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Guns
How the Media Missed a Self-Defense Gun Story
By Wayne LaPierre
With all of the ink that's been spilled in the last few months about Stand Your Ground, self-defense, Right to Carry, and legal gun owners across the United States, it's hard to believe the national media simply missed an incredible armed citizen story from Utah.
Yet none of the three broadcast networks, none of the country's biggest papers, none of the biggest syndicated columnists bothered to cover the mass stabbing that was thwarted by an armed citizen in Salt Lake City last month.
I doubt the networks were unaware of the story. After all, the network affiliates in Salt Lake City ran stories on the armed citizen, who ordered a knife-wielding maniac to the ground after the madman stabbed two people outside of a grocery store.
Yet a media seemingly obsessed with concealed carry didn't even bother to report on a successful story of self-defense and defense of others.
The mainstream media isn't interested in giving the news straight. All too often they've got an agenda when it comes to Second Amendment stories, and that agenda is simple: Make the law-abiding gun owner look bad. So they ignore incredible stories of armed self-defense in favor of attacking the Right to Carry.
They won't cover the stories of armed women who've defended themselves from home invaders but will instead run editorials advocating that women should remain defenseless and unarmed.
It's the latest shameful example how far the media elites will go to try and force their anti-gun attitudes on their audience. Right to Carry and self-defense are important topics for them apparently, but only when they can try and attack your right to keep and bear arms.
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Comments
This is just ONE example of
This is just ONE example of MANY self-defense gun stories overlooked by the media. A good source of stories "missed" by the media is "The Armed Citizen" column in American Rifleman magazine. Many crimes are averted when someone produces a gun without firing a shot, or a warning shot is fired with nobody being injured.
READ the FREAKING BOOKS.
READ the FREAKING BOOKS. Start with "More Guns, Less Crime". Overall violent crime is at a 40 year low despite more than twice as many privately owned guns. Yuck Fou, control freak.
Ray from Bloombergia
After some searching, these
After some searching, these are the most recent statistics I've found:
Number of people killed by guns in the United States in 2004: 29,569
Percentage breakdown by US gun deaths in 2004, by type:
* 16,750 suicides (56% of all U.S. gun deaths) * 11,624 homicides (40%) * 649 unintentional shootings, 311 from legal intervention and 235 from undetermined intent (4%).
That averages out to 81 people dying everyday from guns. And also some gun ownership stats:
More than 100 million handguns are owned in the United States primarily for self‐defense, and 3.5 million people have permits to carry concealed handguns for protection. Currently, the population of the U.S. is around 300 million people.
Chuck
Suicides account for about
Suicides account for about 48% of deaths by guns. They need to be taken off the figures, as suicide will take place with or without a gun. (Sweden as well as Japan has higher suicide rate than US, but guns hardly used there for that…) So now we are down to 16,300 deaths per year to deal with.
Homicides account for about 16,000 gun deaths in the US annually. Half of the homicides are blacks on blacks while blacks are just 13% of the population. If we figured out the social issues among blacks in the US, homicide rate would have dropped by about 40% with no change in guns ownership.(Data for 1995-2005.) Most of these homicides are with guns, but how many of them would be avoided if guns weren’t around? (See suicides above…) So now we are down to about 9300 gun homicides. (8000 among whites, and 1300 among blacks which will bring the rate to same as whites poroportional to population.
As far as accidental deaths in 2007 , 39% cars, 18% poisoning, 16% falls,….only 0.6% guns! Even deaths from medical mistakes are three times higher than from gun accidents.
9300 gun homicides a year nothing like the 30,000 death figure used by guns control advocates to call for more gun limits. Plus with an increase in gun sales over the last few years the logical conclusion should be that there should be more gun deaths but there hasn't been and it remains relatively stable over the last few years so while 81 deaths a day by guns is a figure it is a scare tactic figure used by gun control advocates to scare the population.
Guns are so demonized in our population that anyone seen as advocating 2nd Amendment rights is a gun nut and social outcast who feels the need to overcompensate with firearms, yet education and training could cut accidental shootings down as well as other types of shootings since guns wouldn't be the mystery item that kids want to "check out".
