Alphecca: The Weekly Check on the Bias

April 12, 2004

The Weekly Check on the Bias

It was really quite a nice day today, here in Vermont. About 45 degrees and sunny and for a change, no wind. Most of you are probably kvelling over your Easter dinners and family gatherings. I spent my Sunday in heathenly fashion at the range with my Ruger P95 going through boxes of:

Anyway, it's that time of the week where I examine some of the bias shown by (mostly) the print media in their reporting of firearms and gun control.

I've always made it a point not to curse or go into rants in this weekly post because of the large readership it receives. This first item will test that principle sorely...

Next weekend the NRA holds it's annual meeting in Pittsburgh, PA. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review had an op-ed by Mike Seate titled Have a little fun at the NRA convention. Seate lays out the welcome mat for law abiding citizens gathering to celebrate the Second Amendment with some of the most juvenile humor and blatant stereotyping (rather strange coming from a black man who presumably has been at the receiving end of much of the same himself) with these bon mots:

There probably won't be this many white men packing heat in our city since the 1918 Armistice Day parade.

Just because the NRA's soiree -- labeled "Freedom's Steel," a name disturbingly similar to the title of a Toby Keith album -- advertises "Acres of Guns" doesn't mean visitors have to get all gloomy like shoppers at a Fallujah arms bazaar. Fun, someone once said, is where you choose to make it. With this in mind, try these side-splitting pranks, which are guaranteed to bring smiles to the faces of even the most jaded death merchants.

He then provides some examples:

# When trying on a new .44 magnum pistol for size, ask whether there's a model available with a quart-capacity flask attached for evenings out. Remind the seller of how "the only thing more fun than shooting is drinking and shooting."
# Dress up in a white sheet and pointed hood and carry a noose. Then ask gun salesmen whether they have anything to "help create the perfect matching ensemble."

# Find the convention's organizers and demand to know why Dirty Harry, Rambo and "that weird Moses guy" aren't appearing in person this year.

# Tell passers-by you're thinking of starting a street gang and need information about the best kinds of guns and ammo to use for drive-bys.

# Set up a booth selling accidental death insurance policies and grave markers. Offer a free cemetery plot with the purchase of any assault rifle.

Oh. Ha-ha. How sublime.

I really don't know what landfill a piece of trash like Seate crawled out of, but the fact that the Pittsburgh Tribune Review would publish such garbage indicates that they are no friend to the millions of law-abiding firearm owners of this country and the city and suburbs of Pittsburgh.

By the way, if a white writer had written this and substituted "black men" for "white men" Jesse Jackson would be jetting over there at this very minute. To suggest that NRA members are racists, drunks, gang-banging killers, etc., is the most repellent characterization of any group that I've read in a large circulation newspaper in a very long time.

Might I suggest that any of you who support the Second Amendment perhaps let the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review know exactly what you think of this alleged writer and his editorial? Here's their feedback page and here's their main phone number: (412) 320-7914. I doubt that a yellow-sheet like this has an ombudsman but if they do, you might investigate contacting him/her as well.

There; I controlled myself rather well with that one after all...

On a much lighter note, the AP had this story about a Nashville, Tenn. convention strictly for women shooting enthusiasts. Here's a quote:

In what organizers call "the softer side of shooting," a gun convention for women is offering classes ranging from hunting and gun safety to gourmet game cooking and fancy hat making.

There was even a pajama party with manicure tips and a shooting scrapbook contest.

The Shooting for Women Conference was created for the female gun enthusiast who doesn't enjoy the testosterone-charged environment at most gun events, said Susan Long, editor of Shooting for Women magazine and a promoter of the four-day conference, which began Thursday.

The AP showed more restraint than they usually do, with an upbeat tone and only one brief quote from "the other side." Good job, and I wonder if any of my readers were there and could provide more details.

St. Louis Today had an editorial warning local sheriffs not to issue concealed-carry permits until the fracas over fees was settled. It seems that while the legislature of Missouri has now allowed permits for CCWs, the bill violated another law about unfunded mandates. That is being resolved but some counties have gone ahead and are issuing permits in the meantime. The whole tone of this article can be summed-up with the final sentence from it:

Any concealed-weapons law is a mistake, but the current law is a disaster.

Well I guess we know where they stand on the issue.

From the department of "Criminals must all think we're stupid" comes this brief story from WAFF TV (GA):

A robbery suspect tells police his attempt to hold up a convenience store was an April Fool's joke.

Police say Donnie Dwain Shankle tried to rob the Freeway Beverage Store on Highway 24. He walked up to the counter with a case of beer, pulled out a gun and demanded money.

Witnesses say a store employee pulled out his gun. That's when Shankle quickly told the clerk he was just kidding. Shankle is charged with first degree robbery.

