LA Times Reminds Readers “Corruption” on U.S.-Mexico Border
American gun owners, gun shops and the gun industry are typically targeted as being accomplices in how guns flow to Mexico. But fortunately the Los Angeles Times offered another view in a piece this weekend titled, “Corruption flows freely along U.S.-Mexico border,” which noted:
From a small hill at a state park here, the border town of Palomas, Mexico, can be made out through the desert haze. It lies four miles to the south, but the corruption that roils Palomas and the rest of Northern Mexico may as well be a block away.
Last year, black sedans and hatchbacks loaded with federal agents poured into Columbus, a town of 2,000 people, arresting the mayor, the police chief, a city trustee and nine others. They have all pleaded guilty in a gun-smuggling operation that sold about 100 firearms, mostly assault rifles, to Mexican drug cartels.
This is a story we’ve widely covered, but remains on that has thus far failed to catch much mainstream media attention.
Gothamist Mocks Blind Man
Was it really necessary for New York news site Gothamist to mock Steven Holper, the blind gun collector from New Jersey who recently won his right to have his firearms collection returned? Here is how Gothamist saw it:
So justice is blind, but still has the constitutional right to carry guns, especially if her friends at the shooting range testify that she has “incredible” aim, as Hopler’s friends did to CBS.
It then concluded the story noting:
Now that Hopler has his guns back, he should consider finding a Russian waitress, heading down to Honduras for some gambling, and really having a time of it: (video to Warren Zevon’s song “Lawyers Guns And Money”)
How about next time mocking handicapped children Gothamist?
LA Times Story Notes What We’ve Been Saying for Years
One of our biggest pet peeves about gun buybacks is that it is an easy way for a criminal to turn in a gun used in a crime and basically have the evidence destroyed. The media usually ignores this aspect of the story, but this past weekend it was actually noted in a Los Angeles Times story:
“This program has a real function of criminals getting a get-out-of-jail-free card,” said Boyer, president of San Fernando-based Lone Star Security.
“It’s immunity. If even five guns were used in a murder, and five murderers don’t go to prison because the city runs this shenanigan stunt, that’s five too many.”
Finally, the media notes what we’ve been saying for years.
Sponsor Special: Display Firearms From International Military Antiques
Owning a piece of history is something special. Owning a piece of history that is actually a machinegun requires a lot of special paperwork and hassle. The alternative is to get a historic item that doesn’t actually fire. While that might seem like half the fun is missing, think of half the fun you get for having a fantastic display item – one that is generally legal to own and still looks quite impressive.
International Military Antiques (IMA) is one of the premier sellers of such historical items, as well as other unique oddities and collectibles. We talked to owners Christian and Alexander Cranmer last fall about their business, how they got started and what the future might hold for collectors: Gun Collecting: IMA Offers an Alternative for Machinegun Collectors
And now in addition to parts kits, and replicas they are offering some fine resin guns as well.
Display Machine Guns at IMA-USA.com
International Museums: National World War II Museum
The National WWII Museum in New Orleans
First opened on June 6, 2000 the National World War II Museum in New Orleans emphasizes the American experience in WWII. It was first known as the National D-Day Museum, and was designated by the U.S. Congress as “America’s National World War II Museum” in 2003. In addition to the impressive collection, the accompanying theater presents a “4D” film that immerses visitors into the sacrifices made by the American G.I. in the Second World War.
This is just a sampling of what the museum has to offer. (Click images for a closer view) Read more
More Musicians Speak Out Against Gun Control
While Ted Nugent’s remakes continue to make the rounds, this week another musician – Dave Mustaine of the heavy metal group Megadeath offered his thoughts:
Mustaine: “When people in Washington say they’re going to take away my guns, they better bring theirs if they’re going to take mine.”
We guess not everyone in the entertainment biz is on the Obama bandwagon this time around!
Firing Back: Gun Control That Actually Makes Sense
Normally we are against the notion of gun control. But there are cases where it makes sense and where the Second Amendment does not and should not provide a right to keep and bear arms. One example is obviously criminals. But this week came word that the courts have ruled that illegal immigrants should not be able to own guns.
The Wall Street Journal reported:
A three-judge panel in Denver federal appeals court upheld a Wyoming federal judge’s decision to impose a prison sentence on an illegal immigrant in possession of firearms, Reuters reported.
According to the court, illegal immigrants can be prohibited from owning guns, as well as non-citizens in the U.S. for legitimate reasons, barring a special waiver, Reuters noted.