@The NRA: The gun death
@The NRA: The gun death statistics are a fact, your opinion of the cause and effect is just that your biased opinion.
I am far from anti-gun, not even close to being for gun control, so remove that from your thinking and examine the gun death statistics again without your editorializing.
The logic that led to your conclusions is faulty and frankly doesn't make much sense.
The suicides will happen with guns no matter how much training is given, that's a mental problem.
The homicides are a different matter, there are enough laws on the books to stop criminals from possessing guns, the police are not doing their jobs.
The reason for police inaction is the war on drugs, its a powerful incentive for police departments to go after users and other non-violent drug offenders, they earn points for each drug arrest.
The dealer and trafficker get police depts. the same points as the befuddled user and are less dangerous to go after.
The police depts. also get the assets of the users for their own use, so from a cops perspective, fuck the dangerous criminals and lets go where the money is.
The management of police forces are encouraging this and putting the citizens in harms way.
The sooner the US ends the failed "war on drugs" the safer we will all be.
Chuck
These are just a few examples
These are just a few examples of stories from around the country:
Four armed intruders began to kick down the door of a two-story apartment, so the three inhabitants locked themselves in an upstairs bedroom and exited onto the balcony where they had no escape. One of the occupants grabbed a rifle kept in the bedroom. One of the home invaders, dressed in camouflage with a black cloth covering his face, managed to kick open the bedroom door. The occupant raised the rifle and shot one round at the intruder, causing the home invaders to flee. Derrick Timmons, 20, was pronounced dead when his body was later found. The other offenders are still being sought by police. (The Courier Herald, Dublin, Ga., 3/15/12)
Police received a call from a 15-year-old girl claiming there was someone trying to get into her house while she was home alone. She reported that she heard the front door jiggle, looked out the window and saw two men there. One man managed to get into the garage where he was attempting to steal a pickup truck. After retrieving her father’s handgun, the girl confronted the man in the garage causing him to immediately flee. His accomplice, who had already made his way inside and was ransacking the contents of the home, quickly followed suit. (The Daily News, Texas City, Texas, 1/15/12) The Armed Citizen Extra
5/8/2012 Between 2 and 3 p.m. a woman was stopped along the highway when a man approached her car door. He pulled out a knife that appeared to already have a bloody blade and demanded that she go with him. He threatened her, telling her that if she did not comply she would “end up like that woman on TV.” The woman believed he was referring to a missing teacher confirmed dead just days before. She told the man to wait while she got her cigarettes, then reached down and pulled out a gun. The man quickly fled. (Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Bozeman, Mont
Happens more frequently than we care to admit but the news outlets won't make a big deal out of these types of stories.
@ NRA: Here are the facts
@ NRA: Here are the facts for the last year of statistics, 2004.
After some searching, these are the most recent statistics I've found:
Number of people killed by guns in the United States in 2004: 29,569
Percentage breakdown by US gun deaths in 2004, by type:
* 16,750 suicides (56% of all U.S. gun deaths) * 11,624 homicides (40%) * 649 unintentional shootings, 311 from legal intervention and 235 from undetermined intent (4%).
That averages out to 81 people dying everyday from guns. And also some gun ownership stats:
More than 100 million handguns are owned in the United States primarily for self‐defense, and 3.5 million people have permits to carry concealed handguns for protection. Currently, the population of the U.S. is around 300 million people.
Chuck
Most defensive uses do NOT
Most defensive uses do NOT involve gunfire or a dead body. Gary Kleck over 20 years ago started the research going and came up with 2.5 MILLION defensive gun uses a year. The papers only print the story if there IS a dead body. Most involve the THREAT of armed resistance or shots fired and the suspect fleeing.
Later John R. Lott Jr. came up with similar figures from EVERY county in the U.S. not the CHERRY PICKED stats the VPC likes to pick and choose. Even the CLINTON Justice Dept. under Janet Reno came up with a minimum of 100,000 legal defenses of all types with firearms in the U.S.
