Cuba “Cracks” Down on Guns
Is Cuba softening its stand on guns? That’s how it sounds, as The Washington Post is reporting that Cuba has declared a two-month amnesty for citizens to register unlicensed guns. Ironically, in this Communist nation almost no one is legally entitled to own guns – after all guns brought the Communists to powers, so the Communists never wanted anyone else to have guns. Even police officers, say The Post, are required to leave pistols in a station when on leave, and many soldiers are given unloaded firearms.
According to The Post, those passing aptitude and psychological tests to legally possess a gun. The paper adds:
“Starting Feb. 12, Cubans will have the ‘exceptional and one-time only’ chance to register their guns with police, and will be allowed to keep them provided they are over 18 and have passed the proper tests administered at police stations.” Read more
Pennsylvania to Get Official State Gun?
The state already has a firearm named after it – sort of anyway – and now State Senator Pat Brown (R-Lehigh County) is “sponsoring a bill that would designate the Pennsylvania Long Rifle as the state’s official firearm,” reports PennLive.com. The story further notes:
“The Pennsylvania Rifle was developed by craftsmen in the mid-18th century. Using native iron and woods, the earliest versions could take upward of 200 hours to build.”
It is nice to see that there are those in government who do care about the historic significance of firearms.
New York Times Offers Biased Take on Canadian Gun Laws
In an article from The New York Times this week it sounds like the old gray lady believes Canada to be more enlightened about firearms, and health care!
“OTTAWA — Like public health care, Canada’s tight gun-control laws help distinguish the country from its powerful neighbor to the south. But as Canadians commemorated the 20th anniversary of one of the country’s most notorious shooting sprees on Sunday, their Parliament was on course to eliminate one of its most significant gun-control measures.”
The question we’d like to ask is whether these laws actually distinguish Canada in a good way? Anyone? But let’s look at some other questionable points in the article. First up, note how the firearm is described in this passage:
“A decade before the Columbine high school shootings set off a national debate on gun violence in the United States, an angry, unemployed 25-year-old armed with a semiautomatic hunting rifle stormed the École Polytechnique, an engineering school in Montreal.”
Then the article goes a bit further, and note the use of the wording here:
“The current debate does not involve handguns, whose registration has been required since 1934. Nor does it involve a variety of military-style weapons like assault rifles and sawed-off shotguns, which are banned outright. And the law’s repeal would not alter the requirement that gun buyers take safety courses and obtain a license.”
A “military-style weapon” is not a “hunting rifle” nor is a “sawed-off shotgun” a military weapon or hunting weapon. This is just another case where lots of different scary sounding words are thrown around to confuse the reader. Not exactly solid reporting, now is it?
Gun Smuggling Called Huge Challenge
According to KSWT TV, the Arizona attorney general says that the U.S. could do a better job of stopping the flow of guns to Mexico, but we’ll ask a couple of questions.
First, how important really are American firearms to the Mexican cartels? Is there any proof that if America were to step up our efforts that the crime in Mexico would fall? Aren’t many of the guns actually from their own military? And about the flow of Chinese made firearms to Mexico? The news organization merely says, “many guns used by drug cartels in gun-restrictive Mexico are from the U.S.” But what percentage does “many” mean? The long reported number was wrong. In fact, it has been proven that less than 20 percent of firearms are from America – so how much good could our efforts do? Would it even reduce the crime by 20 percent? Probably not.
Second, what is Mexico going to do about the flow of drugs to America? That’s an issue that is seldom brought up when these stories are mentioned. Maybe we should work with Mexico to reduce the crime, and the gun issue will resolve itself.
U.K. Paper Notes Falling Gun Numbers? Really?
The Guardian in the U.K. has an interesting sub-head for a story published this week:
“With gun ownership falling, the US firearms lobby is targeting a new generation with dinky pump-action shotguns and junior shooting shows. But at what cost?”
Where are they getting their facts? Everyone else is reporting that gun sales are spiking because of fears of crime and other worries. Of course that article does cite this fact too:
“Over the last 30 years, the percentage of American households that have guns in the home has tailed off from a high of 54% in 1977 to 34.5% in 2006.”
But the question is how of much that decline is by choice? Many communities, such as New York City make it darn hard to even own a gun. So is it lack of interest, or are interested parties barred from their Second Amendment rights?
Who Guards the Guards: Cape Cod Follow Up
The Falmouth Police in Cape Code are reassuring the public that they’ll keep better tabs on their firearms. This comes following the recent story, which we reported, that the police department found that six handguns were missing, and had never been turned in by retiring or part-time seasonal officers. The Cape Cod Times covered this fact, and includes the juicy introduction that should make anyone feel safe while visiting the scenic cape:
“For the past four years, Falmouth police had no idea six .40-caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic handguns had disappeared from the station.” Read more
Veterans Day Remberance
Please take a moment to remember all our soldiers today, those serving and those who never were able to return home.
Firearmstruth would like to thank all our veterans today!
Saudis Loosen Gun Laws, But Will American Mainstream Media Report This Fact?
The Saudi government has changed a rule that will allow for the sale of personal firearms, The Gulf News reports. This is in part to “rein in the widespread illegal ownership of handguns and assault weapons.”
What is interesting about this is that it runs contrary to the American solution, which seems to be reducing private ownership to reduce crime. But it should be stressed that Saudi Arabia has had strict gun laws, but that hasn’t reduced crime. Now instead, the government is allowing guns with the hope that it will curb the sale of illegal firearms.
Let’s just hope things don’t have to go full circle in this country
Opinion Piece Offers Really Absurd Opinion
There is an old saying that some things can be “short and sweet,” but maybe when it comes to how the mainstream media covers firearms, that should be “short and absurd.” Case in point, The Dayton Daily News offered this take on firearms and President Obama:
“It’s ironic that President Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 since, here in the United States, his presidency has caused soaring sales in guns, ammunition and concealed-carry schools.” Read more
Memphis Gifts for Guns Nets 160 Firearms
According to the mainstream media there are 160 less firearms in Memphis, and according to The Commercial Appeal this included some 111 handguns – with the numbers broken down to include two derringers! Really, derringers? Are riverboat gamblers and saloon prostitutes the type of criminals that need to be relieved of firearms?
In a follow up story, also from The Commercial Appeal it was sadly noted that these firearms would likely be destroyed:
“The police department will check to see if the guns have been used in crimes. Those guns will become evidence. The rest will be destroyed.”
It was noted that many of the guns were inherited, and that some were truly unique, such as one that was believed “to be a World War I Russian-made pistol.” For the record, that firearm could have been sold to a collector or donated to a museum. Instead the previous owner was given a gift care worth $100.
If someone was given $10,000 for an house that was torn down, there would be outrage. It is a shame this type of interest in history and preservation doesn’t include firearms.
