No Surprise Hear – Cars Kill More Than Guns in NYC
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his Mayors Against Illegal Guns might want to consider targeting a bigger threat to New York residents, namely cars. According to multiple stories, including one from NYC blog Gothamist more residents in the Big Apple are killed by cars than guns. The site offers this information:
“New York City’s roadways are crowded, we can all agree, but who knew they were paved with blood? In the past decade more New Yorkers have died in traffic than from guns, a new report, Vision Zero from Transportation Alternatives reveals. Which helps explain how traffic incidents cost the city over $4 billion in 2009.”
And yet to hear Bloomberg and his ilk talk about it guns are out of control and destroying the city.
Tijuana Mayor Arrests Over Guns
While much of the news this past weekend was related to Al Qaeda and the fallout from the calls for Muslim-Americans to buy guns and commit acts of terror, there was another news tidbit worth noting.
Former Tijuana Mayor Jorge Hank Rhon has been arrested on suspicion of illegal weapons. Imagine that… didn’t the Showtime series Weeds have a corrupt Tijuana mayor?
With Rhon be accused of having 88 unlicensed weapons we can’t help but say this is life imitating art.
Patch.com Sums Up Problem With America
In an opinion piece for Patch.com, titled “Kids and Toy Guns,” asked the question “Are water guns and foam dart guns OK toys for our kids?” The writer Ann Rubin responded to a question from a friend, writing:
“Recently, my friend Jennifer wrote me and said, ‘So, one thing I struggle with raising [two] boys is the fascination with guns, blasters, bombs, and other instruments of destruction. I am trying to raise children who want to save the planet, and they seem much more interested in blowing it up. Finding the right balance is a tricky one for me. Would love to see your thoughts and insights.’”
Can’t children just be children? Isn’t fighting make believe monsters or fending off an alien invasion the way that children try to “save the planet.” Yes, children are exposed to a lot of violence, but the truth is that the world is a dangerous and scary place.
There are revolutions in countries across the globe, uprisings, terrorist attacks and we have soldier on the ground in combat zones right now. We need to be realistic and understand that these problems won’t be solved by the time today’s children are adults.
No one wants to see their children grow up and go off to war, but we have to accept that we can’t bury our head in the sand, nor can we bury our children’s head in the sand either. We have to accept that children will see war and violence as exciting and it will become part of their playtime.
Illinois Bill Restricts Guns From Criminals
Here is a puzzling question, why is it that Illinois only now has passed a bill that would restrict those under a restraining order or convicted of domestic battery from owning a gun?
The state this week based the Senate bill. But our question is why has Illinois essentially done so much to keep law-abiding citizens from owning guns instead? Why not just target the criminals and those convicted of crimes in the first place?
Is Battle Brewing Over Magazines
We’re likely to hear a lot about magazines in the coming months, not of the print variety of course, but of those for firearms that can hold more than 10 rounds – the so-called large-capacity ammunition magazines.
Since the tragic shooting in Tucson this past January, there have been renewed calls to “ban” any magazine that holds more than 10 rounds.
The NRA has issued a response:
“Despite the burdens it would put on honest Americans, Rep. McCarthy’s bill wouldn’t stop a criminal from obtaining magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
“Tens of millions of Americans own countless tens of millions of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds; even Rep. McCarthy admits that confiscation of existing magazines would be impossible. Anything that common can be stolen or bought on the black market. And even if no magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds were available, a criminal could still use multiple smaller magazines, multiple firearms, more powerful handguns, or weapons other than firearms.”
We agree completely. The ban would be impossible to enforce, and would only make criminals of law abiding citizens. But maybe that’s part of the agenda of the anti-gun crowd.
LA Times Noted California Governor Jerry Brown’s “Arsenal”
How many guns is typically in an “arsenal.” In California that number could be as small as “three,” at least that’s how The Los Angeles Times apparently sees it. The paper noted:
“Gov. Jerry Brown, who routinely confounds those tempted to write him off as a stereotypical left-wing intellectual, did so again Wednesday, telling a roomful of cops that he’s the proud owner of a small arsenal.”
