Rahm Emanuel Gets Endorsement for “Gun Control Laws”
This week Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes has endorsed Rahm Emanuel for Mayor of Chicago reports The Chicago Tribune. Among the reasons cited was “because he had fought for gun control laws.”
We see it as a reason not to cast a vote for Emanuel.
More Gun Buybacks – More Mainstream Media Information
The problem with gun buybacks is that not only do we believe that these seldom (if ever) actually get guns off the streets, but they spread misinformation. This week saw several such programs and here is a quick recap.
Shore News Today reported on a gun buyback in Pleasantville, NJ, where the police collected 257 handguns, 111 rifles and 97 shotguns. “In all, $29,730 was doled out to people,” reports the paper. Doled is a good word. But the paper also quoted Atlantic County Prosecutor Ted Housel as saying, “Every gun turned in is another gun that can’t end up in the hands of a criminal.” This is a statement made all too often, and is insulting at best and an outright lie at worst. That is akin to saying, “every car could be used by a drunk driver.” If safety precautions are followed, few if any guns should end up in the hands of criminals, but anti-gun zealots and the mainstream media like to imply otherwise.
ABC6.com noted that New Bedford, Mass. also held a gun buyback, with the mayor being quoted as saying, “illegal guns are the weapons of mass destruction in our cities.” But the question do these buybacks really get guns off the streets? The reporting from ABC6.com never questioned this fact, only offering sound bites from those organizing the event.
Likewise, The Boston Herald also reported on the event, noting it was a “gun safety exchange.” Maybe they’re right, people were exchanging their safety for a few bucks. In this report it was noted, “Mayor Scott Lang sayst he program will make the city safer.” No counterpoint of course.
KLFY.com reported on the four Baton Rouge churches traded gas cards “to anyone turning in a handgun or assault weapon.” Of course the news outlet doesn’t really note what exactly is an assault weapon. But of course that is far from the only concern. The story notes, “The ‘Gas for Guns’ program targets illegally held of unwanted weapons.” Again, any proof that “illegally held” guns are ever turned in at these things?
Essentially, these events are reported on with little counterpoint and are human interest feel good stories. The truth is that these probably do little good, as they pay people a fraction of a firearms worth, likely get few if any illegal guns off the street, and never address the larger issue that the criminals remain on the streets.
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley Won’t Seek Reelection
Will guns be an issue on the table in the Windy City? That’s an interesting question to consider as Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley announced this week that he won’t seek reelection. The Chicago Mayoral election will be held on February 22, 2011. It is already believed that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, no friend to gun rights, could run for the office.
Key races will be determined this November for the U.S. House and Senate.
War of Words Brewing in Portland?
Portland Mayor Sam Adams, who is a member of the infamous group “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” is looking to tighten gun laws in his city in the wake of recent shootings, and that has some in the gun lobby looking to fire back. KGW quoted Kevin Starrett, Oregon Firearms Federation Director as staying, “Sam Adams wants to do is to turn Portland into Chicago. More regulations and more crime.”
The real issue is that some local news outlets, such as KGW are making a bigger issue out of this. For example, the headline of the KGW story says “Mayor Sam Adams vs. gun lobby,” but is this really the case? While Starrett is quoted in several outlets, it doesn’t look as if there has been any real exchange between the two. Starrett issued a statement it seems in response to Adams’ call for new laws. This is hardly a “war of the words” as some media outlets have labeled it. Could this actually be a way for the mainstream media to stir up an issue where one doesn’t exist?
Liberal Celebrity Site Gawker Has Problem with “Hidden Guns”
Celebrity news website Gawker posted a story, which picked up news reports, that among the individuals listed on a newly released New York City gun permit-holder list include Roger Ailes and Sean Hannity. Both reportedly have “concealed carry permits,” something that isn’t exactly the easiest thing to get. As we’ve reported there does seem to be a double standard in New York City when it comes to issuing permits. Read more
Daley Says Gun Owners Not Jumping Through Hoops
Some choice quotes from Chicago Mayor Richard Daley this week, as reported by The Chicago Sun Times:
“We’re not jumping through hoops. We have to have accountability. … This is protection of the city from lawsuits from a lot of people. You have to ask for reasonable gun laws. Until the federal government seizes more illegal guns, that is the issue.”