Well that WAS a good joke and hopefully the fool Shankle will be laughing about it for several years in prison.

Speaking of dumb ideas, the Reading Advocate (MA) had this story about how Governor Romney's crime commission has determined that gun buy-backs (among other programs) don't reduce crime. Here's a quote:

The DARE program in schools, gun-buy-back programs, after-school sports and arts and dozens of other well-known crime-fighting techniques have not been proven effective, a Romney administration commission said on Monday, calling instead for dozens of new "cutting-edge" crime-fighting initiatives backed by scientific evidence.

I've always thought gun buy-backs were stupid. Yeah, you get a smattering of money-desperate people turning in rusty old, unused firearms. Real criminals never turn in anything. It's one of those "feel-good" programs that accomplish nothing other than to generate press. Interesting that they also join the chorus that is dissing DARE. Who knows, though, what Massachusettes will come up with to replace these programs. Does "cutting-edge" mean yet MORE gun control in a state that excels at repressive anti-gun measures?

There were, naturally, a ton of stories from Ohio as the new concealed-carry (allowed) law took effect. I'm not going to delve into all of that. Most just noted that lots of folks were exercising their rights. As with other states that have recently enacted laws permitting concealed-carry, in Ohio a business can post a sign that says "No Guns Allowed." Now, the law specifically states that you can't carry a firearm into government buildings, schools, etc. Yet, according to the Mansfield News-Journal, local municipalities and schools are posting signs anyway:

As Ohio's new concealed-carry law took effect Thursday, a number of area businesses, schools and government offices made it clear no guns were allowed on their premises.

A spokeswoman at the Mansfield City Schools Administration Office Thursday said a "No Guns" sign was on the front door of the 53 W. Fourth St. building and others were being posted at school buildings throughout the district.

In Shelby, police Chief Michael Bennett said his department posted "No Guns" signs on the station's doors, City Hall, courts, the power plant and about all city buildings with the exception of the parks' buildings, which will be have signs next week.

Well, okay, I suppose they are just trying to "remind" permit holders. And maybe also plant some fear into the general non-pro-2A publics' minds. To their credit, the paper did publish a couple quotes from businesses that were NOT posting such signs. Anyway, as we've seen in Minnesota and other states that now allow CCW, there has been NO "Wild West" results that the anti-gun crowd had direly warned of.

As we all know, it's not the law-abiding citizens who go through the permit process that you have to worry about; it's the criminals who don't get the permit, who have been carrying all along. These laws just attempt to balance the playing field, so to speak.

Lastly, when is the last time you read a pro-Second Amendment editorial in your local paper? From the Friday edition of the Missoulian (Montana) comes this refreshing commentary:

SUMMARY: From this week's headlines comes a good example of why the right to bear arms is so important.

In the news this week is the Cascade-area man who shot and killed an escaped convict who broke into his home and threatened his wife and him. What an awful, terrifying experience. Thank goodness Robert Nylund had a weapon available, the ability to quickly access it and the skill needed to use it under trying circumstances when the stakes couldn't be higher. That's what we call gun control.

We in the news business never seem to miss an opportunity to regale the public with examples of firearm misuse. Examples abound and they invariably feed firearm opponents' demands for stricter regulations or outright bans on guns. What too often goes unacknowledged, at least by the mainstream news media, is that the difference between a harrowing situation and brutal crime sometimes comes down to an armed citizen. Guns are inanimate objects, neither good nor bad. Bad people can put them to bad use, but good people also can put them to good use.

Wow!

Just as when a newspaper should be taken to task for being anti-Bill of Rights, so too you folks might want to contact the Missoulian and praise them for their pro-2A stance. Fair is fair. Heck, no matter where you live, why not subscribe?

Anyway, that's a wrap for this week. I'll be back soon to blather about something or other. Until then, thanks for stopping by!

Posted by Jeff Soyer at April 12, 2004 01:05 AM

Comments

What Toby Keith album is Seate talking about? "Shockin Y'all"? Huh?

Posted by: amr at April 12, 2004 08:42 AM

I suggest Mr. Seate go to the next available ACLU convention and make similar remarks.

He should especially wear a pointy white hood and carry a noose and ask for help organizing a "verbal lynching" in public spaces.

He should then ask where the senile old SCOTUS Justices are. (At least the ones that were arguably senile during their last years on the bench.)

He can also spend some time shouting politically incorrect epithets and insisting that the ACLU help him change the atmosphere on college campuses.

Should be a laugh riot.

