Robins apologizes for MLK "fun shoot" flier

WARNER ROBINS -- Robins Air Force Base issued an apology Thursday for a flier promoting a "fun shoot" on base on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The event is a trap and skeet shooting competition at the base skeet range. The flier called it the "Martin Luther King Jr. FUN SHOOT." It featured a prominent photo of King, who was shot to death in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968.

"We're deeply sorry for any offense or harm caused by our insensitivity and failure to provide appropriate oversight of our marketing process," base spokesman Roland Leach said in an email. "The flyer does not represent the values, opinions or views of the Department of Defense, the Air Force or Robins Air Force Base leadership and its employees."

Leach said base leadership "realized the inappropriateness" of the flier several days ago and immediately began removing it from various locations.

"There was no malice aforethought in the flyer's creation, and it was never the base's intention to portray Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a negative light," he said. "It was an honest mistake, to which we've personally counseled the parties involved and will provide them with remedial training and appropriate oversight to prevent this sort of inattention from occurring in the future."

Rutha Jackson, president of the Houston County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the flier was "like a piece of hate mail" to her.

"It really bothered me that they would take the initiative to use Dr. King's photo on a gun shoot," she said. "It sends a message which I think is very offensive."

This story was originally published January 14, 2016 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Robins apologizes for MLK "fun shoot" flier ."