Don’t mess with Amy Poehler. The Parks and Recreation alum simply wasn’t having it after the National Rifle Association shared a GIF of her character, Leslie Knope.
The gun rights organization took to Twitter on Wednesday, February 21, to thank its spokesperson Dana Loesch after she appeared at CNN’s town hall about the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Attached to the tweet, the NRA included an image of Knope pointing and saying, “Thank you.”
Parks and Rec creator Michael Schur, who is an outspoken proponent of gun control, promptly asked the NRA to remove the GIF from its account, writing, “Hi, please take this down. I would prefer you not use a GIF from a show I worked on to promote your pro-slaughter agenda.”
Schur, 42, then relayed a sharp response he received from the 46-year-old actress: “Amy isn’t on twitter, but she texted me a message: ‘Can you tweet the NRA for me and tell them I said f–k off?’”
Hi, please take this down. I would prefer you not use a GIF from a show I worked on to promote your pro-slaughter agenda.
Also, Amy isn't on twitter, but she texted me a message: "Can you tweet the NRA for me and tell them I said fuck off?" https://t.co/YXSdzCdvdd
— Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) February 22, 2018
Nick Offerman, who also starred in the NBC comedy series, and Adam Scott, Poehler’s onscreen husband Ben Wyatt, also responded. “Our good-hearted show and especially our Leslie Knope represent the opposite of your pro-slaughter agenda – take it down and also please eat s–t,” Offerman, 47, tweeted. Scott, 44, wrote, “Hey @nra please stay the f–k away from Leslie Knope.”
.@NRA @DLoesch our good-hearted show and especially our Leslie Knope represent the opposite of your pro-slaughter agenda – take it down and also please eat shit. 🇺🇸 https://t.co/Ar2YF4yoic
— Nick Offerman (@Nick_Offerman) February 22, 2018
Hey @nra please stay the fuck away from Leslie Knope. https://t.co/Lr2HCeN7qp
— Adam Scott (@mradamscott) February 22, 2018
Loesch was criticized on social media after Wednesday’s town hall for deflecting questions about the use of semiautomatic weapons. During the event, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel told the conservative commentator, “I understand that you’re standing up for the NRA … but you just told this group of people that you’re standing up for them. You are not standing up for them until you say, ‘I want less weapons.’”
The February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School left 17 students and staff members dead and at least 14 others injured.