So it is a “small” arsenal. We tend to think that guns shouldn’t be identified as a Democrat or Republican issue (although the media often does), and it is interesting that the new governor does own guns. Hopefully, this will keep him from joining the ranks of anti-gun groups, or offering support to biased organizations such as Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
Moveon.org Compares Abortion to Gun Ownership
How is having an abortion like buying a gun? We get that both are hot topic issues, but a few left leaning sites noted this week that South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugarrd signed a law requiring a woman to wait 72 hours before an abortion. This was compared, and of course contrasted, to how the state’s handgun waiting period has been repealed.
Moveon.org noted in a post titled, “South Dakota: Where It’s Easier to Get A Gun Than An Abortion”:
“South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard recently signed a law requiring a woman to wait 72 hours before an abortion. This would be the longest abortion waiting period in the U.S. For those wanting to buy a handgun, however, the law requiring a 48-hour waiting period was repealed in 2009. Which prompted us to make this new South Dakota postcard. So go ahead—send it to your Facebook friends.”
Gawker noted in a post titled, “Guns Easier to Get Than Abortions in South Dakota”:
“South Dakota’s governor signed a law yesterday requiring women to wait 72 hours after seeing a doctor to get an abortion. By contrast, the 48-hour waiting period to buy a handgun was repealed two years ago.”
Neither story is correct. Criminals can likely get abortions, but from gun shops they can’t get a gun when a background check is run. However, criminals could illegally buy a gun, just as someone could illegally get an abortion performed without the waiting period. We would like to know, are background checks performed before an abortion is performed?
NPR Misinterprets Montana Promotion
NPR’s Morning Edition had a brief segment, which appeared on its Website with the dubious headline “Satellite Promotion Goes Over With A Bang.” The copy stated:
“At Radio Shack in Hamilton, Mont., new customers who sign up for Dish Network satellite service, get a certificate for a free gun from a nearby gun store. Plus, a criminal background check at no extra charge. The store owner says business has tripled.”
This is not the least bit correct. The “criminal background check” was actually the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, which is what anti-gun types rally about all the time. This check was required with every potential purchase, in order to get the free gun.
So this was not something thrown in for free. Maybe if these anti-gun types in the media understood what they were talking about there wouldn’t be so much confusion on the issue of firearm ownership!
Latin American Herald Tribune: Justice Department OK’d Flow of Guns
The Latin American Herald Tribune has a headline that is sure to grab attention, “Ex-Agent: U.S. Justice Department OK’d Flow of Guns to Mexico,” and included this passage:
“Darren Gil, former head agent in Mexico for U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives operations, said his direct supervisor in Washington told him the sting had been approved by officials of higher rank than ATF director Kenneth Melson.”
Other than limited coverage in the United States, we ask, where is the outrage?
National Review Online: “Did the ATF help create its own crisis?”
David Rittgers, writing for National Review Online, asks a very good question this week. Did the ATF help create it own crisis? Rittgers notes:
“The next time gun-control advocates point to violence in Mexico and call for more restrictions on gun sales or a revived assault-weapons ban, they should consider that the problem may not be with the laws on the books, but with those who enforce them.”
Rittgers further adds that the media has widely reported that “nine out of ten guns” found in Mexico are traced back to the United States. But unlike most of the mainstream media, Rittgers adds:
“The statistic takes into account only guns traced by the FBI. Such tracing is possible only if the Mexican authorities submit a weapon to the FBI, and they submit only weapons designed for the U.S. civilian market (the only kind of gun the FBI is equipped to trace). Once all guns retrieved in Mexico are included, only 17 percent come from U.S. gun dealers.”
Rittgers even clears up other misconceptions:
“A goodly portion of weapons trotted out for the press cannot be legally purchased in the U.S. without the ATF’s say-so and approval from the local chief law-enforcement officer (short-barreled rifles, for example). Rocket-propelled grenades and newly manufactured machine guns are not available at gun shows. Further gun control imposed on typical American buyers would have no effect on the ability of the cartels to purchase these military-grade weapons.”
Now, if only the rest of the media realized – or was interested in reporting the same thing.
