Christian Science Monitor Continues to Cite 90 Percent Number
Is it possible that some in the media just like a fact so much that they’ll continue to report on it, despite the “fact” that it isn’t even true? The latest example comes from The Christian Science Monitor, which notes the number of gun shops along “the border” with Mexico, but worse the outlet continues to spew that notorious 90 percent number, long after it has been disproved.
“The cartels hire people without criminal records to buy a handful of weapons at a time, from licensed dealers – there are 6,600 along the border alone – or private individuals at gun shows, and then drive them across the border. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and Explosives estimates that 90 percent of the traced firearmss [sic] recovered in Mexico originated in the US.”
First, what exactly is meant by along the border? It isn’t as if there are gun shops with signs that say, “last gun shop before you leave the U.S.A.” No, these just happen to be privately owned shops located in towns 100 or so miles within the border. When you factor in that there many reasonably sized cities near the border with Mexico, it is easy to understand that there are going to be gun shops. Should these businesses close because they happen to be too close to Mexico?
But worse, how can the CSM cite a number that even BATFE doesn’t support anymore. There has never been proof of this number, and on the contrary it has been essentially disproved, but that doesn’t seem to be stopping the mainstream media from quoting this figure.
Who Guards the Guards: Ex-Oklahoma Narcotics Agent Accused of Gun Trafficking
While we continue to dispute that the vast majority of guns used by Mexican cartels actually originate in the United States, we do agree that there is some trafficking across the border. One key fact that is often overlooked by the mainstream media and even politicians both in Mexico and the United States is who is doing the trafficking. This week NewsOK is reporting that in a recent case it was someone in local law enforcement who was involved. Read more
Dennis A. Henigan Huffs and Puffs About Obama Gun Policy
Last week the Brady Center fired back at President Obama with a press release noting that the POTUS should appoint a new director to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This was followed by a post from Brady Center Vice President and author Dennis A. Henigan on the Huffington Post. Read more
Gun Collecting: Machine Guns That Don’t Fire
- A non-firing MG-34 still looks very cool.
It might seem like a strange thing to buy; a machine gun that doesn’t actually shoot. But for collectors this really isn’t such an odd thing. Consider that military airplanes in museums don’t exactly fly, and those tanks you’ll see outside National Guard posts aren’t going to be doing any fighting any time soon. So while it may seem like heresy to the faithful gun collector, one alternative when it comes to machine guns is actually getting one that is “non-gun” or “dummy gun.” But there is a lot more to it. Read more
Brady Center Takes Aim at Obama
The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence issued a press release this week criticizing President Obama for failing to name a director to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. The full press release was posted at the progressive news site CommonDreams.org, and it suggests that contrary to its usual rhetoric about “reasonable gun laws,” the Brady Bunch indeed would like to see an outright ban on firearms. Read more
WaPo Still Somehow Blames the United States for Mexican Cartel Woes
For The Washington Post David Ignatius writes, “how can it be possible that after 18 months in office, President Obama still has not appointed a director for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.” Ignatius then goes on to write this statement:
“Mexico is reeling from a drug-cartel insurgency that is armed mainly with weapons acquired in the United States.” Read more
Gun Collecting: Machine Guns Vs. Assault Weapons
This week we launch a new column that will run every weekend on facets of gun collecting.
As we’ve reported on since launching this site more than a year ago, the fact is simple: the mainstream media does a terrible job in reporting on guns, and much of it is misunderstood even when the reporting is close to accurate. The media would have you believe that “assault weapons” are in fact “machine guns,” but that’s not really the case. Here is why. Read more
Yet Another Biased NY Times Piece on Guns
Even when trying to present unbiased reporting on the issue of firearms, The New York Times seemingly can’t be completely unbiased. In an economic feature titled “Gun Control as Economic Stimulus,” the Old Gray Lady (Hag to gun owners) can’t miss a beat to take a swipe at guns, offering this take:
“…people were simply buying more guns and ammunition, apparently because they feared Barack Obama would curb their access to deadly weapons upon taking office.”
Was using the term “deadly weapons” really necessary?
Interestingly the article also offers insight on how excise take has also increased, suggesting that the 45 percent increase in gun sales (source: ATF) is good for the bottom line. Maybe this fact will finally get the liberal media to stop taking aim at guns, but that is probably too much to ask.
Who Guards the Guards: Soldier Sells Mines and Machineguns
There continues to be an argument that most guns used in crime must have been legally purchased. This is argued again and again by the liberal media, suggesting that if guns were all illegal that no legal gun could ever become illegal in the first place.
But the latest exception to the rule has come up, and this time it was a soldier who sold not only guns but even landmines, reports The Leaf Chronicle of Clarksville, Kentucky. The paper noted:
“A 22-year-old Fort Campbell soldier on Monday sold a machine gun and a Claymore mine to an undercover ATF agent in Oak Grove, Ky., according to a news release from the Hopkinsville, Ky., Police Department.”
Again, this wasn’t a straw purchase, anything to do with the so-called “gun show loophole,” but instead this was just another example of how bad people would (and do) obtain guns when legally doing so isn’t an option.
New York Post Article Offers No Opposing View
While it is written to be a news article, a recent piece in The New York Post sounds a lot more like an editorial. It offers only anti-gun bias, and even makes bold statements without offering an opposing view to challenge it – and worse there is no actual proof this is a fact:
“Cops recovered 5,129 firearms from suspects last year, compared to 5,537 in 2008 — an 8 percent decline, according to a report by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Most of the guns came from states already roundly criticized by Mayor Bloomberg for being lax on background checks, including Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina and Florida.”
While the report may suggest this is true, is there actual proof the gun dealers were operating in those states? And even if true, isn’t this just proof that criminals will just go to any length to get a gun, or Mikey so naïve to believe that if all guns in America are banned that criminals will just give up?
