CNBC's Report on Popularity of AR-15

VSSA received promotional emails from CNBC prior to the airing of last night's premier of "America's Gun - Rise of the AR-15."  We did not promote the program as it's not our job to advertise for CNBC and since we sell ad space on the Blog and the VSSA web site, they were free to buy a banner and have it in the rotation. We have come to expect that most firearm related reports done by the "Big 3" networks is anything but unbiased and figured this would be the same.  Google the name of the program and you will find that was the basic feeling of many in the firearm rights community frequenting message boards and blogs, before the program aired.

Mid-afternoon yesterday, NBC Universal sent out another email addressing the negative perception pre-airing of the program:

We have previously reached out to you regarding the CNBC documentary about the AR-15. Some of the feedback we have seen amongst AR-15 owners and gun enthusiasts is suggesting that we will be choosing a side or going to take a negative look at the AR-15.  

Portraying the AR-15 negatively is not the objective of the documentary and we can reassure all owners and enthusiasts that we aren't choosing a side. Our team wanted to understand the AR-15's immense popularity on both sides of the debate and go beyond the clichés. Please feel free to share this information with your network in addition to this additional clip from the special.

If the program had been completely like the below, it might have been a little easier to believe it was not their objective to give a negative impression of the rifles because this clip goes right to what they said was the point of the program, to understand the popularity of the AR-15:

But then there is also this in the program:



The mainstream media's version of "unbiased" is to reinforce what is generally in the public domain (i.e. the second video) rather than present the other side of the story so the public has a complete picture.  When you have a doctor describing wounds as "battlefield type wounds," that kind of reinforces the sterotype that the AR-15 is a "battlefield weapon" as Obama and Biden inaccurately describe them.

I guess I should be thankful that the segment with the dentist and real estate agent presented the side that the "typical" AR-15 owners are professioanls and not "anti-government tea-party types" but frankly that message gets lost when you then have a segment with the shooting victim and the doctors who treated her.  What do you think was their underlying message? The victim, Farrah Soudani, for her part did not blame the guns, but said it is, stupid people who kill people. She called for "mandatory psychological evaluations" before anyone can purchase a fiream, "especially one with the AR-15's characteristics."

If you did not see last night's airing and are interested in seeing the program for yourself, it will re-air on CNBC on Sunday at 9:00 PM.

So If You Don't Know if The Person You Are Naming is the Right Individual, Why Bring It Up?

....Because it fits your narrative.  In the wake of the tragic events in Aurora, Colorado last night during the premier of The Dark Knight Rises, the usual suspects try and tie the Tea Party to the suspect.  This from Joel Pollak at  Brietbart's Big Peace: where we see an exchange between ABC News chief investigator Brian Ross and host George Stephanopoulos talking about apparent suspect James Holmes:

Stephanolpoulos: I'm going to go to Brian Ross. You've been investigating the background of Jim Holmes here. You found something that might be significant.

Ross: There's a Jim Holmes of Aurora, Colorado, page on the Colorado Tea party site as well, talking about him joining the Tea Party last year. Now, we don't know if this is the same Jim Holmes. But it's Jim Holmes of Aurora, Colorado.

Stephanolpoulos: Okay, we'll keep looking at that. Brian Ross, thanks very much.

So, the first place an ABC investigative reporter looks for a name is a Tea Party web site? Pollak notes turns out the James Holmes (the name of the suspect) mentioned on the Tea Party web site is in his 50's, and the description of the suspect, who is now in custody, is in his 20's. We are to believe that an investigative reporter could not have determined this before mentiong the tea party James Holmes?

As usual, it took no time for the gun ban lobby to post links on their web sites using the shooting to raise money and pushing their agendas.  The Brady Campaign has a graphic that gives the impression that they have a link to a statement expressing sympathy for the victims and their families, and a separate link explaining how "guns enable mass shooting" that actually is one hyperlink that takes you to a place to make a contribution.

                                    

Update: Via Politico, ABC News has apologized for "incorrect" Tea Party report.

