Capitol Weekly Shows Anti-Gun Bias in Reporting on Gun Legislation
Maybe someone should tell the staff at Capitol Weekly, “The Newspaper of California Government and Politics” to watch some old episodes of Dragnet and just tell “the facts, just the facts.” The paper reported on “A graveyard for key bills at the 11th hour” and shows some serious anti-gun bias. Read more
San Francisco Chronicle Columnist Defends Gun Shop
In a column for The San Francisco Chronicle, Phil Bronstein compares Bosnia to the Golden Gate town, and notes that the San Francisco’s anti-gun zealots are fighting mad about the reopening of the High Bridge Arms gun shop on Mission Street.
He asks:
“Do we really need to make a high-caliber stink about reopening the only legal firearms sales outlet in the city, even in a nice neighborhood? No. The place has been a gun store for 50 years.” Read more
EPA Reviewing Petition to Regulate Lead Ammunition
Earlier this week, the EPA agreed to formally review a petition submitted by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD). The petition requests that the EPA ban the use of lead in firearms ammunition by exercising powers granted to the EPA under the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976 (TSCA). Such a ban would cause the cost of ammunition to skyrocket because the cost of a replacement metal, like copper, is much more expensive. Copper is selling for $3.30 a pound on today’s spot market. Lead is only 91 cents a pound. Read more
Gun Collecting: Straight Facts on Dragunov Style Rifles
The Dragunov Sniper Rifle
During the Cold War it was the sniper weapon of choice throughout the Warsaw Pact, and was later licensed by China and Iran. Similar variants are used throughout the world, and while not quite as iconic as the AK-47, the Dragunov rifle has become quite popular with collectors today. The long gun fires the versatile 7.62×54mmR, which was used for the Mosin-Nagent bolt action rifle developed at the end of the 19th century, and later with the SVT-40 semi-automatic rifle that was developed during World War II. Read more
Ammoland Notes Another Challenge to California Ban on Ammo Shipments
It seems that if you can’t get guns out of people’s hands for some the next best thing to do is control the ammo they use. Our friends at Ammoland.com are reporting that the National Rifle Association (NRA) has joined with the Calguns Foundation, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the Folsom Shooting Club and two individual truckers to challenge California’s upcoming ban on shipments of handgun ammunition to the state. Have you heard about any of this in the mainstream media? Probably not.
But as Ammoland.com notes:
“Assembly Bill 962 was signed into law last year. Starting in February 2011, the law will criminalize the delivery and transfer of handgun ammunition not done in face-to-face transactions. The law provides only a few exceptions to this shipping ban, and requires shipping companies to bear the burden of determining whether the recipient of a package containing handgun ammunition is covered by one of the exceptions before delivering the package. This will make shipping ammunition to California much more difficult, complicated, and expensive.”
We’ll be watching to see how this pans out, and whether the MSM bothers to report on it.
Amnesty in Omaha Called a Success – We Question Why?
The streets in Omaha are safe again, guns are off the street and people need not fear. That’s the all around take coming from the media, which didn’t seem to offer any counter-point to the official line. While we expected the usual one-sided take, with the usual “guns off the streets,” there were some notable spins in this story. Read more after the jump. Read more
NY Daily News Offers Bloomberg Platform
Anti-gun zealot Michael Bloomberg, New York City’s mayor, was given an opportunity to voice his opinions on guns this weekend for The New York Daily News. We hope the paper will allow those who oppose Bloomberg’s plans to have a chance to have their voice be heard.
While we don’t totally disagree with the plans to microstamp bullets, we do want to know what the cost would be. Additionally, we question what this would mean for the potential millions of bullets that are already owned? We worry that Bloomberg would call for these to be handed in. Even if that’s not the case, we fear that microstamping could result in a black market of existing ammo, where criminals look to buy or steal bullets to avoid being traced.
Biased Gun Show Report Passed Off as News
Is William Ecenbarger’s piece in The Philadelphia Inquirer news or an editorial? It appears in the commentary section, but yet is written in a way that could suggest to the average reader that it is actually a new story. Either way, it is biased and offers a terribly tilted anti-firearm stance:
“There was enough fire power [sic] here to arm a division.”
Really, a division. Does Ecenbarger know that a military division typically consists of between 10,000 and 30,000 soldiers? So was there really enough firepower for a division?
And here is some quality editorial copy from this “freelance writer,” suggesting that maybe he take a refresher course in writing:
“Just across the aisle there was a $999 price tag on an FN Herstal Five-seveN tactical pistol. This weapon, also known as “the Cop Killer,” is believed to have been used is last year’s massacre at Fort Hood, Texas.”
When he says “this weapon” does he mean this type of weapon, as in a FN Herstal Five-seven, or this particular Five-seven was actually known to be used in the massacre? It would seem odd to us that the actual shooters gun would be in evidence in Texas!
Ecenbarger further pointed out a Bren light machine gun was for sale, never mentioning that a special Class III license is required to actually own the thing, but that would probably be too much reporting this future prize winning freelance writer!
Ammo Story Goes International Via WaPo
Apparently there has been so much hype about an increase in the sale of ammunition in the United States that the story continues to go international, and alas with the same liberal bias. This week The Canadian Free Press ran a story with this passage:
“In a year of job losses, foreclosures and bag lunches, Americans have spent record-breaking amounts of money on guns and ammunition. The most obvious sign of their demand: empty ammunition shelves. At points during the past year, bullets have been selling faster than factories could make them.”
First, we’d like ask our colleagues north of the border for a source on the point that bullets are actually being sold “faster than factories could make them.” Yes, ammo is selling, but so far even the American press hasn’t stated that dubious claim. Or has it?
A closer look at the story reveals that this wasn’t actually original copy – as in an original article from Canada, but is in fact just a passage quoted from The Washington Post. This story of course offers the usual suggestions that it is fear of Obama taking away guns that are driving the sales.
Additionally, what the Canadian abridged version fails to point out is at least in the WaPo version, which stresses that America is involved in two wars right now. Factor in the additional training, and maybe the ammo shortage isn’t just people hording. While WaPo offers this suggestion, via the argument from ammo makers, the rest of the mainstream media – including that in Canada now – just blames gun owners of course.
Article in The State Suggests Mood of Fear, But Presents Few Real Facts
While not the most biased story ever written on the subject of firearms, The State (South Carolina’s Home Page), did offer enough confusing passages that this article was clearly written by someone who doesn’t know firearms. Case in point, the opening paragraph:
“At the Land of the Sky Gun & Knife Show, people could buy everything from a 12-shot rubber band gun to a custom-built target rifle that can hit a soda can from 600 yards.”
Well, I don’t know about you, but I would certainly hope a gun show would have numerous rifles that could hit a soda can from 600 yards, and I wouldn’t expect it to be “custom-built” either! More importantly, isn’t hitting a target at 600 yards more about the ability of the shooter than the firearm?
More troubling is the fact that this article makes it seem that the entire sport and hobby has turned to hording ammunition and buying items that might be banned.
“Especially popular were items once banned under the Clinton administration, such as high-capacity magazines, which Davis said hold more than 10 rounds.”
While these facts are no doubt driving sales, gun shows are not just about fear and hording. It is about time that the media, even those who offer a reasonable favorable look at the shows, understand that point.
