Sunday, October 14, 2007

CNN Pushes Gun Control in Philadelphia, Blames Concealed Carry for Crime


CNN (Clinton News Network) ran this misbegotten tale of calculated woe last week. Not a single talk show picked up on it, and I myself apologize for not catching it back then, but am at the disadvantage of not having a staff of "producers" to do my heavy lifting.

"On Thursday's "Anderson Cooper 360," CNN's Randi Kaye filed a story in which she promoted gun control as a solution for Philadelphia's crime problems, as she pushed the argument that the city's high rate of gun violence was the result of Pennsylvania state lawmakers voting to loosen gun laws in the 1990s. And, as if criminals would bother to apply for a permit to legally carry a concealed weapon, Kaye further suggested that the availability of concealed carry permits has contributed to the city's problems. Kaye: "In 1995 there were fewer than 800 applications for concealed weapons here. 'Keeping Them Honest,' we checked, and today there are 29,000 permits to carry. And it's against the law for police to ask anyone why they want one. One law enforcement source told me permits to carry are being passed out like candy." A blog posting on the show's Web site based on this story can be seen here. (Transcript follows)

After a report by correspondent Jim Acosta that recounted the story of security guards who were attacked by a gunman in Philadelphia, Acosta mentioned that the city's police commissioner "took the nation's presidential candidates to task" for not making gun control an election issue. Host Anderson Cooper cited statistics on the number of armored car attacks in 2006, and then introduced Kaye's report as part of the show's regular "Keeping Them Honest" segment. While Cooper promised a look at "all the angles in a debate with deadly stakes," the report in no way examined the evidence that high rates of gun ownership can combat crime.

Kaye began her report complaining that in Philadelphia, "getting a gun is about as easy as ordering a pizza." The CNN correspondent featured clips of Philadelphia community activist Ray Jones Jr., and passed on his complaints about the city's inability to enact gun control laws because state law forbids it. Kaye: "More than 85 percent of the hundreds of murders in Philadelphia this year have been committed with a firearm. Jones blames state lawmakers for failing to pass tougher gun laws and preventing cities like Philadelphia from setting their own gun laws, even though they desperately want to."

Kaye then recounted that in the 1990s, the Pennsylvania state legislature overturned an assault weapons ban, made it easier to obtain a concealed weapons permit, and passed the Uniform Firearms Act, before introducing State Senator Vincent Fumo, a pro-gun Democrat from the state. Kaye started off challenging him: "A lot of people say that's what, it's this act that took away the power from cities."

There you have it. "Assault Weapons", "Murder", "Failing To Pass Tougher Gun Laws", you name it, CNN dragged out every cliche'd sacred cow in its arsenal to paint CCW holders as part of the problem.

The reporter seems aghast that Philly police do not have the right to ask "why" someone wishes to obtain a CCW permit, and is therefore oblivious of the law of the land, the rights of man, and probably even the correct time of day. And as far as taking the power away from the cities and back into the hands of the citizens who happen to be RUNNING the cities, what can I say? Everything we say about liberals is true, and then some. Individual rights only count if you desire to kill a baby or get on welfare. Everything else is off limits.

Read through the entire offering but keep a barf bag handy.

CONTINUED...

The population of Philadelphia is approximately 1.6 million.

29,000 CCW's.

Why so low? Lets break it down:

White males are traditionally the largest group of legal weapon owners, by far. Philadelphia has 350,000 of them. 150,000 between the ages of 25 and 54, which is another consideration. That figures out to 19% of the people most likely to carry, carrying. Eliminate the liberals, criminals, sick and disabled, and you'd most likely discover that half of the able bodied men are packers.

Not bad if you look at it that way, but those 29,000 are greatly outnumbered and reality isn't changing anytime soon.

What CNN and dirty things like it want, is for that meager number to simply go the way of the Dodo. 29,000 men capable of defending themselves against the criminal hoards and these liberal bastiches are weeping. Why, many more of 'em and the average crook wouldn't stand a chance. Pretty soon, someone, somewhere, will be petitioning for Affirmative Action programs to arm those too disadvantaged to arm themselves. Wait. That'd mean even MORE evil guns. No, best thing is to do away with all of them and make it a level playing field. An equal playing field. With no man having more rights than another simply because he is law-abiding. I mean, how lame is all that? Giving someone a leg-up just because he's honest.

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