Voice of America or Voice of Misinformation
Read this headline from Voice of America: “A Year After Lawmaker Shot, Gun Sales, US Violence Remain High.” Is this really true? Yes, gun sales are high, but violence – at least crime – is down.
This article attempts to tie gun sales and violence together. Consider these two paragraphs – which for the record ran in this order:
Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords survived the January 8, 2011 massacre in Tucson, Arizona, which shocked the entire nation. But since then no major new gun laws have been passed, and handgun violence continues to claim more than 30,000 lives every year.
And Americans are buying guns in record numbers. According to the FBI data, more than 1.5 million people underwent background checks in December for firearm purchases from licensed dealers.
It is almost as if the editors were peeved that people were buying runs!
This biased story goes on to quote the Brady Campaign and other anti-gun zealots. For example:
“This is a uniquely American tragedy,” said Dennis Henigan, acting president of the Brady Campaign. “No other western, industrialized nation tolerates the kind and dimension of the gun violence problem that we have in America.”
And this is from Voice of America! It is a shameful example of how what is just pure bias passes as “news!”
Arizona Republic States: “Arizona law pushing resale of confiscated guns stirs concerns”
In a story that notes that Arizona is among three states that currently require the sales of confiscated guns there is little that actually offers any opinion that there is “concern,” yet the title of this piece is “Arizona law pushing resale of confiscated guns stirs concern.”
We have to ask, who is actually concerned by this move? First, it brings in money to local communities. And people buy guns anyway. So this is a win-win. Is it just that the writer of the piece, and the papers’ editors might have this concern, and thus create a more controversial headline than the story actually warrants?
PrisonPlanet.com Reads Way Too Much Into CNBC Story
This week ConvergEx Group Chief Market Strategist Nicholas Colas noted on CNBC that America’s were buying more guns, and worried about security. But over a PrisonPlanet.com they took this story and added:
“Americans are acquiring guns, silver, and food stamps at record levels in reaction to the crumbling economy, trends indicative of a fearful public who are struggling financially and preparing for potential mass civil unrest in the aftermath of a total economic collapse.”
But that isn’t what Colas said. He noted that in addition to firearms, silver coins sales are up. People don’t buy silver coins if they think there is going to be a total economic collapse! He was also quoted on CNBC as stating:
“The consumer is still on pretty shaky ground. Confidence [is] still not all that strong, the intention to spend, still [is] not all that strong.”
That is a very far cry from fearing that next month we’ll be living like the Road Warrior! This panic mode from PrisonPlanet simply borders on the dangerous .
Firearm Sales in the News Again
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported, “Firearm sales down a bit but remain strong,” which is sort of true – but the paper tried to send the message that gun sales increased because of concerns that “Congress could enact new gun control laws.” This message is repeated several times in the caption as well as in the body of the story.
Yet a graph, with data from ATF, also shows that sales of guns had been steadily increasing year over year. While 2009 did see a spike, which may or may not have been based on concerns that “Congress and the Obama administration would pursue a gun control agenda,” what is almost always missing from this reporting is that the steady rise in sales of firearms.
In dollars spent sales were just $51.5 million in 2005, while this jumped to $76.2 million in 2008 (Source: Federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau). That does pale to the jump to $127 million in 2009, but the fact is still missing that gun sales were never really flat.
Atlantic Writer Questions What People Buy
The economy remains stagnant; there is no doubt about it. But some products are selling. Too bad Derek Thompson has to poke fun at gun sales in a silly editorial for The Atlantic, in which he notes that we’re not moving because people aren’t buying what he believes to be useful things. Read more
Guns Not Selling For Some Gun Stores
If you believe the mainstream media every store in the country is out of ammo, the shelves are bare and there isn’t a gun in sight. But yet, some gun stores are seeing slow business because of new legislation. The Capital in Annapolis, Maryland notes just how tough it can be for some state residents:
“Maryland residents need to apply to state police to get a handgun permit.”
Likewise, while the MSM has continued to post about strong sales, these have mostly dried up, in part due to the sluggish economy. However, while the media was quick to note a surge in gun sales we somehow doubt we’ll see any reports on sales slipping. The media might note sluggish sales of cars, consumer goods and other products, but there will be no news about sagging gun sales we expect.
South Carolina Offers Tax-Free Weekend for Gun Sales
Next week is Thanksgiving, and the day after is “Black Friday” the busiest shopping day of the year, and in South Carolina it might not just be shopping malls that will see an increase in customers. The state is offering shoppers a chance to buy tax-free guns. The state’s revenue department is offering a 48-hour tax break that will begin just after midnight next Friday morning.
Ammo Story Goes International Via WaPo
Apparently there has been so much hype about an increase in the sale of ammunition in the United States that the story continues to go international, and alas with the same liberal bias. This week The Canadian Free Press ran a story with this passage:
“In a year of job losses, foreclosures and bag lunches, Americans have spent record-breaking amounts of money on guns and ammunition. The most obvious sign of their demand: empty ammunition shelves. At points during the past year, bullets have been selling faster than factories could make them.”
First, we’d like ask our colleagues north of the border for a source on the point that bullets are actually being sold “faster than factories could make them.” Yes, ammo is selling, but so far even the American press hasn’t stated that dubious claim. Or has it?
A closer look at the story reveals that this wasn’t actually original copy – as in an original article from Canada, but is in fact just a passage quoted from The Washington Post. This story of course offers the usual suggestions that it is fear of Obama taking away guns that are driving the sales.
Additionally, what the Canadian abridged version fails to point out is at least in the WaPo version, which stresses that America is involved in two wars right now. Factor in the additional training, and maybe the ammo shortage isn’t just people hording. While WaPo offers this suggestion, via the argument from ammo makers, the rest of the mainstream media – including that in Canada now – just blames gun owners of course.
Saudis Loosen Gun Laws, But Will American Mainstream Media Report This Fact?
The Saudi government has changed a rule that will allow for the sale of personal firearms, The Gulf News reports. This is in part to “rein in the widespread illegal ownership of handguns and assault weapons.”
What is interesting about this is that it runs contrary to the American solution, which seems to be reducing private ownership to reduce crime. But it should be stressed that Saudi Arabia has had strict gun laws, but that hasn’t reduced crime. Now instead, the government is allowing guns with the hope that it will curb the sale of illegal firearms.
Let’s just hope things don’t have to go full circle in this country
L.A. Times Says “Bull Market for Bullets”
File this one under “old new” but this weekend The Los Angeles Times ran a piece that say sales of ammunition have picked up since President Barrack Obama took office. This has been a story that has regularly circulated over the past seven months, and shows no sign of dying down.
Was it a slow news week? That doesn’t seem right. Teddy Kennedy passed away, hurricanes were heading to land in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and the violence in Afghanistan has picked up. So why is this story that ammo is continuing to sell news?
Of course part of the problem is that these stories circulate, people are reminded that bullets are in short supply and thus they buy more when they can find it. This in turn increases sales, and spurs more stories. So maybe the real story isn’t that people are buying bullets out of fear of President Obama banning guns, but rather that the media is essentially convincing people to buy more bullets!