Ray from Bloombergia NRA Life
It is an oxymoron to refer to
It is an oxymoron to refer to a defensive gun user as a "lone vigilante." Further, gun ownership is largely passive self-protection--once a gun is acquired, the owner only rarely does anything defensive with it. Only a minority of defensive owners actually use their guns for self-protection; most of the rest just keep the gun in a bureau drawer or similar location, where it is available for use should the need arise. This contrasts sharply with neighborhood crime control strategies, that may require considerable investment of time and effort from each participant.
Chuck
It took a lot of digging but
It took a lot of digging but I did find an article from ABC. http://www.abc4.com/content/news/top_stories/story/conceal-and-carry-stabbing-salt-lake-city-smiths/NDNrL1gxeE2rsRhrWCM9dQ.cspx I agree with "Bloodynose" that this is shoddy reporting from the NRA. If they want to be believed, a link to the story isn't too much to ask.
So, congratulations to all the gun nuts out there. There is a story of a gun owner using their gun to stop a crime. We'll put this in the file next to the thousands of stories of guns being used in crimes, and domestic abuse, and accidental shootings etc etc.
I don't believe anybody has suggested that this never happens. What we're saying is that my examples above are far more common than using guns for actual self defense.
It sounds like you've never
It sounds like you've never picked up a copy of "American Rifleman" magazine. Also, when someone is killed or injured by a gun, it makes the news — guaranteed. When someone brandishes a gun to chase away a burglar or assailant, it may not get reported to the police, much less reported in the media.
Bit of shoddy journalism on
Bit of shoddy journalism on the NRA's part to NOT include a link to at least one relevant news item ...
Also, just so we're being complete, the story doesn't appear to have been picked up by the news network that, according to Wikipedia, "... took the top 10 spots for most watched cable news programs in the age 25–54 demographic and the top 12 spots among total cable news programs viewers." Those damn liberals ...
@ BloodyNose : Just how are
@ BloodyNose : Just how are Liberals connected to this,other than in your over active imagination.
Chuck
One of the great
One of the great disadvantages of online communications is the inability to put forth subtle clues of nuance. Smiley icons only go so far. I was being sarcastic ...
It is typical of the media to
It is typical of the media to not print stories that would support or defend the right to carry concealed weapons, while there are more incidence such as these than there are of the Zimmerman case and others.
@NRA: After some searching,
@NRA:
After some searching, these are the most recent statistics I've found:
Number of people killed by guns in the United States in 2004: 29,569
Percentage breakdown by US gun deaths in 2004, by type:
* 16,750 suicides (56% of all U.S. gun deaths) * 11,624 homicides (40%) * 649 unintentional shootings, 311 from legal intervention and 235 from undetermined intent (4%).
That averages out to 81 people dying everyday from guns. And also some gun ownership stats:
More than 100 million handguns are owned in the United States primarily for self‐defense, and 3.5 million people have permits to carry concealed handguns for protection. Currently, the population of the U.S. is around 300 million people.
Chuck
Can you site some examples of
Can you site some examples of your over reactive imagination.
Chuck
Google the Armed Citizen
Google the Armed Citizen which tracks the news from media outlets and newspapers around the country and you will actually read stories about armed citizen protecting themselves and loved ones.
Your argument doesn't hold up
Your argument doesn't hold up to the lemon test.
After some searching, these are the most recent statistics I've found:
Number of people killed by guns in the United States in 2004: 29,569
Percentage breakdown by US gun deaths in 2004, by type:
* 16,750 suicides (56% of all U.S. gun deaths) * 11,624 homicides (40%) * 649 unintentional shootings, 311 from legal intervention and 235 from undetermined intent (4%).
That averages out to 81 people dying everyday from guns. And also some gun ownership stats:
More than 100 million handguns are owned in the United States primarily for self‐defense, and 3.5 million people have permits to carry concealed handguns for protection. Currently, the population of the U.S. is around 300 million people.
Chuck
@Well if that where the case
@Well if that where the case Faux News would have been on it like fly's on shit.
They didn't cover it.
