Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea: AP ‘Top 10’ List Confirms Media Still Ignoring Fast And Furious Story
“The killing of Osama bin Laden during a raid by Navy SEALs on his hideout in Pakistan was the top news story of 2011, followed by Japan’s earthquake/tsunami/meltdown disaster, according to The Associated Press’ annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors,” David Crary of the Associated Press reported, presenting the news agency’s top 10 stories for the year.
Fair enough. They were huge stories. The other stories selected were all noteworthy in their own ways as well, but there is one more that is remarkable in its absence from inclusion: Fast and Furious.
Officials of the United States government allowed guns to be smuggled across international borders into a sovereign neighboring country—where they were received by murderous cartels, and which resulted in the deaths of American law enforcement officers and untold numbers of Mexican (and U.S.?) citizens—all the while leaving the Mexican government in the dark and stonewalling numerous Congressional inquiries to prevent exposing how high up in the administration approval and direction came from—and that does not make the top 10?
Continue reading on Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/ap-top-10-list-confirms-media-still-ignoring-fast-and-furious-story
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is a long-time gun rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He is a field editor for GUNS Magazine, and a blogger at The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance. Read more at www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/david-codrea
AP via WaPo Throws Out Biased Headline about Concealed Carry
Instead of suggesting it is a “Guns Rights” group, the AP via The Washington Post offered this headline, which seems to put a negative spin on it:
“Pro-gun group plans demonstrations protesting efforts to ban concealed weapons on Va campuses.”
Imagine if the Occupy Wall Street protests had so much negativity in the headline. The choice of words, notably “pro-gun” instead of “gun rights” suggests that these people might be extremists. Why was it necessary to describe the Virginia Citizens Defense League in such a way, except as to discredit them?
Newsbusters: SF Chronicle Story Repeats AP ‘Fast & Furious’ Misinformation
Apparently FirearmsTruth.com isn’t the only site tracking “Fast and Furious Misinformation,” as our friends at Newsbusters have also been on the case. The Associated Press and now The San Francisco Chronicle are apparently trying to defect the damage that Fast and Furious might cause to President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder by playing the “blame Bush” card.
The AP version according to Newsbusters:
“The federal government under the Bush administration ran an operation that allowed hundreds of guns to be transferred to suspected arms traffickers — the same tactic that congressional Republicans have criticized President Barack Obama’s administration for using, two federal law enforcement officials said Tuesday.”
As noted by Newsbusters, the SF Chronicle essentially parrots this information, but it was Townhall that spelled the difference:
” Yes, however, the key difference between Operation Fast and Furious under Obama and Project Gunrunner under Bush is that under Obama guns were allowed to go back into Mexico without interdiction or arrests.”
That seems like a major point to note. Let’s see if the rest of the mainstream media notices that point?
Newsbusters: SF Chronicle Story Repeats AP ‘Fast & Furious’ Misinformation
AP: “Not all seized guns in Mexico are traced”
In a recent story that noted that “ATF forms teams in 7 cities to stop gun smuggling,” the news service offered this interesting bit of information:
“Not all seized guns in Mexico are traced.”
Of course this factoid was buried way down in the story, in the third paragraph from the bottom. This type of news reporting on the issue of guns isn’t really that uncommon, but it shows yet another example of the bias that we’ve come to sadly expect from the mainstream media.
AP Reports on Failed Ban on Open-Carry, Sounds Disappointed
Someone at the Associated Press was probably hoping to write a piece on how California lawmakers passed a bill that would have made it illegal to carry unloaded guns in public, but instead the news service had to report that the measure failed.
AP noted:
“The Senate narrowly approved the measure… but it failed in the Assembly.”
Additionally, AP noted that lawmakers did not act on a second bill that would have made it a law requiring all long guns, including rifles and shotguns to be registered. AP also stated, “the bill fell short during an initial vote Monday.”
Is this a case of sour grapes from the AP? If so, too bad.
Firing Back: AP Story Targets Palin After NRA Speech
In a “news” story on Sarah Palin’s speech at the NRA convention, AP wasted no time making a few choice jabs at her, and at her comments about guns. In fact, the article tries to counter what Palin said. Here is a quote from Palin, along with some typical AP bias thrown in:
“Don’t doubt for a minute that, if they thought they could get away with it, they would ban guns and ban ammunition and gut the Second Amendment,” said Palin, a lifelong NRA member who once had a baby shower at a local gun range in Alaska. “It’s the job of all of us at the NRA and its allies to stop them in their tracks.”
Now compare this to the follow-up paragraph from the voice of AP:
“Gun enthusiasts have trumpeted fears that their rights would erode under a Democrat-led White House and Congress, but President Barack Obama has largely been silent on issues such as reviving an assault weapons ban or strengthening background checks at gun shows. Obama also signed a law allowing people to carry loaded guns in national parks.”
First, we ask why it matters that Palin had a baby shower at a gun range, but did AP put that in to make her seem “crazy” to those who don’t like guns? You read the words “baby” and “gun range” together and that makes no sense right? Second, why does the AP feel it necessary to suggest that Obama has been silent on the issue – especially as Palin says, “if they thought they could get away with it,” but apparently the author missed that point. Finally, is the word, “fears” really necessary? “Fears” suggests a paranoid gun community, but that’s likely what the anti-gun crowd wants everyone to believe about gun enthusiasts.
Gun Protestors not Worthy of Coverage Covered
While you were enjoying a quiet Sunday morning yesterday, a handful of people in Denver Colorado were protesting a Starbucks. Most local Denver news agencies covered the story through the Associated Press. The AP mentions basic facts, like what the protestors want and what Starbuck’s response is, but fails to mention the number of protestors. By holding back numbers, the AP is showing support for a cause it is sympathetic with. Read more
Chicago Tribune/AP Article Shows True Colors of Politicos in Chicago
The Associated Press polled some canidates for the upcoming U.S. Senate race in Illinios. It shows a great lack of understanding from some Democratic candidates, but the worst response seems to have been from Alexi Giannoulias:
“No one needs a semiautomatic weapon on the streets of Chicago, and no convicted felons or domestic abusers need a weapon anywhere in Illinois.”
What exactly does he mean by “semiautomatic?” This is a major problem, as candidates such as Giannoulias throw around terms loosely to scare the public. Does this mean no semi-automatic hunting rifles? No .22 target pistols? And what does “on the streets,” mean? Too often “on the streets” translates into “anywhere in the city.”
Associate Press Highlights New Gun Laws With Expected Bias
The mainstream media has said for the past year, since Barack Obama was elected president that gun owners were concerned about new gun legislation, but now that many new favor gun owners, the Associated Press has noted these with concern. Here is a rather one-sided point on the issue:
“The NRA has a stranglehold on a lot of state legislatures,” said Kristin Rand, legislative director of the Violence Policy Center, a gun control group in Washington. “They basically have convinced lawmakers they can cost them their seats, even though there’s no real evidence to back that up.”
Are these really a stranglehold, or actually just the perseveration of second amendment rights?
Who Guards the Guards: Police Respond This Time
We’ve been carefully watching how over the past few months there have been several cases of weapons belong to the police being stolen, often times from unlocked vehicles left out over night. But this time we’re happy to report that no such robbery occurred at this point. Instead, five people have been indicted on federal charges for alleged conspiracy to steel guns form the Tchula Police Department reports the AP via News Channel 3.
What is noteworthy in this story is that “several people pleaded guilty this year in a separate conspiracy to steal guns” about 24 miles away from another police department!
This is worrisome, because clearly criminals know where the guns are… in the hands of the police. Why go to gun shows, when there are guns available and ready to be stolen!
