Former late night host Jay Leno was scheduled to do an appearance at an annual event hosted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation in Connecticut this January. The Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT) focuses on pretty much what it sounds like… hunters and the gear they use to engage in the sport. Really dangerous sounding, eh? Well, to some it must have been, and the fact that the group is based in Newtown certainly bolstered their courage to complain.

A petition posted by the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence accuses Leno of “helping to legitimize a crass commercialism which values profit over human lives” by speaking to this group, which lobbied against the background checks bill in Congress following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. The drive is backed by the Campaign to Unload, which pushes for divestment from gun companies, and the Newtown Action Alliance, founded by residents of the Connecticut town who support gun-safety legislation. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which has pushed corporate restaurants and retailers to take a stand against open-carry activists in their stores, has also launched a social media campaign against Leno.

The predictable tweetstorm erupted, with plenty of hashtags to spare. Much of it came from Bloomberg’s group, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. (One of the most awkwardly and incorrectly named units in history.) But would it have any effect? Leno has always been a bit of a rebel, and his television hosting days are over. He’s pretty much free to do whatever he likes at this point. So what do ya say, Jay?

Jay Leno has canceled his appearance at the Newtown, Conn.-based National Shooting Sports Foundation’s gun show, according to Mother Jones. “I understand it’s Newtown, and of course I get it,” he said, according to the report. “It’s just sometimes, mistakes get made.”

Way to stand tough, Jay. You’re really taking one for the team there, buddy. I really have no more to say about it today. This is just sad.