Bill of Rights
or Bill of Goods? Reuters has their number. "Although an individual now has a
constitutional right to own guns, that new right is not unlimited, wrote [Justice Antonin] Scalia, a
hunter," the news service reports today. Justice Stevens is 88, and he is generally considered
old. If this right really dated back 217 years, Reuters could not describe it as new.
Medford Newspaper Gets CHL List.
The Medford Mail Tribune, a newspaper which has repeatedly editorialized against self defense for public employees,
has won a court case .pdf to get the names, addresses and occupations of all concealed handgun license holders
in Jackson County. The newspaper demanded this information as part of series of articles attacking
Medford teacher Shirley Katz.
Heston's America:
The headlines announcing Charlton Heston's death peg him as a actor who was a gun activist. He might not
have been a real-life Moses, but he was much more than the media give him credit for.
Morning
Shows Hit Snooze Button on Court Overturning San Fran Gun Ban. None of the April 11 editions of the
network morning shows: ABC's "Good Morning America," CBS's "The Early Show," and NBC's "Today," noted the April 10
unanimous ruling of the California Supreme Court striking down a San Francisco handgun ban.
"News you can use" — to get yourself killed...
To Deter Home Invasion Killers, GMA Advises
Wind Chimes, Not a Gun. While co-host Chris Cuomo suggested planting cactus plants in your
windowsill and hanging wind chimes, he ignored a more obvious option with a better chance of protecting
your family against psychotic felons who've done hard prison time whom wind chimes are unlikely to
deter: purchasing a gun.
Media Spins Virginia Tech Tragedy for Gun Control.
Even a national tragedy like the shooting massacre on the campus of Virginia Tech will not delay the New
York Times and congressional gun-control advocates in their quest to push their liberal agenda. In
the New York Times lead editorial today, which was likely written mere hours after the nation's
worst gun rampage in history and before the bodies had cooled, the gray lady is calling for more gun control.
Tancredo Spokesman Disputes 'Deadliest Massacre'
Claims. The shooting spree at Virginia Tech is being reported as the "deadliest massacre in
U.S. history" or the "deadliest massacre on a U.S. campus." The office of Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.)
would respectfully like to offer a correction. In fact, said Tancredo spokesman Carlos Espinosa,
the worst school rampage occurred when an anti-tax zealot blew up a school in Bath, Mich., in 1927, killing
around 40 children and a handful of adults, including himself. (Accounts of the death toll vary,
but all reported a number larger than 33.)
How to Recognize a Skunk: Reading the morning paper,
you come across a wire-service article on a subject you know well -- guns. The article is filled with
biased language ("gun violence," "spraying bullets" "million moms") and statistics that are
either made up or cooked from highly unscientific methodology ("12 students killed by guns every
day," "43 times more likely to be killed by a gun in your own home"). How do we tell truth
from fiction, or recognize when half-truths and twisted language are being used to manipulate us, without
spending our lives tracking down every obscure databit or factoid behind every news story?
Gun-Control Activists Resurrect Agenda.
In an apparent attempt to lull gun owners into a false sense of political security, some media personnel allege
that gun owner fundraising efforts are ludicrous. They imply that gun rights groups do not need to raise
funds because there no longer is a threat to the rights of gun owners. These writers obviously would like
to drive a wedge between the organizations and their supporters, thus undercutting gun owners' political strength.
Handgun
owners irate over having names published online. Dozens of readers have taken issue with The
Journal News over its decision to run a list of pistol permit holders in Westchester and Rockland counties as
part of a wider investigative article. The names of more than 30,000 licensed handgun owners were posted
online as part of "Falling Through the Cracks," the paper's Dec. 10 report that found that thousands of
registered handguns were unaccounted for because there is no system to secure the weapons of permit holders who
die.
The First Amendment vs the Second Amendment:
Should gun data lists be
muzzled? At 9:15 last Sunday morning, just a few hours after The Roanoke Times was
dropped on doorsteps and shoved into paper boxes across the region, Scot Shippee fired the first
shot in what would become the newspaper's biggest Internet controversy. In an online
discussion forum, Shippee blasted the paper for posting on its Web site a database that included
the names and addresses of everyone in Virginia licensed to carry a concealed handgun.
Gun
Owners Irked By Newspaper Database Ploy. Virginia handgun owners are fired up over
the publication of their names and addresses in a database posted online by a state newspaper. The
database of every Virginia resident who holds a state-issued permit to carry a concealed handgun
was posted on the Roanoke Times' website Sunday to accompany a column in the paper by Times
editorial writer Christian Trejbal.
