Georgia Air Force officials apologized and pulled flyers advertising a shooting event to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day after public outcry, calling the framing of the event an “honest mistake.”
The flyer, which made the rounds on social media Thursday evening, promoted a “fun shoot” at the local Air Force base’s trap and skeet club on Jan. 18, the day of the famed civil rights leader’s birthday.
A statement provided to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said the flyer was created by a marketing team that will be provided “remedial training” after the incident.
“We realized the inappropriateness of the advertisement several days ago and immediately began removing the flyer. There was no malice of forethought in the flyer’s creation and it was never the base’s intention to portray Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in a negative light,” the statement said.
It was not clear whether the event was cancelled.
Atlanta-based reporter Greg Bluestein tweeted a photo of the flier:
Air Force officials pulled this provocative MLK Day “Fun Shoot” flyer: https://t.co/F65HoNYfwu #gapol pic.twitter.com/trss95PIcJ
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) January 14, 2016
