MSNBC.com Reporter Loads Up a Biased Story

Mike Stuckey says he still doesn’t know how to load a gun, but that didn’t stop the MSNBC.com reporter from writing a piece that he claims tried to be objective but is clearly loaded for game. He offers this take on his experience in obtaining a weapon’s permit, noting he never held a loaded handgun previously:

“The state of Washington cared nothing about this when it came to issuing me a license to carry anything from a .22 revolver in my jacket pocket to a .50-caliber Desert Eagle in my waistband. The state also had no interest in whether or not I own a gun.

“Indeed, the only requirements under the Washington law that grants me the right to obtain a concealed-carry permit are that I am 21 or older, have no history of mental illness and no criminal past. I meet all three. And there’s no requirement that I exhibit any knowledge of firearms or experience with them to buy a gun.”

While he writes this as a warning message, he also points out that Washington State has some of the nation’s least-restrictive gun laws. But Washington also has a fairly low crime rate, one that has been fallen since a peak in the 1990s (Source: http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/wacrime.htm). This is something Stuckey failed to note.

As for the permit process note that Stuckey also offers a biased take. He could have said that he meets the requirements, that he is 21 or old, has not history of metal illness and no criminal past first. Aren’t those the bigger issues? This is the problem with these type of articles. Stuckey seems to imply that only irresponsible and untrained individuals will now apply for permits. But the key here is that criminal past is part of the process.

Rarely (if ever) does the media note that many criminals learn to handle a gun on the streets. It isn’t as if criminals learn to handle a gun in some advanced shooting class just for criminals! There are plenty of opportunities however for law-abiding citizens to learn to shoot however.