This
month's Non-Compos Mentis Award winner. After obtaining a list of all 135,789 Virginians who are
permitted to carry a concealed weapon, [Christian] Trejbal and his employer [the Roanoke Times] posted
them in a searchable online database. … Trejbal unintentionally created a "do not mess with" list of
Virginians, but what about all the folks who are not on that list?
The
Witch Hunt Against Gun Owners: The Roanoke Times showed reckless disregard for the safety of the
license holders and reckless disregard for accuracy. In his column, Trejbal admitted that he knew some of
the information he had obtained was inaccurate — but published it anyway.
Here is an example of biased coverage:
U.S. Guns Arming Mexican Drug Gangs; Second
Amendment to Blame? U.S. gun stores and gun shows are the source of more than 90 percent of the
weapons being used by Mexico's ruthless drug cartels, according to U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials.
The Editor says...
My rebuttal would carry the title, "ABC News Operates at a Profit -- First Amendment to Blame?"
Very simply, the Constitution cannot be "blamed" for crimes committed by free people.
Terrorism as an Excuse:
Another CBS Campaign. The link to terrorism supposedly provides a new possible reason to ban
50-caliber rifles. But the decision to demonize these particular guns and not say .475-caliber hunting
rifles is completely arbitrary. The difference in width of these bullets is a trivial .025 inches.
What's next? Banning .45-caliber pistols? Indeed the whole strategy is to gradually reduce the type
of guns that people can own.
It's the anti-gun people who are
nuts. This year's Pittsburgh NRA convention set an attendance record. Over the course of the
convention's weekend-long run, more than 61,000 people visited the booths, workshops and meetings. And,
unlike at recent rallies in American cities "celebrating" sports teams' victories, there wasn't a single act of
violence, not a single arrest, no wild drinking or drug-induced demonstrations. ... Come to think of it, I suppose
that's precisely why the convention generated so little attention from the so-called mainstream media.
Most "spiked" stories of
2003. Virtually ignored by the news media, a comprehensive review of America's gun control laws,
conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found no proof whatsoever that gun
laws - including waiting periods and bans on certain weapons - reduce gun-related violence.
The Media's Militia Hate-Fest: You've got to hand
it to those braniacs in the media. Almost before the blast of the Olympic bombing stopped ringing in our
ears, they knew whodunnit. Actually, it was a simple deduction for them. The person who phoned in
the warning had an American, white-sounding voice; therefore it was (ominous music, please)
the militia! Now, now, don't pay any attention to the talk about this loner security guard with
the hero complex. The media had its men long ago.
"Assault
Weapons" Bait-and-Switch: This week, CNN had to air several corrections... It
turned out that the undamaged brick target had never even been fired on — yet another
journalistic fib by America's "most trusted news network."
The autobiography of Sarah
Brady: Sarah Brady is appearing now on talk shows, promoting her book in the company of
sympathetic hosts. You can bet that pro-gun authors would not be accorded the same privilege and you can
be certain that she will not notice the double standard. Like most autobiographies, "A Good Fight"
portrays the author in a favorable light and presents her political views in a one-sided way.
Media Spike Stories of
Self-Defense: The mainstream media bias against gun owners may have eased a bit, but there is
still a strong aversion to reporting the benefits of defensive firearms in the hands of citizens.
Author
Accuses Media of Intentional Bias Against Guns. The author of the most comprehensive and
controversial research on civilian use of firearms against criminals defended his latest work in Washington on
Monday [5/20/2003].
Guns Save Lives: You
would think that a man who saved three people's lives, at considerable risk to his own, would be recognized as
a hero. But his story would be politically incorrect, so it has received virtually no media attention and
his name remains unknown.
Media bias regarding gun
control: Today, the right to own a gun is under assault like never before. Every time a
firearm is used in a high-profile crime, calls for stricter gun regulation - even outright
prohibition - are pounded into us by a press that has taken sides. In fact, when it comes to guns,
journalists have clearly made up their minds. According to a recent study, television news stories calling
for stricter gun laws outnumbered newscasts opposing such laws by a ratio of ten to one. In
other words, we are hearing only one side of the story.
When It's Guns, Media Miss Big Part Of Picture: When
more than one person gets killed, the crimes get not only national but international news coverage. On the
other hand, when was the last time that you heard the national evening news reporting about a citizen using a
gun to save lives? Few people realize that people use guns defensively to stop about 2 million crimes
a year, according to national surveys.
Media Gets
Thumbs Down From Panel On Firearms Coverage: The mainstream media gets a failing grade when it
comes to covering firearms and Second Amendment issues, according to a panel discussion of media coverage at
the National Rifle Association convention.
The Media That Couldn't Shoot Straight: How a Hand
Gun Saved Lives. In the public school shootings where citizens with guns have stopped attacks,
rarely do more than 1 percent of the news stories mention that citizens with guns stopped the attacks.