While this particular case is very unique, given that the illegal immigrant in question has lived in the United States most of his life, we agree that it just doesn’t make sense that illegal immigrant be allowed to have guns.
Utter Silly Con Debate on Guns
Last week the York Daily Record offered a pro/con debate on whether the Second Amendment should be repealed and how did the author of the who stated “Yes – guns are too costly for society” try to make his case:
There are 788,258 words in a standard King James Bible. The word “gun” isn’t one of them.
The words TV, Internet, airplane, automobile, and lawnmower aren’t in there either. But no one is opposed of someone mowing the lawn or flying.
He adds:
America today has something else it didn’t have in 1787 – a million law enforcement officers whose job it is to protect the public and enforce the rule of law. They do an exemplary job and every single one of us is safer because of their efforts. Gun owners might feel safer packing their own heat, but data gleaned from the FBI’s 2010 statistics on firearm-related deaths suggests that gun owners are just as likely to die from firearms as their unarmed brethren, which tells me that the “gun for protection” argument doesn’t hold much water.
After 225 years, the Second Amendment has clearly outlived its original purpose. What America needs today is something different. What I’m talking about is a new Constitutional Amendment – one that values a communities’ right to safety over the right of individuals to unfettered ownership of instruments of death. That end can only be accomplished by allowing all levels of government the power to regulate gun ownership in the same way we regulate our right to drive vehicles or conduct other hazardous activities.
So basically another rallying cry for a police state, one where we can only hope criminals don’t get their hands on guns.
Idealist World View From “Journalism Major”
Perhaps part of the problem with the media’s war on guns is that many journalists start out as bright eyed idealists who believe the world can somehow magically be a better place. Last week Jay Omar, a journalism student at the University of Nebraska offered this commentary:
The Trayvon Martin tragedy has given gun control activist new ammo. Another American is dead because we don’t exercise enough control over who carries guns, and few Americans want to admit this is a problem.
Guns seem to be everywhere, including many places where they should not be. Inevitably they end up getting people killed.
The Trayvon Martin death would not have happened if the man accused in his killing, George Zimmerman, had not been carrying a firearm. There was no need for Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watchman of a gated community, to be armed.
There is no need for the average American to be armed.
Let’s tackle this argument one issue at a time. Few Americans want to admit there is a problem because it is widely overstated. Law-abiding citizens are typically not the problem.
Second, people do get killed because illegal guns are often the ones in places they should not be, in the hands of those who shouldn’t have them. Shouldn’t law-abiding citizens have the right to fight back?
And we don’t know how this would have turned out if Zimmerman hadn’t been carrying a gun. Perhaps he’d be dead at the hands of Martin. But it is interesting that such an idealist wouldn’t give Zimmerman his day in court!
The writer later concludes:
If all gun owners acted responsibly — became educated and secured their guns when not in use — guns wouldn’t cause nearly as many problems.
This is a sad comment to make, because the absolute truth is that MOST law-abiding gun owners do in fact act responsibly. As noted, it is those illegal guns that are the problem.
So here we have a future journalist that automatically equates gun owners with criminals, and assumes all gun owners act irresponsibly.
Birmingham News Says: “Gun problem is a First Amendment issue”
This past weekend, John Achibald offered an interesting take on the Second Amendment, he stated, “Gun problem is a First Amendment issue.” By that he states:
Because the biggest threats to the Second Amendment are not the anti-gun, tree-hugging Greenpeace hippies. The biggest threats to responsible gun owners — and to public safety — are idiots with guns.
He later adds:
Prayers and processions, gun buybacks and waiting periods have not solved our problem. Perhaps gun safety training for thugs — or marksmanship — is the answer.
And finally notes:
We need to learn again to talk about guns in realistic, honest ways, without all the knee-jerk political baggage. We need to talk safety, and consequences. We need to discuss ways of limiting gun supplies to criminals without threatening the rights of responsible owners.
OK, so does this make sense – probably to someone who is anti-gun even if they don’t know it. The problem is the First Amendment, yes, but it is because the media – as in the press – hypes only those idiots that Archibald calls out. People do stupid things with cars too, but the media doesn’t call for a ban.
And this nonsense about training is of course non-sense, but in making a joke, Archibald actually addresses why words can’t solve the problem. Thugs won’t take safety classes, but more importantly won’t lay down their guns either. So this “ways of limiting guns supplies to criminals” is just a moot point.
Criminals shouldn’t have guns. We all agree with that fact, but calls for gun control only stop the law-abiding.
