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TravelinMan
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Green Note said...
Enough Propaganda About Gun Control (Thomas Sowell)
Gun Owners of America ^ | 31 July 2012 | Thomas SowellPosted on Wednesday, August 01, 2012 4:04:57 AM by neverdem
By Thomas Sowell, senior fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University.
Since so many in the media cannot resist turning every tragedy into a political talking point, it was perhaps inevitable that (1) someone would try to link the shooting rampage at the "Batman" movie in Colorado to the tea party, and that (2) some would try to make it a reason to impose more gun control laws.
Too many people in the media cannot seem to tell the difference between reporting the news and creating propaganda.
NBC News apparently could not resist doctoring the transcript of the conversation between George Zimmerman and the police after the Trayvon Martin shooting.
Now ABC News took the fact that the man arrested for the shooting in Colorado was named James Holmes to broadcast to the world the fact that there is a James Holmes who is a member of the tea party in Colorado. The fact has since come out that these are two different men, one in his 20s and the other in his 50s. But corrections never catch up with irresponsible news broadcasts. The James Holmes who belongs to the tea party has been deluged with phone calls. I hope he sues ABC News for every dime they have.
This is not the first time that the mainstream media have tried to create a link between conservatives and violence. Years ago, the Oklahoma City bombing was blamed on Rush Limbaugh, despite the absence of any evidence that the bomber was inspired by Rush Limbaugh.
Similar things have happened repeatedly, going all the way back to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which was blamed on a hostile right-wing atmosphere in Dallas, even though the assassin had a long history of being on the far-left fringe.
But, where the shoe is on the other foot -- as when the Unabomber had a much marked-up copy of an environmentalist book by Al Gore -- the media heard no evil, saw no evil, and spoke no evil.
If people in the media cannot decide whether they are in the business of reporting news or manufacturing propaganda, it is all the more important that the public understand that difference, and choose their news sources accordingly.
As for gun control advocates, I have no hope whatever that any facts whatever will make the slightest dent in their thinking -- or lack of thinking.
New York's Mayor Bloomberg and CNN's Piers Morgan were on the air within hours of the shooting, pushing the case for gun control laws. You might never know, from what they and other gun control advocates have said, that there is a mountain of evidence that gun control laws not only fail to control guns but are often counterproductive. However, for those other people who still think facts matter, it is worth presenting some of those facts.
Do countries with strong gun control laws have lower murder rates? Only if you cherry-pick the data.
Britain is a country with stronger gun control laws than the United States, and lower murder rates. But Mexico, Russia, and Brazil are also countries with stronger gun control laws than the United States -- and their murder rates are much higher than ours.
Israel and Switzerland have even higher rates of gun ownership than the United States, and much lower murder rates than ours.
Even the British example does not stand up very well under scrutiny. The murder rate in New York has been several times that in London for more than two centuries -- and, for most of that time, neither place had strong gun control laws.
New York had strong gun control laws years before London did, but New York still had several times the murder rate of London.
It was in the later decades of the 20th century that the British government clamped down with severe gun control laws, disarming virtually the entire law-abiding citizenry. Gun crimes, including murder, rose as the public was disarmed.
Meanwhile, murder rates in the United States declined during the same years when murder rates in Britain were rising, which were also years when Americans were buying millions more guns per year.
The real problem, both in discussions of mass shootings and in discussions of gun control, is that too many people are too committed to a vision to allow mere facts to interfere with their beliefs, and the sense of superiority that those beliefs give them.
Any discussion of facts is futile when directed at such people. All anyone can do is warn others about the propaganda.
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Green Note said...
Enough Propaganda About Gun Control (Thomas Sowell) Gun Owners of America ^ | 31 July 2012 | Thomas Sowell
Posted on Wednesday, August 01, 2012 4:04:57 AM by neverdem
By Thomas Sowell, senior fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University.
Since so many in the media cannot resist turning every tragedy into a political talking point, it was perhaps inevitable that (1) someone would try to link the shooting rampage at the "Batman" movie in Colorado to the tea party, and that (2) some would try to make it a reason to impose more gun control laws.
Too many people in the media cannot seem to tell the difference between reporting the news and creating propaganda.
NBC News apparently could not resist doctoring the transcript of the conversation between George Zimmerman and the police after the Trayvon Martin shooting.
Now ABC News took the fact that the man arrested for the shooting in Colorado was named James Holmes to broadcast to the world the fact that there is a James Holmes who is a member of the tea party in Colorado. The fact has since come out that these are two different men, one in his 20s and the other in his 50s. But corrections never catch up with irresponsible news broadcasts. The James Holmes who belongs to the tea party has been deluged with phone calls. I hope he sues ABC News for every dime they have.
This is not the first time that the mainstream media have tried to create a link between conservatives and violence. Years ago, the Oklahoma City bombing was blamed on Rush Limbaugh, despite the absence of any evidence that the bomber was inspired by Rush Limbaugh.