This is just one of several choice quotes from Daley, and it makes us seriously think he doesn’t understand the greater issue. How again does allowing law-abiding citizens to have greater access to firearms cause more crime? And how exactly would a crackdown on illegal guns reduce lawsuits against the city?
To us it appears that Daley is scrapping the bottle of the barrel and grasping at straws to make his argument. The problem is that law-abiding citizens are still caught in the ensuing cross fire.
Firing Back: Chicago’s Take on Long Guns
This week we’re seeing a lot of the fallout of last week’s Supreme Court ruling. Chicago has attempted to do an end run around the Supreme Court of the United States – the highest court in the land – by coming up with new and extremely vague laws.
One part we missed at first is only getting minor play in the mainstream media. So far we haven’t seen much pickup on it either, suggesting that it is something the city is trying to slip through. Numerous news organizations, such as Bloomberg Businessweek noted it however:
“The new law limits possession of handguns to the home and possession of long guns to places of business.”
Are we reading this right? Long guns can only be held in places of businesses? Is it just us, or does this statement make no sense? Most workers, blue collar or white collar, probably don’t take a rifle or shotgun to work. So exactly what “place of business” requires or is suitable for a long gun? This sounds like a way to make it so difficult and impossible to own such an item that people won’t bother. Nice way to get around the Constitution. Let the lawsuits begin.
Does SCOTUS Ruling Matter to Daley?
Apparently the freedoms that this nation fought so hard for, and were remembered this past weekend are lost on Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. FoxNews.com offers this interesting take on how Daley has responded to the Supreme Court ruling:
- Gun owners need a Chicago Firearms permit, which costs $100 and must be renewed every 3 years, in addition to their Illinois Firearm owner’s ID.
- Firearms sales are banned in the city.
- Chicago residents can register only 1 handgun per month.
- When a weapon is transported it much be taken apart and not accessible.
- It is illegal to have your gun on the porch, yard or Garage. The gun is only legal inside the residence.
- Only one gun in the house can be ready to be fired. The rest must have trigger locks or be disassembled.
- Guns are banned from hotels, dorms or group living environments.
- Does any of this sound reasonable? What exactly is a “group living environment?” Is that a fancy word for apartment building? That hardly seems fair. Likewise, it is illegal to have guns in your own yard or garage?
Apparently Daley isn’t going down without a fight. Fortunately would-be gun owners still have the SCOTUS ruling on their side.
ABC7 in Chicago Notes Point Few Others Address
The local media in Chicago obviously has been reporting a lot about the SCOTUS ruling. But ABC 7, WLS-TV, in Chicago offered an interesting point in its coverage:
“Gun rights advocates, who are reviewing the ordinance, say the law does not address the issue of illegal handgun possession.”
So let’s look at this point. The Supreme Court did NOT rule that criminals could possess guns. So criminals that had guns last week will of course have them next week. Even if the ruling had gone the other way, and upheld the ban, the point would have been that criminals would still have had guns. In other words, criminals will have guns despite the law. Isn’t that clear enough?
Chicago Sun Times Offers Biased Take on Chicago Gun Laws
Mayor Richard Daley isn’t taking the SCOTUS ruling well, and apparently neither is Fran Spielman, City Hall Reporter, at The Chicago Sun Times, who writes:
“Chicagoans could still purchase up to a dozen handguns a year — without liability insurance — under a watered-down replacement to the city’s overturned handgun ban, expected to be rushed through today. Concerned that Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling could leave the mistaken impression that it’s open season on guns, Mayor Daley has asked the City Council to meet in special session to approve an ordinance considerably weaker than anticipated.”
Were this an editorial we would have thought it was an opinion that differed from ours, but this is actually a news story. And as such we find this to be a typical example of mainstream media bias, clear and simple. But the bias cuts further later in the piece, noting:
“If there are two qualified adults in a home, 24 handguns — a virtual arsenal — could legally be purchased during the course of a year.”
Our response is what determines an arsenal, virtual or otherwise? Couldn’t 24 handguns be seen as a collection? Do 24 guns, safely protected properly in one’s house, suddenly offer any more of a threat to anyone than a single gun? This actually reeks of socialism to us in some ways – suggesting that there be a level distribution of items.
But worse, the article – and the potential law – suggests that only a single gun could be assembled at a time (per owner). Does we could counter that this isn’t even about 24 guns at all; it is about two guns and enough parts to assemble another 22 guns.
