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May
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Concealed Carry Story Slightly Slanted
May 5, 2008 | Tagged Colorado Legislature, Concealed Carry, Denver Post headline, slant |
The story under the Sunday May 4th Headline “Concealed Carry” on the front page of the Denver Post actually made some factual observations about the gun control debate. Among the facts reported:CCW permit holders are “an exceptionally law-abiding group,” gun accidents involving children up to age 14 “…have fallen 90% since the 1930’s…,” and predictions that “…the streets would run red with blood” under “shall issue” concealed carry laws have proven unfounded.
The article notes that studies involving shootings among “friends” and family members are flawed. (Usually, these studies ignore the criminal backgrounds and criminal nature of the relationships between many shooters and victims, and the almost universal pattern of escalating violence that precedes most domestic homicides.) People seldom “snap.”
The article also presents profiles and statements from intelligent concealed carry permit holders, a refreshing change from the usual depiction of the “designated” representatives of the community of people who own guns. Gun owners are often portrayed as hillbilly racists or high school dropouts appropriately employed as gun store janitors.
It may interest you to know that Wal-Mart has joined with the anti-gun group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Wal-Mart will video-tape gun sales, track Wal-Mart guns used in crimes, and refuse to sell guns to persons whose background checks are “inconclusive.” “Big brother is watching you,” and you are guilty unless proven innocent, Comrade.
On the positive side, it appears that the Post staffers, Michael Booth and Kevin Simpson, who wrote the story, know something about the debate. This is a marked improvement over one past “news” article from a midwestern paper that incorrectly described a 30 round magazine as a “cartridge” that could hold a large number of bullets.
Bias comes through, however, in the headline on page 10A, where the large print proclaims, “Guns: Foes underfunded, scattered.” I suppose that’s true, if you ignore the money from the hard left that goes to and through groups such as the Joyce Foundation, the Bell Campaign, the Violence Policy Center, and the Brady Campaign. Major TV networks provide millions of dollars in free adverstising to gun control advocates, as do most magazines and newspapers, by airing and publishing positive stories about efforts to undermine individual rights. I really don’t want the “Foes” to have increased funding. They seem to have adequate money and media support.
The Post story under-reports Gary Kleck’s findings on the estimated annual defensive use of firearms. The article gives a figure of up to one million. The last time I looked, Kleck had raised his estimate to about 2.5 million defensive uses per year.
Keep in mind that the writer of any article selects the subject. The writer also selects the arguments to be presented. What is left out is always as important as what is included in the story. The Post might have mentioned information from the Center for Disease Control, the National Academy of Science, and the Small Arms Survey, which indicate that guns don’t cause crime and that there is no proof that anti-gun laws prevent it. Of course, space is a consideration. My post here does not cover all aspects of the debate.
Another indicator of the Post’s position in favor of gun control is the final quotation in the main article provided by a member of the Million Mom March. She talks about “…responsible gun owners who have specific reasons to have them…” Sounds like the bogus “sporting purpose” test to me. She also talks about “middle ground.” What I think she means here is that gun owners need to give up additional rights. One way to slant a story is to give the last word to a person who represents the writers’ viewpoint.
You also have to wonder about the timing of this article. Will we see a last minute attempt by Democrats to restrict concealed carry in Colorado? The session ends Wednesday.
Def Mech
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