Eleanor Clift on AOL Politics Spells Out Why Times Are Changing for Gun Control
Once again a political writer seems to think they know the real America, and once again shows how wrong they are. In writing for AOL’s Politics Daily, Eleanor Clift offers this thought:
“Few Republicans have any interest in gun control legislation, and Democrats are scared of the NRA.”
Of course, this again paints the NRA as some sinister cabal looking to secretly control America, not noting that the NRA’s power comes from the fact that the majority of Americans have and want guns.
But later in this editorial Clift, notes that the mood of gun control might change, and Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign (she writes “Brady Center to Restrict Gun Violence [sic]”), sees Tucson as an opportunity. She writes:
“In the years since, shootings at Columbine and Virginia Tech spurred calls for more controls on guns, but little was done. Since Obama took office, the firearms laws in many places, including Arizona, have gotten more lax, and the Supreme Court has ruled that gun bans in the District of Columbia and Chicago are unconstitutional. This time is different, says Helmke.”
The reasons that Helmke believes this is different aren’t so important as the fact that he believes this is different. Doesn’t that show Helmke as the opportunist that he, and his organization, is? But more ominous is the conclusion of this piece:
“The proposal now being advanced is so narrow, affecting only the size of ammunition clips, that Helmke says, ‘If we could win on that, it would show that you can pass gun control and the sky doesn’t fall in.’”
We read this to suggest that any ban, any change, any sort of control is exactly what Helmke and his ilk want, because it is an ideal beginning. The sky doesn’t fall in if 30 round magazines are banned, so next it could be the Glock itself, and the sky won’t fall in. This is clearly their intention… to erode the Second Amendment in bits and parts.
WSAW Runs Anti-Gun Press Release as “News Story”
The story had a traditional press release stamp, stating it was from “Washington, D.C.” And it read much like a press release. But yet when the “story” titled “Wounded Police Officer Sue Crime Gun Dealer,” it said it was from the “WSAW Staff.” So which is it, a press release or a news story?
This is an example that often blurs the line with smaller outlets, but the problem is that by posting it as a story it makes it seems like credible news. The fact is that it offers no counterpoint, and includes only quotes from Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
This is a shameful example of the state of media today.
ABC News Story on Free AK-47 With Truck Purchase Pulls Out Big Anti-Guns
ABCNews.com offered a not so fresh take on the “Buy a Truck, Get a Free AK-47” story, but as they were a little late on it they pulled out the big anti-guns, getting quotes from the Sanford police department, gun control advocate Josh Sugarmann, Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Center, and even Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.). All weighed in on the issue, suggesting that this sales promotion puts more guns on the streets.
And not just guns mind you, but “assault rifles.” Only on the final page of a three page article on the website does Larry Anderson, manager of Shoot Straight in Apopka, even have the chance to note “the AK-47 rifles in his store are legal civilian, not military, guns.”
By that time however, the anti-gun zealots had most of the story to fire away.
Election 2010: Helmke Blames Pro-Gun Politics For Dems Loss in the House
Half the time the Brady Campaign to Reduce Gun Violence blames the power of the NRA for pulling the strings in Washington, but in the wake of the stunning GOP takeover of Congress, Paul Helmke surprisingly makes the argument that the Democrats lost because they moved away from their “gun-control favoring” base. Read more
World News Heard Now Tells How Guns Just Help
In writing for the World News Heard Now, writer Mary Bargeman offers a lesson in “How Guns Help the Unemployed, the Crime Rate, and Ensure We Survive this Economy.” But what really made our day was a question she asks in this piece:
“Is Paul Helmke a moron, or is he a crafty helper to the Socialist Agenda?”
Thank you Mary, about time someone asked the question.
NRA Fires Back at Brady Campaign
The war of the words between the NRA and the Brady Campaign shows no sign of ending. According to the NRA via our friends at Ammoland.com, Paul Helmke wrote his 176th blog post for the left-wing Huffington Post. It was reportedly filled with his usual anti-gun rants, half truths and outright misinformation.
Kudos to the NRA and the Ammoland.com for setting the record straight on what Helmke says and what is really the truth.
[Via Ammoland.com NRA: More Bad Info, Brady Campaign’s Paul Helmke & Huffington Post]
Paul Helmke Huffs and Puffs and Cites WaPo
Need any further proof that you can’t trust the “news” coming from The Washington Post? Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, referenced the same WaPo editorial that we called out this week in his column for the Huffington Post. Read more
Paul Helmke Huffs and Puffs About NRA Campaign
In another rant filled tirade for the Huffington Post, Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, pulls no punches. He begins with a misleading title to his latest post: “NRA Campaigns to Protect Gun Dealers.”
Helmke shows his true colors as he writes:
“The NRA bosses don’t care about enforcing existing gun laws and they don’t care about helping law enforcement stem the tide of blood flowing from violent drug dealers, gangs, felons, or assault-rifle-wielding snipers.” Read more
Montana Firearms Act Faces Continued Legal Issues, Brady Campaign Rejoices
Unfortunately this has been a good week for the Brady Campaign. The group’s President Paul Helmke seemed pleased to issue a statement in response to a U.S. magistrate judge’s recommendation to dismiss a lawsuit by groups in support of Montana’s “Firearms Freedom Act.”
“The gun lobby’s so-called ‘Freedom Acts’ would threaten public safety by circumventing lifesaving federal laws.”
Clearly, this shows Helmke’s and his group’s true colors. These people don’t want “reasonable” gun laws, they want a total ban on all guns, and it is clear as they rejoice over this ruling, and the ban on the importation of M1 rifles from Korea.
Paul Helmke Huffs and Puffs More About So-called Gun Show Loophole
In his latest rant for the Huffington Post, Paul Helmke asked the question, “who could possibly be opposed to closing the ‘gun show loophole?’” The president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence sounds like a broken record on this topic. He goes over the same bullet points on this issue time and time again, beginning with the argument that this would somehow stand in the way of stopping “convicted felons and other dangerous persons” from obtaining dangerous weapons. Read more