Posted by: Dave Ivers at April 12, 2004 09:03 AM

There are a couple things that may give some perspective on his writing. First, Mike Seate is a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast (http://www.booksunderreview.com/Sports/Cycling/Choppers/) who at time goes by the name "Mad Mike" (www.eyetique.com/ad_popuppages/satirique.html). I'm guessing that his biker lifestyle probably has left him with a sense of humor that can easily offend other sensibilities.
Additionally, the Pittsburgh Tribune is actually owned by Richard Mellon Scaife, not exactly a member of the gun-hating liberal crowd.

Again, I'm not defending or deriding what he said, just giving a bit more background to view the situation.

Posted by: cathy at April 12, 2004 09:29 AM

The strangest thing about his comment, "Dress up in a white sheet and pointed hood and carry a noose. Then ask gun salesmen whether they have anything to 'help create the perfect matching ensemble.'" is that the Klan was PRO-GUN-CONTROL, as it didn't want any of its targets to have the ability to shoot back.

http://www.stentorian.com/2ndamend/leaflets/klan.html

Posted by: Anonymous Trumpeter at April 12, 2004 09:58 AM

Yes, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review is a Scaife publication. Now if only the article pertained to the Vince Foster's suicide...

Posted by: ed at April 12, 2004 10:00 AM

Mike's an old buddy of mine, and although I don't really know what his views are on gun control, I suspect he was kidding around. I could be wrong, I admit. His sister is about as liberal as they come; a wonderful, sweet girl, but definitely liberal. So maybe she threatened to beat him up and he was humoring her. ;)

Posted by: Mike at April 12, 2004 10:21 AM

letter to the trib editor:

Thanks Mike, you're very kind.

One problem though, I shoot NRA Highpower Rifle Matches...you know....those "dangerous assault rifles"? I actually shoot on a state team that goes to the National Matches every year at Camp Perry. We have Caucasians, Chinese, Afro-American, men and women on the team every year. Is it your suggestion that we form a team of one race and sex, so that we can conform to your stereotype?

And notice: THOUSANDS of folks shooting NRA Highpower rifle matches nationwide every weekend with the firearm demonized by the left as having "no sporting use". Weird, huh? Someone better call Ted, Diane, Barb, and Chuck. (oh, they KNOW already? OK.)

And I have missed something on the flask/alcohol deal....I have NEVER seen an adult beverage of ANY kind on a rifle range, (of course I have only shot about 100 matches on 20 different ranges plus the Nationals over the past few years, and my experience is just in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas), but you say we are supposed to be drunk? Maybe I just missed it.

And brother, am I embarrassed! We have been pushing Junior Team shooting, (in fact, MY junior, who I coached the last two years is now classified "Master, Highpower Rifle," PLUS he just earned the coveted Distinguished Rifleman's badge, of which there have been less than 1700 awarded in the last 100 years). But, (and I bet it's a big old hairy one), according to you, we were supposed to be arming GANGS? My bad!

Death insurance? Hey buddy, the Junior team and I have been at the Nationals the last few years..just imagine: THOUSANDS of NRA members, all armed with one or more AR15s, (assault rifles) shooting a series of highly competitive matches while staying in huts on base, motels, campers, et, et. YOU might expect several dozen accidental shootings, confrontations with civil authority, shoot-outs...deaths, well, WOULDN'T you? So why are there ZERO recorded, (as well as zero theft)? I smell a cover up!!! Send your best reporter!!! Find those bodies!!

OK, one year range control called a cease-fire while an ambulance took a guy off the berm. Turned out he had a kidney stone. He was back before his relay came up. Didn't even miss his turn.

Probably served him right though. He WAS a Caucasian.

Other cease-fires called when one of the resident bald eagles flew over the target berm, or landed on the range to eat a fish. Wonder why no one of thousands of armed folks never takes a shot at those birds?

50,000 gun nuts "poured" into a convention center? How many deaths are you predicting? Give us a number here!

Oh, and that "weird Moses guy"? He stepped down when it became obvious that he was going to have to walk through the valley of Alzheimer's in his final years. Thanks for your compassion. You not only have an open mind, you have a big old warm heart! I guess I should be glad you didn't nail him over "Planet of the Apes" or "Omega Man."

He spent a lot of his life fighting for the right of ALL human beings to be FREE, by the way.

But don't let that disturb your stereotypes.

Lets see now: racist, drunk, gang-enabling, death-merchants....gosh, it never occurred to me that I was supposed to be all these things! All along I thought I was teaching gun safety, personal responsibility, expertise with arms, and family values, all wrapped in patriotic love of the land and the tradition of Liberty we share.

But maybe we DON'T share that...do we?

I guess its amazing the mistakes we can make, even when its right in front of our faces! Thanks for your enlightening writing in the Trib. May you ever be so insightful.

Your humble servant,

Robert Langham
NRA member
NRA Junior Highpower Team Coach
High Master, NRA Highpower Rifle, Distinguished Badge 1659.
Texas State Rifle Team 01, 02, 03, 04.
Louisiana Service Rifle Champion, 03.
Tyler, Texas.

