The media... (or my little rant)

[charlessummers]

If the media wants to continue this absurd gun control thing, let’s make sure of what we’re hearing. First off, guns do not kill people. Stupid people kill people, and yes, that sometimes includes guns. Maybe we just need to take away the guns from the stupid people and we’ll all be ok. Nope, the second amendment protects the stupid people with guns as it protects everyone. After all, stupid people sometimes have babies and no one is taking them away, and to me that is more dangerous than any handgun I’ve ever seen!
Back to the media: This morning on the local channel 5 news station they were reporting something about a car with tinted windows and what was recovered from the vehicle during a traffic stop. One of the items was a handgun… but not just any ole handgun, it was a “Luger LCP”!
A few weeks ago it was reported by a couple of stations and newspapers that Chris Bostick, the Carnival Kia guy, was in possession of a handgun and an “AK-15”, after being arrested on a domestic assault charge. Neither of which were used, displayed, or otherwise factored into play at the time of the assault. Chris Bostick also had turned himself in to the police, and the guns being possessed were at home during that time.
Shortly before the election, one of the candidates for Congress posted a reply on Facebook regarding Obama’s statement about us “sticking to our guns and religion”. The post was a picture of his handgun that he sticks too, and was turned around to sound like he was trying to intimidate Obama which wasn’t the case at all. (At least I didn’t read it that way, and the newspaper had grossly misquoted the post) The gun was none other than the infamous “911”!
Now, I’m not saying that there’s any media bias… but c’mon now. Either they are ignorant, or they are very smart and I find it hard to believe the first. So why would they purposely make those mistakes? Ok, the first handgun that I mentioned was the “Luger LCP”. There is no such gun, but there is the Luger, which was German “Nazi” handgun used during World War II that most people are familiar with. The Luger also seems “scarier” than the Ruger LCP which is a very small .380acp handgun made for personal protection, and usually marketed to women. Next I mentioned the “AK-15”! AK? “Isn’t that the Russian Assault Rifle? Why would anyone need one of those scary things?” It sure is, but it’s the AK-47, and is NOT the gun that Chris was in “possession” of. He actually had the civilian model AR-15, and it is NOT an assault rifle. It is a varmint hunting rifle. Finally there is the Congressman candidate with the “911”! Once again, 911 is NOT a gun, but rather a time in US History that EVERYONE remembers. Labeling his gun (a 1911) a 911 relates it to that day.
So you tell me… why the mistakes? My theory is that the media believes that there are more people who know nothing about handguns than those who do. If so, they will not notice these little errors and will possibly make the relations to these as I have mentioned above. If enough people keep hearing this and continue to believe these “scary” guns are bad… you end up with a majority of people who oppose all guns, and will most likely support a “weapons ban”, especially if they have never owned or fired a gun before.
As they say, somewhere… ignorance is bliss, and that’s what the media is counting on.

[GlockSpock]

I think it is ignorance on the subject. I know someone who kept telling me about his Dad's "awesome" Luger .22lr. He told me "it is like a "MKII or something like that".

Sometimes it may be purposeful, but I believe it is equally ignorance.

[wipfel]

In fairness the Carnival Kia thing was relevant in a newsworthy way due to him being a felon and not being allowed to posses a firearm.

[Garufa]

[quote name='CZ9MM' timestamp='1354894822' post='856436']
I think it is ignorance on the subject. I know someone who kept telling me about his Dad's "awesome" Luger .22lr. He told me "it is like a "MKII or something like that".[/quote]

Stoeger and Erma both produced a .22 "Luger" for many years.

[GlockSpock]

[quote]Stoeger and Erma both produced a .22 "Luger" for many years.[/quote]

Accepted. The one in my story was DEFINITELY a Ruger.