CBS News Loose With Facts on Gun Story, Cites 90 Percent Number Again
In a story posted on its Web site titled “Gun Laws Loosen in States, Even as Gun Policy Changes Little Under Obama,” writer Stephanie Condon is a little “loose” with the facts. The article includes this passage:
“‘This war is being waged with guns purchased not here, but in the United States,’ Mr. Obama said in Mexico City in April, 2009. ‘More than 90 percent of the guns recovered in Mexico come from the United States, many from gun shops that line our shared border.’
“The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said the administration’s plans to help Mexico fight drug cartels would be inadequate without new gun restrictions, but the administration’s call to reinstitute the Assault Weapons Ban went nowhere. The administration has also failed to close the gun show loophole.”
The problem with this statement is that the 90 percent number, as we’ve reported on for nearly a year, is that it is wrong. 90 percent of guns recovered in Mexico do NOT come from the United States. This story clearly has the typical mainstream media liberal agenda to present a message without presenting all the facts.
SFGate Says Laws Not Working – Really?
Writer Chip Johnson of The San Francisco Chronicle notes in his column how illegal guns are a serious problem in Oakland California:
“Since the start of the year, Oakland police have confiscated more than 200 illegal guns during routine traffic stops and planned police arrests.”
The problem is that Johnson seems to believe, as does it seems the Oakland police chief, that these “illegal” guns are all coming from gun shows through the “infamous gun show loophole.” He writes:
“Police Chief Anthony Batts said his officers will focus on tracing guns back to the point of origin and working with federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives authorities to identify and prosecute the people illegally transporting them from gun shows outside the state. Interstate transport of such weapons is a federal crime.”
We agree with Johnson that illegal guns are a problem, and he notes in closing that removing violence from the gang culture’s heart is key to winning the battle. We must disagree with the tactic of going after gun shows to solve the problem however. Johnson, nor Batts, even note that Homeland Security lost guns, that police officers lost guns or that police officers sold off confiscated guns. We’ve reported on all of those, but once again the media looks only at gun shows.
Show of Shows and National Gun Day This Week
We’ll take a break from reporting on the media bias against guns to post about two great shows taking place this week in Louisville. The Show of Shows, hosted by the Ohio Valley Military Society, is the largest military collectibles show in the United States and for that matter the world. With more than 1,600 tables, this is the premiere show for all things militaria including firearms, uniforms, accoutrements and for this reporter personally helmets!
And for the sporting shooter and hunter, there is the National Gun Daily Show with 2,000+ tables just down the hall. Both shows are taking place this week at the Kentucky Fair and Expo Center in Louisville.
Show of Shows (SOS) – Thursday to Saturday, February 19-21
National Gun Day – Saturday and Sunday, February 21-22
CNN Tracks Straw Purchases, Misses Points
Our friends at Newsbusters.org responded to CNN’s new segment on the so-called “Iron Pipeline.” Thank you to Newsbusters for pointing out that CNN’s reporters essentially crafted a very one-sided and biased piece looking at firearms sales, and in the process never point out that straw purchases are essentially felonies!
Too often the media tries to make it seem that “straw purchases” are legal, and that only when the firearm is handed to a criminal is the law broken! What the media fails to address is that criminals obtain firearms many ways, and even purchasing a “legal” gun for a criminal is in itself a crime. We’re just glad that Newsbusters is also watching the mainstream media, and calling them like they see it.
West Virginia Says No to Bloomberg
The New York Daily News reported this week that finally someone in a sovereign state other than New York is standing up to New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. The paper notes:
“A legislator there wants to ban the type of undercover stings that Bloomberg has used to showcase illegal gun sales in other states – and throw the mayor’s investigators in jail if necessary.
“‘It’s for us to handle within our own borders,’ said state Sen. Jeffrey Kessler, who is running for governor in 2012. ‘We jealously guard our gun rights, and we’re vocal advocates for the Second Amendment.’”
Kudos to Jeffrey Kessler. It is about time someone stood up to Mikey.
Vermont Newspaper Notes Gun Show Not Hit By Recession
In a surprisingly unbiased story about this weekend’s gun show, The Times Argus reported that this weekend’s gun show was seeing breakout business. Vermont might be a “blue state” but it was also one of the original colonies calling for independence from England back in the 1770s, so it is no surprise that its residents understand how firearms keep one free!
The story noted not only that attendance of the gun show was up, but called out a few highly desirable pieces, “including a musket carried by a soldier in a New Hampshire regiment in the Revolutionary War.”
Kudos to The Time Argus. It is nice to see news in the mainstream media that calls out the importance of historical firearms.
Biased News Story Tells One Side of the Story
The Mansfield News Journal offered a very one-sided take on gun shows in a story this week titled “Advocacy group wants check on gun show sales.” While several visitors to a local gun show, as well as those from the group ProgressOhio, were pressed on the issue of the so-called “gun show loophole,” the paper only offered this counterpoint:
“Those who oppose closing the loophole say requiring private sellers to conduct background checks would be costly and time-consuming, and they argue background checks on gun sales have not been proven to reduce crime.”
While this is fairly factual in its statement, and background checks have not been proven to reduce crime, why couldn’t the reporter – who apparently did attend the gun show – actually take the time to do the job and actually interview someone?
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!
WaPo Editorial Provides False Facts: Cites 90% Figure Again
An editorial doesn’t need to be unbiased, but it shouldn’t try to use information that has been proven false to make its point. In this weekend’s Washington Post editorial titled “Massacre in Mexico,” the paper cites this fact:
“Some 90 percent of the guns seized from operations against organized crime in Mexico come from the United States.”
As we have reported throughout 2009, this is false. Some 90 percent of guns seized in Mexico do NOT come from the United States. Let’s hope the media does a better job of reporting on these facts in 2010.
L.A. Times Offered Biased Editorial
Why cite facts if you’re going to just use the ones that support your argument and ignore everything else? Case in point, The Los Angeles Times editorial titled “Crazy about guns.” Seriously, this editorial actually has “crazy” in the title.
It uses gun crime, including the recently shooting of four police officers as to why guns are bad? What about all the times when bad men break into homes and the homeowners defend themselves? Not mentioned. The article even pulls no punches and calls out the “gun show loophole.” Of course, because the liberal media doesn’t really care about facts, at least when guns are at issue. That would just be… well, crazy.