PS: Having a little fun at the NRA Convention yet? Guy like you deserves all the fun he can have!

Posted by: robert at April 12, 2004 11:09 AM

If he was kidding, I'm not laughing. Furthermore, if it was meant as morbid humor then there are far better places to publish it -- such as a biker magazine. Simply putting it out there for the general readers of the Tribune-Review (a major urban newspaper) will have all the liberal readers nodding in agreement with him at his stereotyping of us.

Posted by: Jeff Soyer at April 12, 2004 11:10 AM

Isn't this the same Mike Seate that used to write for Iron Horse back in the early 90's ? Didn't the editor of IH (David Snow) show what a candya** punk he was, actually faking that he owned a Wide Glide ? Yeah, I seem to remember him being outed as a lying BS artist way back when - so I guess we can expect Jayson Blair to show up on the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staff any time now . . .

Posted by: Joe at April 12, 2004 11:12 AM

I'm from NW Montana and can tell you the Missoulian is a lefty college town rag. If you subscribe you'll be sorry. The article you cite is from their opinion page where local residents can submit their writing. Believe me, this is not typical fare for the Missoulian.

Posted by: Sam Boogliodemus at April 12, 2004 11:16 AM

From Liberaly Yack Yack Northern California:

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/local/news/11guns_b1empireb.html

FYI

Posted by: mike at April 12, 2004 11:24 AM

Montana gun control: use both hands!

Side note: Missoula is probably the most liberal, left tilting city in the state...and still they print that! Good on them!

Montana born, raised, and proud of it!

Posted by: Todd S at April 12, 2004 11:34 AM

I think ol' Mike Seate is getting a bad rap. It seems he is a bit jealous of the fact that black men should have a complete monopoly on violent gun crime. Well, Mike sleep easy. Despite all your stereotypes, that very nearly is the case. Oh, was that a stereotype on my part?

Posted by: AxL at April 12, 2004 12:31 PM

As an owner of Mike Seate's book Jesse James, I emailed him.
I will let y'all know if he confirms it was a bad attempt at humor, or if he was really trying to vent bile at the NRA.
If it was the later I will be shipping my copy of the book to Jesse James and letting him do with it what he wants, as I do not want to own anything from such a person, and I searched on Amazon to make sure none of his other books were on my wish list for now.

Posted by: Cinomed at April 12, 2004 03:31 PM

I won't say anything about any other parts of Seate's column, but the business about drinking and shooting is true enough.

I grew up in the South and as a heedless young person went out in the woods with gunmen, either hunting or plinking, until I reached the age when I could think for myself, when it occurred to me that I had never been outdoors with any armed person who was sober.

So I quit huntin' and plinkiin' and I'm still here. That's more than some of the guys I used to go around with can say.

Posted by: Harry Eagar at April 12, 2004 04:51 PM

The thing that upsets me the most about this isn't that people want to have a sense of humor... Lets face it, your "really into it" gun enthusiast is essentially, a geek. (This is coming from a geek in several areas) Most average citizens find something very disturbing in anyone who, when a subject of interest is brought up, can spout off data from the top of their head. The natural thing is to poke fun at them. Ultimately, who cares. And while fun at conventions IS a two way street, I'd like to think that some people's skin is tougher than others. Please don't show up with you're NRA badge at the next ACLU rally trying to rustle up some "fun" for yourself. Some of those folks might not display the maturity and self control that the gun owning crowd has.

What really ticks me off about this is this continued "COP KILLER" bullets bs. How many times do you see this in the news. It's rubbish. The "teflon coated" bullets are actually hardened brass bullets designed to penetrate HARD targets, not kevlar. the Teflon coating is placed on the bullets to prevent barrel damage when firing these rounds. (The teflon doesn't make them non-stick, like you're wearever pans). These items are ONLY sold to police agencies, and not to the general public. Another important thing to remember about these "cop killing" bullets is that NO ACCOUNT OF A POLICE OFFICER ever being even so much as WOUNDED by one of these bullets has EVER been reported, recorded. That myth, if any, is going to pave the way for ammo legislation if it continues.

Posted by: krystal_blade at April 12, 2004 06:16 PM

See Kim duToit's similar rant about fun to have at the next NAACP meeting.

Posted by: Phil Winsor at April 14, 2004 04:45 PM

If this is the same Mike Seate who used to work for Iron Horse Magazine, then he's a blowhard, and even his biker friends scorned him.

Cordially,

Posted by: William S. Lee at May 3, 2004 10:25 AM

aquatint in home

Posted by: aquatint in home at July 9, 2004 10:40 AM

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April 12, 2004

The Weekly Check on the Bias

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