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Crazy About Guns: The press spooks its readers about increased gun purchases
Slate ^ | November 13, 2008 | Jack Shafer

Posted on 11/16/2008 12:07:17 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

Firearms scare almost everybody. But no demographic gets more wiggy about handguns, shotguns, and rifles than journalists. Ever since the Washington Post ("Gun Sales Thriving in Uncertain Times," Oct. 27) put the idea into circulation that the election and economic turmoil were spurring an increase in gun and ammo sales, a score of other news outlets have published their takes on the topic.

The Salt Lake Tribune got there on Nov. 6 ("Election Triggers Upsurge in Military-Like Firearms Sales"), the New York Times on Nov. 7 ("On Concerns Over Gun Control, Gun Sales Are Up"), the Associated Press ("Fears of Democrat Crackdown Lead to Gun Sales Boom") and Reuters on Nov. 8 ("Obama Win Triggers Run on Guns in Many Stores"), the Kansas City Star on Nov. 9 ("Election's Outcome Triggers Record Sales at Gun Shops"), the Anchorage Daily News on Nov. 10 ("Armed and Nervous in Alaska"), FoxNews.com ("Gun Owners Stockpiling Over Fear of Democratic Weapon Bans") and CNN.com on Nov. 11 ("Gun Sales Surge After Obama's Election"), the Chicago Tribune ("Obama Win Triggers Run on Guns") and the Globe and Mail on Nov. 12 ("Obama Win Spurs U.S. Gun Sales Boom"). And that's just a partial list.

The foundation upon which these outlets build their stories is solid: The primary measurement of gun purchases shows that sales are rising this year. Federal law requires licensed gun dealers to submit background check requests of all purchasers to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The Post reports that "there were 8.4 million background checks from Jan. 1 to Sept. 28, compared with 7.7 million in the same period last year," which is a 9 percent increase.

(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: 111th; 2008; 2ndamendment; banglist; bho2008; congress; democrats; marines; obama; presidentelectobama; rtkba
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To: Ruy Dias de Bivar

Good post.
An interesting background point:

You start your review with Thomas J. Dodd (Father of Chris Dodd) in 1961.
T.J. Dodd, then a military lawyer, was a low level assistant to the prosecutors at the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals. In that capacity he acquired a copy of the Nazi gun laws enacted to disarm opponents during and after Hitler’s rise to power.

Later, as a US congressman, he had the German law translated into english (by the library of congress, no less) and utilized much of it in writing what became the the 1968 anti-gun legislation.

Slightly over half of the 1968 US bill was copied, almost verbatim - often including punctuation and grammatical errors - from the German bill.

In the book, “’’Gun Control’’: Gateway to Tyranny” published by JPFO (Jews for Preservation of Firearms Freedom) a chapter consists of side by side views with the German text on the left page and the US text on the right. The correlation is beyond question!


41 posted on 11/16/2008 1:40:54 PM PST by LoneStarC
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Firearms scare almost everybody.

I believe that is what our founding fathers had in mind when writing the Second Amendment.

42 posted on 11/16/2008 1:41:16 PM PST by whodathunkit
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To: Barnacle
Thanks about the quotes, although the credit actually goes to the speakers/writers. I just piled 'em up.
43 posted on 11/16/2008 1:42:42 PM PST by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly.)
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To: whodathunkit

There will be no effective Obama Civilian Civil Defense Foce (aka “Brownshirts”, “Young Pioneers”, “Red Guards”, etc..) until we are disarmed.


44 posted on 11/16/2008 1:49:35 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (Barack Obama: In Error and arrogant -- he's errogant!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Thank you.


45 posted on 11/16/2008 1:55:38 PM PST by TruthInThoughtWordAndDeed (God Family Country)
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To: Charlespg
The press is the enemy of the constitution.

"Our Republic and Its Press Will Rise or Fall Together."

—Joseph Pulitzer

46 posted on 11/16/2008 2:00:32 PM PST by Does so (Schumer, with IndyMac, precipitated bank failures BEFORE the 2008 election.)
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To: mountainlion; All
I was at a gun show in Austin yesterday to get my air rifle repaired by a gunsmith who was going to be there. We arrived about 45 min after opening time; neither I, nor the gunsmith, had ever seen anything like it! There was a 1/4 mile long line 3-4 people deep waiting to get inside the convention center!! Parking was impossible; the closest I have ever seen a crowd like that was at a rock concert or pro-football game. This was in liberal Austin!