Media Ignore Fact That Gun Owners
Stopped School Shooter: Two of the three Virginia law students who overpowered a gunman in a fatal
school shooting were armed and used their weapons to disarm the shooter. Yet of the 280 stories
written about the shooting, a mere four mentioned the fact that the heroic students were armed and used their
guns to halt the rampage. That's according to Dr. John Lott, a resident scholar at American Enterprise
Institute and the author of the widely acclaimed book "More Guns, Less Crime."
Hollywood Westerns, Guns, and Property
Rights: The death of the western movie has matched the replacement of courage in this
culture — and the replacement of justice. The masters of the media prefer disarmed citizens.
Shooting blind: Press coverage of the
"assault weapon" controversy suggests that most jounalists know very little about guns and are not interested
in learning.
The
gun show bill is not what they say. Congress, the media and many Americans are paying more
attention to gun shows these days. Noted gun law author Alan Korwin digs deep into the legislation and
notes that it's very likely the establishment media are not giving you the full, complete and accurate picture
of how changing gun shows could make a big change in your 2nd Amendment rights.
Bill Would Close Gun Law
Holes: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., introduced legislation Tuesday [7/30/2002] to close major gaps
in the federal firearms background check system that in a 30-month period allowed some 10,000 felons and
others prohibited from gun ownership to obtain weapons. McCain said the hole is the "faulty records of
the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS)."
Editor's Note:
What's this? A government system with faulty records? Will anyone remember this when
the National ID Card debate gets underway?
Putting School Violence Into
Perspective: According to the National School Safety Center exactly six students have been
murdered, committed suicide, or suffered weapons-related violent death in the United States in the 2000-2001
school year. The false perception of rampant school violence in American schools is fueled by media
outlets that instinctively are drawn to extremes.
Gun Rights in the
Crosshairs: "Of all matters of public policy, the issue of private ownership of guns is one where
many journalists don't even pretend to be objective. Mention firearms, the Second Amendment or, heaven forbid,
the NRA, and flecks of rabid foam seem to seep from the newsprint."
Truth in Crime
Reporting: The New York Times is being accused by research scholar John R. Lott Jr. of using
inaccurate data in a recent major series published by the newspaper about rampage killings.
U.S. Press Ignores Israeli
Hero: Another hero in the War on Terror has been ignored. He is 46-year-old Israeli shoe
salesman William Hazan. ... His name should be on every American's lips.
Major Networks Refuse
Guns-Pilots Ad: Major media networks have refused to air a 60 second commercial calling for
President Bush, the FAA, and the airlines to arm commercial pilots.
The End of the
Million Moms: Last Mother's Day, the Democrats hijacked an American family holiday by organizing
the Million Mom March (MMM). Some media reports claimed that 750,000 "marchers" showed up (though the
actual attendance was less than 100,000). This year, they tried again. The turnout was
less than 200.
The Bias Against
Handguns: Does domestic gun ownership pose a more serious threat to Americans than foreign
terrorism? That's what New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof seems to be saying in a recent
article. Alarmed by reports of a surge in gun sales after September 11, Kristof cites familiar
statistics on the perils of guns.
Media bias in coverage of gun control: The
Press Evaluates the Popular Culture: A comparison of two opinion polls released in 1979 reveals
that while small newspapers may favor gun rights, "newspapers of record" and wire services undoubtedly boost
gun control.
Loaded Coverage: When guns are used to save
lives, why do the mainstream media ignore the story?
Outgunned: How the
Network News Media Are Spinning the Gun Control Debate: This detailed study finds that mainstream
American news sources are overwhelmingly biased against guns and in favor of restrictions on the right to bear arms.
Pollster Focuses on Media's Anti-Gun
Bias: A leading opinion pollster said Sunday she believes the national media's anti-gun bias, as
reflected in much of the reporting about gun crimes and gun issues, stems from the fact that most reporters and
anchors don't know much about guns.
Emotive
Policy-making: We live in an age of paradox. Media saturation following events like the
murders at Columbine High School makes it appear that violence surrounds us. Yet the crime rate has been
falling and school shootings remain extremely rare. In contrast, the serious violence that pervades some
inner-city schools never makes the news.
N.Y. Times Tries to Manipulate
Public Opinion on Arming Pilots: Once again the New York Times is using its news pages to
manipulate public opinion – this time using a story about arming pilots in a blatantly obvious
attempt to turn Americans against letting pilots have the right to carry guns against hijackers.
New York Times Continues Spin
Against Arming Pilots: The Times has found a reason to oppose the bill arming airline
pilots. It would upset trial lawyers!
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