Chuck
That statement just shows
That statement just shows that you get your opinion of Fox News not from watching it but from other BS news sources like The Daily Kos and MSNBC. Fox News is no more likely to run a story that puts gun owners in a positive light than any other major news outlet. None of them do it.
There is almost never a mention in national news about a gun owner stopping a crime of any sort even though it happens daily. And even when a crime is stopped by an armed citizen and the event is reported the part about the armed citizen is almost always left out. Even on Fox News
@lagerHead: After some
@lagerHead:
After some searching, these are the most recent statistics I've found:
Number of people killed by guns in the United States in 2004: 29,569
Percentage breakdown by US gun deaths in 2004, by type:
* 16,750 suicides (56% of all U.S. gun deaths) * 11,624 homicides (40%) * 649 unintentional shootings, 311 from legal intervention and 235 from undetermined intent (4%).
That averages out to 81 people dying everyday from guns. And also some gun ownership stats:
More than 100 million handguns are owned in the United States primarily for self‐defense, and 3.5 million people have permits to carry concealed handguns for protection. Currently, the population of the U.S. is around 300 million people.
Chuck
@ LagerHead : That opinion
@ LagerHead : That opinion still doesn't explain why faux News didn't cover the story genius.
Chuck
How is Fox News any different
How is Fox News any different from the Liberal sources of News on the other stations, you know the ones that have Obama on them every other day, praising his plans and singing his praises and all that, not very unbiased news reporting. Of course news is subjective on the part of the reporter who gets his paycheck from a corporation that supports a certain political party.
@NRA: Your argument can be
@NRA: Your argument can be rebutted with no problem, just search youtube for "fox news lies" and you will have enough videos to keep you busy for years. It shows them lying, making up story's, not telling the hold truth and the total fabrication of events that never happened, not to mention their unabashed support and promotion of the "Tea Party".
If you had any courage you would just admit your a ignorant redneck.
Chuck
Your an "ignorant" liberal
Your an "ignorant" liberal who spouts the party line and posts the same passage like a biblical line about the number of gun deaths to everyone like I can't Google statistics and rebut them as well; of course stereotyping people is easier for liberals since most of the propaganda they spout doesn't hold up to closer scrutiny. Yet their disciples put the same information on every website without a shred of proof and continue to use outdated information in feeble attempts to prove points such as for more gun control legislature.
Fox DID talk about Lt.
Fox DID talk about Lt. Augustine Kim who was first charged, then released by the D.C. police but still can't get his LEGALLY OWNED guns back and they DID cover the New Year's shooting in Blanchard, OK where the 18 year old widow had to kill an intruder.
Ray from Bloombergia
@NRA: After some searching,
@NRA:
After some searching, these are the most recent statistics I've found:
Number of people killed by guns in the United States in 2004: 29,569
Percentage breakdown by US gun deaths in 2004, by type:
* 16,750 suicides (56% of all U.S. gun deaths) * 11,624 homicides (40%) * 649 unintentional shootings, 311 from legal intervention and 235 from undetermined intent (4%).
That averages out to 81 people dying everyday from guns. And also some gun ownership stats:
More than 100 million handguns are owned in the United States primarily for self‐defense, and 3.5 million people have permits to carry concealed handguns for protection. Currently, the population of the U.S. is around 300 million people.
Chuck
And your point is?
And your point is?
Chuck
That he's learned to cut and
That he's learned to cut and paste the same tripe all over the page in desperate search of anyone who will buy it.
Ray from Bloombergia NRA Life.
Right on top of his head. Ray
Right on top of his head.
Ray from Bloombergia
@ray: The national statistics
@ray: The national statistics on gun deaths is a fact. Your inability to see this is telling. Why is it you NRA folks never post links to your urban legends.
NRA folks are using transference (psychological term) when talking about supposed Liberals. Transference is when a person consciously or unconsciously transfers his own opinion off himself onto an opponent.
All you need do is look back at the comments from NRA folk to see this.
Liberals always have facts to back up their assertions, right wing types always have insults and urban legends to back up their OPINIONS.
Chuck