Similar things have happened repeatedly, going all the way back to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which was blamed on a hostile right-wing atmosphere in Dallas, even though the assassin had a long history of being on the far-left fringe.
But, where the shoe is on the other foot -- as when the Unabomber had a much marked-up copy of an environmentalist book by Al Gore -- the media heard no evil, saw no evil, and spoke no evil.
If people in the media cannot decide whether they are in the business of reporting news or manufacturing propaganda, it is all the more important that the public understand that difference, and choose their news sources accordingly.
As for gun control advocates, I have no hope whatever that any facts whatever will make the slightest dent in their thinking -- or lack of thinking.
New York's Mayor Bloomberg and CNN's Piers Morgan were on the air within hours of the shooting, pushing the case for gun control laws. You might never know, from what they and other gun control advocates have said, that there is a mountain of evidence that gun control laws not only fail to control guns but are often counterproductive. However, for those other people who still think facts matter, it is worth presenting some of those facts.
Do countries with strong gun control laws have lower murder rates? Only if you cherry-pick the data.
Britain is a country with stronger gun control laws than the United States, and lower murder rates. But Mexico, Russia, and Brazil are also countries with stronger gun control laws than the United States -- and their murder rates are much higher than ours.
Israel and Switzerland have even higher rates of gun ownership than the United States, and much lower murder rates than ours.
Even the British example does not stand up very well under scrutiny. The murder rate in New York has been several times that in London for more than two centuries -- and, for most of that time, neither place had strong gun control laws.
New York had strong gun control laws years before London did, but New York still had several times the murder rate of London.
It was in the later decades of the 20th century that the British government clamped down with severe gun control laws, disarming virtually the entire law-abiding citizenry. Gun crimes, including murder, rose as the public was disarmed.
Meanwhile, murder rates in the United States declined during the same years when murder rates in Britain were rising, which were also years when Americans were buying millions more guns per year.
The real problem, both in discussions of mass shootings and in discussions of gun control, is that too many people are too committed to a vision to allow mere facts to interfere with their beliefs, and the sense of superiority that those beliefs give them.
Any discussion of facts is futile when directed at such people. All anyone can do is warn others about the propaganda.
Anyone quoting thomas sowell as an authoritative source needs serious mental health help.
Madhatter536
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Madhatter536
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TravelinMan
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TravelinMan said...
In 2008, in Winnemucca, NV, a man opened fire in a crowded bar and killed two, and wounded two, before he was shot by a bystander who had a conceal and carry permit.
In 2007, a person entered a church in Colorado Springs, Colo., and opened fire. An armed security person (civilian security) at the church reacted and shot the gunman.
In 2005 a man opened fire in a Tyler Texas courthouse and was shot at by a bystander with a conceal and carry permit. The conceal and carry individual was killed, but local officials say the individual saved other lives including one of the people they believe the shooter came to the courthouse to kill.
In 2009 a man in Salt Lake City went on a stabbing spree in a supermarket. He was stabbing people until a man with a conceal and carry permit pulled a gun on him and held him at gunpoint until the police arrived.
In each of these instances, had the CPL holder not intervened more would have been injured or worse.
Those examples alone took less than 2 minutes of searching.
Keep trying, Bob.
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Green Note said...
Enough Propaganda About Gun Control (Thomas Sowell) Gun Owners of America ^ | 31 July 2012 | Thomas Sowell
Posted on Wednesday, August 01, 2012 4:04:57 AM by neverdem
By Thomas Sowell, senior fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University.
Since so many in the media cannot resist turning every tragedy into a political talking point, it was perhaps inevitable that (1) someone would try to link the shooting rampage at the "Batman" movie in Colorado to the tea party, and that (2) some would try to make it a reason to impose more gun control laws.
Too many people in the media cannot seem to tell the difference between reporting the news and creating propaganda.
NBC News apparently could not resist doctoring the transcript of the conversation between George Zimmerman and the police after the Trayvon Martin shooting.
Now ABC News took the fact that the man arrested for the shooting in Colorado was named James Holmes to broadcast to the world the fact that there is a James Holmes who is a member of the tea party in Colorado. The fact has since come out that these are two different men, one in his 20s and the other in his 50s. But corrections never catch up with irresponsible news broadcasts. The James Holmes who belongs to the tea party has been deluged with phone calls. I hope he sues ABC News for every dime they have.
This is not the first time that the mainstream media have tried to create a link between conservatives and violence. Years ago, the Oklahoma City bombing was blamed on Rush Limbaugh, despite the absence of any evidence that the bomber was inspired by Rush Limbaugh.
Similar things have happened repeatedly, going all the way back to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which was blamed on a hostile right-wing atmosphere in Dallas, even though the assassin had a long history of being on the far-left fringe.
But, where the shoe is on the other foot -- as when the Unabomber had a much marked-up copy of an environmentalist book by Al Gore -- the media heard no evil, saw no evil, and spoke no evil.
If people in the media cannot decide whether they are in the business of reporting news or manufacturing propaganda, it is all the more important that the public understand that difference, and choose their news sources accordingly.
