts and new insight from credible sources the MSM isnt offering.

        http://www.mediaite.com/tv/why-hasnt-the-media-been-reporting-on-or-booking-pro-gun-newtown-parent-mark-mattioli/

  46. You know, they probably let him keep the gun so that he could legitimately be a ‘gun owner’. Maybe they signed him up for a hunt so he could legitimately be a ‘hunter’ as well.

    Then again, maybe they didn’t even do that…

  47. I’m no fan of MAIG or gun-grabbing antics, but to track down an “actor” or “tool with no scruples” is moot given the circumstances. We continue to operate in a society that has been boardering double digit unemployment for years. Just to get a paycheck, regardless who writes the check, may have been the “tool’s” motivation. Seems a bit of a red herring, or am I off on my own rabbit trail?

  49. RF, I think you might be the only person out there that really gives a damn who this guy is.

    Actor, Actual Gun owner, whatever…It makes no matter.

    And really, I think this kind of stunt is close to the kind of Bull-S%$t that the Journal News pulled when the published the info on NY Pistol permit holders.

  52. Eh, they’re all alike anyway, leftist politicians and actors. They both lie for a living and both pretend to be something they’re not. In the case of actors, they pretend to be characters. In the case of leftist politicians, they pretend to be Americans.

  55. This is a pointless exercise and is only showing the anti-gun MAG that we can be easily distracted by irrelevant and unimportant minutia. If this guy wasn’t an actor before this commercial, he is one now, having spoken more than 3 words on camera. Give it a rest already. I don’t give a rat ass who this guy is, or whether he is a sincere fellow, or just a paid actor. The message he delivers is an image of a typical gun owner seeking reasonable protections. Our objection should be directed at the dishonest intent of the gun-hating MAG groups message, and what their deceptive definition of reasonable is. Stop attacking the messenger for delivering the message! Attack the fascist pond scum that’s behind it.

    One more thing:
    Some of you should get over the insult you think has been made against you as gun owners because of how this guy was handling his gun. Take a deep breath and hold it till all gun owners behave as perfectly as you do with your gun. I’ve been shooting long enough to know that this guy IS accurately representing the common mistakes that I’ve seen made by lots of gun owners all over America. I’ve seen a lot worse, at the range and in the field. There are thousands of gun owners just like him, poorly trained in firearms safety, and whether we like it or not, it’s not going to change the message just because we were able to spot the errors in the MAG anti-gun ad. Or is there a reason why we’re this surprised about the deceptive nature of propaganda?

    • I would like to know who he is. If he’s not a gun owner, or a hunter then he lied. And if he lies about one thing, you can assume the rest of the add is a lie also.

      Yes, I know the rest of the add is a lie, but many will not, so it would be nice to tell them. Don’t trust MAIG, they lie.

      • Seems reasonable to me, not that everyone who agrees with MAIG cares about the truth, or even wants to hear/see it, there are probably some who can put 2+2 together and start questioning the lies. The more proof of their deception we can establish the more chance we have to change some opinions, IMO

  58. So the website that claims to support gun owners’ right to personal privacy is trying to dox some guy by putting a bounty on him? Hypocrites. You guys are a bunch of clowns and you make gun owners look bad with this silliness.

  60. This guy is Hugh Janus. He’s open to all sorts of dirty jobs. He’s been reamed for some other work he’s done. This guy just stinks. He’s such an A-hole.

  61. He could be an actor, but he could also be one of those stupid fudds that thinks the only gun anyone ever needs is a damn double barrel shotgun.

  63. Why do we care who he is or whether or not he is/was a true gun owner before IMAG (Illegal Mayors Against Guns) enlisted him? He’s still just ONE gun owner speaking for himself (but I haven’t seen the ad played out here in the mid-west) and not the spokesman for the entire community (I picked that technique up from Jesse Jackson, makes it sound like we’re organized, doesn’t it?).
    Just stick to your guns and keep hammering on your congressmen, even they know most of Bloomberg’s crew are criminals.

  64. So what if he’s an actor, maybe he’s an actor and avid hunter. Just like ah… er… ya never mind.

  67. Definitely NOT a West Virginia hunter. I know and hunt with quite a few. First, he’s too clean. Any WV hunter worth his salt has a built-up “protective crust”. This is the naturally occurring Mountaineer version of body armor. Next, notice the lack of hound dogs. Anybody in WV with a yard that size will have an assortment of hound dogs running around. Also, West Virginians know how to properly and safely handle a shotgun. This man does not. Bloomberg made a nice try with the flannel and the hat, but it is coming up on spring turkey season and proper attire would most certainly be camouflage.

  69. I don’t know who this guy is but being a dumb-ass when it comes to firearm safety isn’t limited to Hollywood actors and liberal politicians who’ve never used firearms. There’s plenty of dead or injured hunters every year to attest to that. If this guy is legit you’d never catch me hunting with him or being anywhere near him while he handles a firearm.

  78. My grandfather that said my uncle may know that man personally. Will try to get a name by the end of the day.

  80. Are ya’ll sure he has his finger on the trigger? To me it looks like he has it in front of the trigger-guard. Look at the backstrap of the shotgun, it goes way behind his thumb. Seems like the trigger would be way too far forward if it’s where his finger is. Plus, I don’t see a trigger guard in FRONT of his finger.

    Double click on the video to make it full-screen and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

    At first glance it does look like his finger is on the trigger, but take a 2nd look.

  82. If anyone wants to split the grand, you can tell ’em it’s me. If not, it’s BA Baracus or Osama Bin Laden.

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