"American Guns," a popular Discovery Channel reality show about a family of gun makers, will not return for a third season. The show has drawn heavy criticism online since Friday’s school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
"'American Guns' concluded earlier this year,” a spokesperson told the entertainment site Deadline. "Discovery Channel chose not to renew the series and has no plans to air repeats of the show."
The network and the show's producers didn't say if the show’s cancellation was related to the Connecticut shooting, an event that has brought the gun control debate to the forefront of national politics. A Discovery Channel statement suggest that the show had been cancelled for months, and was just not airing its final episodes.
However, opting not to run repeats of the program indicates Friday’s shooting, which included 20 school children among its victims, may have had a connection with the network’s decision.
Many viewers took to the show’s Facebook page to post angry messages about keeping the show on the air in the wake of what happened in Newtown.
"American Guns" featured the Wyatt family, including Kurt, a firearms instructor, and Rich, the owner and founder of Gunsmoke Guns. Apparently there was no story left to tell, though the program was doing well in the ratings, with more than a 50 percent upturn in its second season.
Earlier this week, the Fox network took "Family Guy" and "American Dad" off its Sunday night programing. The episode of "American Dad" featured gun violence and remains on hold. The episode of "Family Guy" did not feature violence but made fun of religion in a way that the network found insensitive in light of the tragedy.
The Syfy network also pulled an episode of the show "Haven" from the air Friday because it featured violence in a high school.
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