It sure looks like ordinary Americans are preparing for armed resistance!

47 posted on 11/16/2008 2:02:54 PM PST by ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY ( The Constitution needs No interpreting, only APPLICATION!)
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To: TADSLOS

Love that photo,, he looks like no other soldier in Vietnam. Such a poser.


48 posted on 11/16/2008 2:05:14 PM PST by DesertRhino (Dogs earn the title of "man's best friend", Muslims hate dogs,,add that up.)
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To: Prole

What would Josey do???

http://gunnyg.wordpress.com/2008/04/07/what-would-josey-do-by-matthew-hart/


49 posted on 11/16/2008 2:14:28 PM PST by gunnyg
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To: Smokin' Joe

at least there’s no magazine in the magwell...


50 posted on 11/16/2008 2:42:19 PM PST by castlebrew (Gun control means hitting where you intended to!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Firearms don’t scare me, or my neighbors purchasing firearms. I figure when they come for me, the will be armed and ready to fight. When they come for them, I will stand by their side. I hope all of them are crack shots with lots of ammo.


51 posted on 11/16/2008 2:55:33 PM PST by Citizen Tom Paine (Swift as the wind; Calmly majestic as a forest; Steady as the mountains.)
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To: Prole

One of my favorite Eastwood movies!


52 posted on 11/16/2008 2:56:53 PM PST by 2111USMC
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To: umgud
MSM lackeys will paint gun owners as worse than smokers, SUV owners and molesters

Did you know 94% of gun owners have molested children in an SUV while smoking?

Saw it on Jerry Springer, as reported in National Enquirer. Story was on ABC last night -- Diane Sawyer did seven minutes on the Enquirer story and interviewed a transsexual midget who'd been molested with a cigar and an AR-15.

Guess what kind of SUV the midget was molested in?

A Yukon.

That tell you anything about Sarah Palin?

53 posted on 11/16/2008 3:10:39 PM PST by lentulusgracchus ("Whatever." -- sinkspur)
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To: printhead
“Firearms scare almost everybody”?

F’in metrosexuals.

I was thinking faggots, but I'll accept your characterization. It's pretty close in meaning.

54 posted on 11/16/2008 3:13:20 PM PST by Hardastarboard (America is so "twenty minutes ago")
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"Firearms (in private hands) scare almost everybody (in the f'ing government).

There, fixed it

55 posted on 11/16/2008 3:19:43 PM PST by muir_redwoods (B. O. Stinks!!!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
The Slate writer is actually debunking the idea that armies of drooling, Negro-dragging, baby-raping gun fiends are about to descend like Esarhaddon's purple legions on small-town America and drag away all the virgins and old ladies to fates worse than death.

(Why "old ladies"? Because, according to Pew sociometrics, older women have the highest anxiety quotient of any segment of the population and could be sent into a suitable letter-writing tizzy by a well-timed appeal by the Million Moms citing articles about hordes of wild-eyed gun fiends.)

56 posted on 11/16/2008 3:30:39 PM PST by lentulusgracchus ("Whatever." -- sinkspur)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

They are trying to scare people into demanding gun bans.


57 posted on 11/16/2008 4:16:51 PM PST by TaxRelief (Walmart: Keeping my family on-budget since 1993.)
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To: lentulusgracchus

LOL...I’m laughing but it’s not funny. BTW...I love the sinkspur quote.


58 posted on 11/16/2008 4:17:50 PM PST by I got the rope
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To: Smokin' Joe

LOL! True...


59 posted on 11/16/2008 4:18:02 PM PST by TADSLOS (McCain Courted Socialism and Brought Us Marxism Instead)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Ah. Firearms are now very much in style for most young, law-abiding Democrats, too. People on both sides of the issue need to get a grip and stop freaking out.

If you want to do something for the Second Amendment, work to repeal the VAWA and restrictions against good young folks (minors) possessing firearms (including one bad law that Thompson voted in favor of requiring notes of permission from parents and imprisoning any who don’t comply in advance). Stop blathering threatening stupidities and paranoias.

As for what firearms to own, take the man’s advice in the following (plus shotguns). You won’t be defending from attacks at 300 meters and don’t need rounds that will go through several neighbors’ houses.

Lessons from Argentina’s economic collapse
http://www.powerswitch.org.uk/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2079&Itemid=2


60 posted on 11/16/2008 5:28:47 PM PST by familyop (cbt. engr. (cbt), NG, '89-'96, Duncan Hunter or no-vote, http://falconparty.com/)
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