Duke Lacrosse Déjà vu

Last month, an incident occurred in Sanford, Florida, that has grown into a full blown circus. It doesn't matter to the racebaters or the hordes of people clammoring on college campuses and other venues demanding justice that all of the facts are yet to be known. In fact, we were first told that this black teen, Trayvon Martin, was killed by a racist white male, George Zimmerman. But when the photograph of Mr. Zimmerman was published, we learn he is of hispanic decent. Not to be outdone, the media coined a new term - "white hispanic."

We also don't see current photos of the 17 year-old teen. We see photos of the teen taken when he was as young as 12 or 13. There is a narrative being told by those who want to politically exploit this incident that will only work if we are shown images of an innocent young boy. We also don't see recent photos of Zimmerman. The one here is a photo taken from one of his previous meetings with law enforcement.

Yet more and more facts are coming out that don't match this national narrative. Yesterday, a friend of Mr. Zimmerman, a black man, Joe Oliver, has spoke out in support of his friend. We have learned that a fight took place. Most of the news that sheds more light on the incident is presented by the local media, not the national media. And there will be more information that may be helpful or hurtful to one or both parties.

There is an effort underway that is intended to influence what we think and the outcome of this event. If the facts show that Zimmerman committed a crime, he should be punished. But if the facts show he was defending himself, he should not be punished and allowed to live his life in peace.

But here is what we do know. Racebaters Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are in Florida making outragious statements and inflaming the issue. The New Black Panthers are making threats and have placed a $1,000,000 bounty on Mr. Zimmerman. All the while investigative agencies from the feds, to the state and local level are investigating the matter to determine what happened.

Mr. Oliver has said he does not believe this is a racial profiling case. He also has said he would be very surprised if the grand jury when the evidence is reported does not come to the same conclusion as the Sanford Police Department.

I first learned of this story from a gun control group email, citing that another concealed handgun permit holder had committed a crime. They have also gone after the "stand your gound" laws like the one in Florida. CBS News' Norah O'Donnell lobbed softballs at anti-rights U.S. Senator Chuck Shumer on whether "Stand Your Ground" laws need to be changed as a result of the Martin shooting.



As with the Duke Lacrosse incident, we are seeing a system breaking down. We are seeing so-called civil rights leaders condemning the society and the New Black Panther Party calling for blood. The mother of the deceased is seeking trademarks on certain phrases associated with calls for justice related to her son. It is possible this was not her idea but that of a lawyer looking for a payday. A hearing is being held today on Capitol Hill and there is talk that legislation is going to be introduced related to the incident. All before we know all the facts. In the end, if it is determined no crime was committed, like with the Duke Lacrosse incident, George Zimmerman's life will be forever changed.

The Media, Firearms, and Protesters

On Monday, the AP reported:

About a dozen people carrying guns, including one with a military-style rifle, milled among protesters outside the convention center where President Barack Obama was giving a speech Monday...

Included in the story was the term "assault weapon" to describe what one man was carrying.



The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) Blog tried to educate the two reporters on how to accurately report on firearms because after saying the man was carrying a "military style" firearm, they repeatedly use the term "assault weapon" in the story. NSSF has been at the forefront of trying to introduce the media to firearms with their "Writer's Guide to Firearms and Ammunition."

You will note in the AP story it has been "updated" from the original story but it is clear they did not update it with the correct descriptions of the firearm.

Kudos to the Phoenix Police for making it clear that those carrying firearms, including the man carrying the semi-automatic rifle were all legal, that no crimes were committed, and no one was arrested. This doesn't surprise me because in my contact with the Phoenix Police during the NRA Annual Meeting they were all very professional and friendly.

Alan Korwin also wrote about the media coverage of this on his Page Nine blog and notes something else about the man carrying the rifle that you would not have known if you did not see the local ABC television coverage video above:

I mentioned to the local NBC-TV affiliate that the media seemed to be avoiding the fact that Chris, the well-known local libertarian with the rifle (and a sidearm), was black. “Well, we’re not supposed to mention race if it’s not a key part of the story.” My eyebrows shot up. “You have a black man with a gun! At a rally for the black president! That’s not relevant?” So she sheepishly admitted, with a chuckle, “Well, that would take away the whole redneck right-wing extremist thing.” This is known in “news” circles as objective reporting.

Hat tip to NSSF and Alan Korwin.