Gun rights group sues Katie Couric in $12million defamation lawsuit over 'manipulative' documentary editing

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Virginia gun rights activists filed a $12 million defamation lawsuit against Katie Couric and other filmmakers over a documentary they say was edited to misrepresent them.

The director inserted eight seconds of dead air in the film 'Under the Gun' after Couric asked members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) how guns could be kept out of the hands of felons or terrorists without background checks.

An audio recording of the interview revealed the activists responded to the question almost immediately, and Couric herself later conceded the scene, in which the gun activists appeared stumped, was 'misleading'.

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Gun rights group Virginia Citizens Defense League filed a $12 million defamation lawsuit against executive producer Katie Couric (left) and director Stephanie Soechtig (right) over the documentary 'Under the Gun'

The film, which looked at the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting (pictured, students at the school) was edited to include eight seconds of dead air after Couric asked members of the group how guns could be kept out of the hands of felons and terrorists

An audio recording of the interview revealed the activists responded to the question almost immediately, and Couric herself later conceded the scene was 'misleading' (pictured, a still from the documentary)

The lawsuit was filed in Richmond, Virginia, by the VCDL as a whole, as well as two of its members acting individually alleges the defendants 'knowingly and maliciously manufactured the fictional exchange'.

The VCDL's president Philip Van Cleave said in a statement: 'We were horrified to see how Couric and her team manipulated us and the video footage to make us look like fools who didn’t stand up for the Second Amendment.

'We want to set the record straight and hold them accountable for what they've done.' 

Couric, who worked as an executive producer, is named as a defendant along with director Stephanie Soechtig, her production company Atlas Films, and Epix, the television network that aired the film.

Epix denied it had any role in the documentary's 'creation or production and should therefore not be a party to this lawsuit,' CNN reported. 

The documentary was praised critically, but pro-gun activists complained about its accuracy 

The VCDL's president said in a statement: 'We want to set the record straight and hold them accountable for what they've done'

The film looked at the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting where gunman Adam Lanza shot dead his mother before murdering 20 children and six more adults inside the elementary school. Lanza then killed himself.

During the documentary, Couric asked the gun activists: 'If there are no background checks for gun purchasers, how do you prevent felons or terrorist from walking into, say, a licensed gun dealer and purchasing a gun?' 

The activists appeared stumped, even though an audio recording uncovered by a blogger in May revealed the men responding almost immediately.    

One of the men replied: 'Well, one, if you're not in jail then you should still have your basic rights and you should go buy a gun.' 

When pressed on whether someone was a terrorist or a felon, the man replied: 'If you're a felon and you've done your time, you should have your rights.' 

Although Soechtig edited the eight-second silence, Couric apologized and said she takes 'responsibility for a decision that misrepresented an exchange' she had with the Virginia Citizens Defense League.   

She said she raised her concerns about the pause when she screened an early cut of the film, but was told the 'beat' was added for 'dramatic effect to give the audience a moment to consider the question'. 

'When VCDL members recently pointed out that they had in fact immediately answered this question, I went back and reviewed it and agree that those eight seconds do not accurately represent their response.' 

Following the controversy, Couric released the full transcript of the exchange.