Discredited volume on U.S. gun culture going out of print

Washington Times ^ | 1/10/03 | Robert Stacy McCain

[kattracks]

Alfred A. Knopf Inc. has halted publication of a book that claimed guns were rare in early America, after Columbia University revoked a prestigious award to the author who was accused of research misconduct.

Michael A. Bellesiles' "Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture" won critical praise when it was published in the fall of 2000, and received the Bancroft Prize for historical writings in 2001, but was later discredited by researchers who found evidence that the author had fabricated or misrepresented his sources.

[Mo1]

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[Travis McGee]

Be-lies Bang.

[Swordmaker]

I suggest we file a product liability lawsuit agains Michaek Bellesiles, Columbia University, Columbia's Bancroft Prize Committee, and Knopf for publishing a defective product that is adversely affecting our Civil Rights. Arming America is clearly defective, indeed fraudulent, and our Civil Right in the western states "served" by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals have been damaged by the false imprimatur of authority given this fabrication by the proposed defendants as the False prestige the co-defendants bestowed upon Bellesiles gave his fabricated opinions far more import than they deserved. These opinions were quoted in a controversial Appellate Court decision denying the individual civil rights of the PEOPLE to keep and bear arms recognized in the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Michael Bellesiles, the producer of the defective product, is clearly liable for maliciously mis-quoting, fraudulently fabricating, and deliberately distorting historical data to purposely produce a defective product designed to assist other in depriving law abiding American Citizens of their 2nd Amendment Rights. Columbia University and the Bancroft Committee are co-conspirators in the deprival of rights caused by this defective product because they failed in their duty to assure that the work was worthy of the award given it and its author, multiplying the defect and damage the defective product could impart, and falsely elevating a charlatan and his false opinions to status he did not earn nor deserve. Knopf is culpable because they also failed to assure the quality of the defective product, by publishing it and uttering it upon the public spread the damage farther than possible in merely academic circles,

Hmmmmm.... perhaps we should make that a RICO suit???

[SwyChron 101]

It really is about time.
The notion that this country evolved without black powder and the means to propel slugs to kill either hostiles or meat for the family is absolute nonsense, but don't tell that to Babs Boxer, who now helps represent the Californian Village Idiot.

[dfwgator]

Ditto for "Bowling for Columbine."

[Bonaparte]

For those who don't know, Knopf is a subsidiary of Random House which is a division of Bertelsmann AG, the German media monopolist. When you patronize Random House or any of its imprints (listed at the website linked above), you are helping to prop up Schroeder's faltering economy.

[Atlas Sneezed]

I think you want a civil rights claim. It is section 1983 if perpetrated by a public entity, and I don't recall the section of the US Civil rights code for private entity.

[patton]

Did they deliberately flood the market in Liberal areas, with more books than could reasonably be purchased by residents of those areas?

Were the books furtively brought back to conservative areas?

RICO suit.

[newgeezer]

If anyone really wants to read it (or use it for target practice), Barnes and Noble is clearing it out online for 75% off.

[steve-b]

Wouldn't it have been easier just to print up sticky labels to re-brand the print run as "FICTION"?