As for gun control advocates, I have no hope whatever that any facts whatever will make the slightest dent in their thinking -- or lack of thinking.
New York's Mayor Bloomberg and CNN's Piers Morgan were on the air within hours of the shooting, pushing the case for gun control laws. You might never know, from what they and other gun control advocates have said, that there is a mountain of evidence that gun control laws not only fail to control guns but are often counterproductive. However, for those other people who still think facts matter, it is worth presenting some of those facts.
Do countries with strong gun control laws have lower murder rates? Only if you cherry-pick the data.
Britain is a country with stronger gun control laws than the United States, and lower murder rates. But Mexico, Russia, and Brazil are also countries with stronger gun control laws than the United States -- and their murder rates are much higher than ours.
Israel and Switzerland have even higher rates of gun ownership than the United States, and much lower murder rates than ours.
Even the British example does not stand up very well under scrutiny. The murder rate in New York has been several times that in London for more than two centuries -- and, for most of that time, neither place had strong gun control laws.
New York had strong gun control laws years before London did, but New York still had several times the murder rate of London.
It was in the later decades of the 20th century that the British government clamped down with severe gun control laws, disarming virtually the entire law-abiding citizenry. Gun crimes, including murder, rose as the public was disarmed.
Meanwhile, murder rates in the United States declined during the same years when murder rates in Britain were rising, which were also years when Americans were buying millions more guns per year.
The real problem, both in discussions of mass shootings and in discussions of gun control, is that too many people are too committed to a vision to allow mere facts to interfere with their beliefs, and the sense of superiority that those beliefs give them.
Any discussion of facts is futile when directed at such people. All anyone can do is warn others about the propaganda.
-
TravelinMan said...
In 2008, in Winnemucca, NV, a man opened fire in a crowded bar and killed two, and wounded two, before he was shot by a bystander who had a conceal and carry permit.
In 2007, a person entered a church in Colorado Springs, Colo., and opened fire. An armed security person (civilian security) at the church reacted and shot the gunman.
In 2005 a man opened fire in a Tyler Texas courthouse and was shot at by a bystander with a conceal and carry permit. The conceal and carry individual was killed, but local officials say the individual saved other lives including one of the people they believe the shooter came to the courthouse to kill.
In 2009 a man in Salt Lake City went on a stabbing spree in a supermarket. He was stabbing people until a man with a conceal and carry permit pulled a gun on him and held him at gunpoint until the police arrived.
In each of these instances, had the CPL holder not intervened more would have been injured or worse.
Those examples alone took less than 2 minutes of searching.
Keep trying, Bob.
This post was edited by Murky Waters on 8/2/2012 at 9:50 AM
Murky Waters
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Murky Waters said...
On the flip side of that, in 1991, Suzanna Hupp followed Texas law at the time by not carrying her pistol with her in her purse when meeting her parents for lunch at a Lubby’s cafeteria in Texas. She regrets not carrying it into the restaurant that day, as both her parents were slaughtered by a lunatic, as were 21 others (and 20 wounded). Ms. Hupp’s father rushed the gunman and was shot in the chest. Ms. Hupp managed to escape out a window thinking her mother was right behind her, but her mother was actually still inside holding her husband’s head as he died. The gunman shot the mother in the head.
Now back to making fun of people who live their lives in fear and wishing they could’ve saved the lives family members by not following laws that do nothing but empower criminals.
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TravelinMan
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Bob Sakimano said...
so you bemoan little 'ol me for "stereotyping".. yet you post this:
in Bobs alternate universe guns would be banned and little Jimmy instead would have killed a dozen in that movie theatre with nail laced IED's....as the condition of his apartment proved...that wouldn't have been a problem for him either.
isn't that stereotyping, as well - referring to an alleged "alternate universe" when I suggest that guns should be banned.. when, clearly (see post below), I think that banning guns is not the answer?
however, feel free to keep stereotyping my stereotypes while bemoaning the art of stereotyping..
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Contrarian said...
I am curious to know how Bob somehow thinks he owns the argument that because you believe in the 2nd Amendment that makes you somehow intellectually inferior? Is this another case of the left stereotyping and placing labels on people? Which they seem to partake in for the sole reason of setting the narrative with falsehoods and half truths before someone points out the obvious flaws in their theories? Is that a recommended Alinsky tactic?
Murky Waters
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Murky Waters said...
Eh, I don’t know anything about that..nor do I care what others' opinions on the issue are.
What’s also interesting about the Lubby’s cafeteria incident is that 80 people were in the establishment at the time the lunatic crashed his truck through the front doors and started firing. A patron was able to smash a window with a chair and a few were able to escape. Other than those few, the rest were trapped and paid for it with their lives. It took police ten minutes to show up, wounding the gunman with return fire before he took his own life with his gun.
So much for the “just run away” argument and the “call 911 and let the police handle it” argument.
TravelinMan
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Enough Propaganda About Gun Control (Thomas Sowell)