CBS News reporter Sharyl Attkisson has distinguished herself by reporting on the “Fast & Furious” gunwalking scandal in the Obama Justice Department. The conservative media watchdog group Accuracy in Media awarded her their Reid Irvine Award for investigative reporting at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday — only Attkisson failed to appear. Instead, Michael Calderone at The Huffington Post wrote CBS Washington bureau chief Christopher Isham accepted the award in Atkisson’s honor and said that the network “is very proud of Sharyl’s groundbreaking reporting.”

While criticism surrounding Operation Fast and Furious has so far focused on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, three other federal agencies knew about the operation and some of their agents tried to stop it, according to the former chief of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Tucson.

Tony Coulson, the DEA’s agent in charge of Southern Arizona during Fast and Furious, says many federal field agents knew the ATF was walking guns to Mexico, but supervisors told them to back off when they objected.

Of course we’ll be watching to see how this either gets blamed on Bush, or more likely ignored by the media.

Some say it’s a major loophole in the law. At gun stores, you have to get a background check before you can buy a weapon. But online in most states, anyone from law-abiding citizens to dangerous criminals – even terrorists – can get just about any weapon they want, no questions asked. Our hidden camera investigation shows the deals going down in broad daylight, in suburban mall parking lots.

No, this isn’t true. This isn’t a loophole because any gun sent through the mail needs to be from a Federal Firearms License holder to another when sales occur, and depending on the local laws a permit might be necessary. This point is lacking, so in these cases the law is actually being broken – so it isn’t technically a loophole in the law.

The article adds:

We bought everything from a police-grade pistol to a semiautomatic assault rifle. We did it over and over again, even hinting that our buyer is a criminal.

Within 12 hours, we bought eight dangerous guns – even a 50-caliber weapon so powerful it could take down a helicopter.

We agree that this is a problem, one we’ll address in a minute, but let’s first note that this is typical biased reporting. What exactly is a “police-grade pistol,” as we’re not sure? This is an attempt to make it seem like something that wouldn’t be available to the average consumer. Additionally, the point about the .50-caliber (it should read .50 not 50) being able to take down a helicopter is only partially accurate. The truth is this weapon still needs someone with some level of experience and training to be able to hit a helicopter. So while there is always the chance someone could get very lucky, in most cases without proper training and skill it would just be a heavy gun where the shooter couldn’t hit the side of a barn!

There was more on this weapon:

The online ad was for a 50-caliber sniper rifle, the most powerful gun legally sold in the U.S.: bullet range 5 miles. It can pierce armored vehicles, even bring down a helicopter. But the seller was so laid-back, you’d think he was hocking a used bicycle.

All these points are only semi-true. It really doesn’t have a range of five miles, and it can “bring down a helicopter” but so can a .22 if you shoot at the right place!

The article then adds:

So what’s the government doing about it? It turns out there’s a bill that would close this loophole, and require background checks for all gun sales, even online. But that bill has been tied up in committee for nearly a year. Its sponsor, New York senator Chuck Schumer, told us: “The NRA is one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington, and despite the overwhelming evidence that we should do something … the odds of us being able to do something are not high.”

Again this is a half-truth. Online sales are NOT except from background checks. This isn’t so much a loophole as it is people just disregarding the law. So a law that bans the sales and puts background checks on all gun sales only works if people follow the law – and in most cases the law was already being broken in the examples noted.

Finally the article concludes with this point:

This is legal, and lots of people in this country support private gun sales without background checks. They say it’s not about making money; it’s about individual rights. As for the eight guns we bought, we turned them over the the [sic] Phoenix police department… where they will be destroyed.

This isn’t just about money. There are points missing in this reporting. First, who is going to pay for the background checks on ALL sales? Does this mean ALL guns need to be registered? Because unless EVERY gun is registered the background check system wouldn’t work, and if ALL guns need to be registered there is the issue of who will pay for it? There are reasons for fighting this, as the first step to banning guns is knowing who has them – in other words many citizens might be wary of having to register their guns, and in essence any law would turn them into criminals.

The Ministry of Public Security plans to initiate a special campaign to control guns and explosives, in the wake of several incidents of armed robbery nationwide.

Here is a puzzling question, how does China have armed robberies if there is already strict gun control in the nation? In China individual gun ownership is almost non-existent, so we’re curious what this means?

Of course the answer is that in China the criminal element doesn’t only import illegal guns, they manufacture them! That shows how well “gun control” works!

Interestingly McCarthy’s district could go to maintain the Queens-Brooklyn seat that is currently held by Republican Bob Turner, the first GOPer to hold the seat ever. This seat previously belong to disgraced Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner.

Two Queens parents were horrified to learn that their 5-year-old daughter’s kindergarten homework included a lesson in street violence.

Takiema Reynolds of Flushing says her daughter Amanda brought home a worksheet this week that had a picture of a gun and a picture of an armed robber.

Beneath the pictures, Amanda had to write out the first letters of the words “gun” and “rob.”

Now in fairness it probably isn’t right to have words such as “rob” be part of the assignment as it could be confusing to smaller children. But let’s be realistic too. Cartoons, video games and other forms of entertainment will likely expose children to such things as “guns,” so is this worth reporting about?

What is actually upsetting about this line of reporting focused on the “gun” not the word “rob,” which showed a stereotypical bank robber type character with a bag of money. Isn’t the issue of violence and crime bigger than an issue of a “gun?”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu7pQ_Lros8

Cam Edwards talks to Rev. Kenn Blanchard, host of the Urban Shooter

www.youtube.com/watch?v=g22-ut15Wbw

Cam Edwards talks to Matthew Boyle from The Daily Caller

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx9wtfG81Gc

Cam Edwards talks to Rick Ector of Rick’s Firearms Academy of Detroit

The Virginia House of Delegates passed two pro-gun bills: House Bill 25 and House Bill 754. HB 25 passed in the state House by an 81 to 17 vote and HB 754 passed by a 74 to 22 vote. Both bills will now go to the Virginia Senate for its consideration.

HB 25, sponsored by Delegate Mark Cole (R-88), seeks to prohibit the Clerk of the Court from disclosing information contained on a concealed handgun permit application or on an order issuing a concealed handgun permit.

Sponsored by Delegate Ben Cline (R-24), HB 754 would eliminate the optional fingerprinting requirements for initial concealed carry permits.

We thank NRA members who contacted their Delegate and asked them to support these crucial bills.

Tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. in the Fourth Floor West Conference Room of the General Assembly building, the House Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety Subcommittee #1 will hold a hearing on the following bills of interest to Virginia gun owners:

Pro-Gun Bills
House Bill 859, introduced by Delegate C. Todd Gilbert (R-15), would provide an exemption from the required criminal history record information check for firearms transfers in the Commonwealth for persons holding a valid Virginia-issued concealed handgun permit.

House Bill 1135, introduced by Delegate R. Lee Ware, Jr. (R-65), would remove certain requirements for an out-of-state concealed handgun permit to be recognized and accepted in Virginia. Requires an out-of-state permittee to carry and present a valid government-issued photo identification in order for his or her valid out-of-state concealed weapon permit to be recognized and accepted in Virginia.

House Bill 1279, introduced by Delegate Christopher P. Stolle (R-83), would provide that a prisoner may be charged under both the crimes by prisoners code section and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Anti-Gun Bills
House Bill 797, introduced by Delegate Joseph D. Morrissey (D-74), would create a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person carrying a handgun in a public place while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and prohibits a person from obtaining a concealed handgun permit for five years following such a conviction. This prohibition applies regardless of whether the person is carrying the handgun openly or concealed. Current law makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to carry a concealed handgun in a public place while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, but does not speak to openly carrying a handgun while under the influence.

House Bill 1197, introduced by Delegate Jennifer L. McClellan (D-71), would create a Class 3 misdemeanor for the offense of failing to report to law enforcement that a firearm a person owns or lawfully possesses has been lost or stolen. Subsequent violations of the law would be a Class 1 misdemeanor. This bill also creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for the knowingly false reporting of a lost or stolen firearm.

House Bill 1223, introduced by Delegate Patrick A. Hope (D-47), reads “Except those lawfully possessing a handgun, no person shall possess a weapon in legislative buildings and all persons, except General Assembly members, staff or any law enforcement officer.”

House Bill 1226, introduced by Delegate Luke E. Torian (D-52), would give the board of visitors or other governing body of an educational institution the power to establish rules and regulations for the possession or transportation of firearms or ammunition on property owned or operated by the institution.

House Bill 1257, introduced by Delegate Mark D. Sickles (D-43), would provide that it is a Class 1 misdemeanor for a person who is under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs to carry a loaded firearm on or about his person in a public place and that a person found guilty is ineligible to apply for a concealed handgun permit for a period of five years. This bill also creates a Class 2 misdemeanor for a person who carries a loaded firearm on or about his person onto the premises of any restaurant or club licensed to sell and serve alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption and consume an alcoholic beverage while on the premises.

Please continue to check AmmoLand, your e-mail and www.NRAILA.org for more updates on these issues.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org