Beating the Dead (and Clueless) Horse
Not that anyone needs any additional evidence to demonstrate how utterly clueless the editors of the Boston Phoenix are when it comes time to wrote a story about gun-related issues, but I came across this stellar example of editorial fact-checking, when I was reading their recent Heller-PSH screed.
It's from April of 2007. I missed it the first time around, and I'm torn between letting it die silently in the Phoenix archives and posting some of its abject stupidity here to share it with the rest of the class.
I'm gonna go with Option B, thanks.
It's pretty much a cut-n-paste job from the Menino Crimefighting Handbook, placing the blame for Boston's gang-related homicides on the usual suspects: the guns (evil inanimate objects, eek!), inadequate funding of the court system (hold on to your wallets), and New Hampshire's laws that respect the rights of all citizens to defend themselves and their loved ones.
Yaaaaaawn.
Here's a quick taste of the kind of reality disconnect we've come to expect from these enlightened "progressive" types:
You don't say.
And, whatever you do, don't bother trying to explain to them what the Second Amendment is all about, or how free people have the right to defend themselves. That's all a bunch of "zany lies and ignorant rhetoric".
The zany defense rests.
But, that's not even the reason I chose to resurrect this piece from its well-earned, archival grave. It was because of this priceless nugget from their itemized list of Massachusetts' fabulous gun laws and regulations.
Sorry.
Wrong.
The Attorney General maintains a list of firearms approved for sale in Massachusetts by federally-licensed firearms dealers. And, it has nothing to do with the "power level" of the guns in question.
Facts? We don't need no stinkin' facts! We're the Boston Freakin' Phoenix, man! We know everything!!!
Let's review, shall we?
From the MAAttorney General's [edit: Executive Office of Public Safety's] Approved Firearms Roster:
(click image to enlarge)
Keep in mind, the Phoenix is part of the liberal news media in Boston that has brought us such pearls of wisdom as...
and...
Any questions?
Didn't think so.
UPDATE: Reader Jeff points out in the comments that the firearms experts at the Phoenix actually made three factual errors, not two, in that short, 12-word excerpt above.
I hand my head in shame for not catching that one. It's all this annoying fresh air up here that must be affecting my memory. Thanks much, Jeff.
It's from April of 2007. I missed it the first time around, and I'm torn between letting it die silently in the Phoenix archives and posting some of its abject stupidity here to share it with the rest of the class.
I'm gonna go with Option B, thanks.
It's pretty much a cut-n-paste job from the Menino Crimefighting Handbook, placing the blame for Boston's gang-related homicides on the usual suspects: the guns (evil inanimate objects, eek!), inadequate funding of the court system (hold on to your wallets), and New Hampshire's laws that respect the rights of all citizens to defend themselves and their loved ones.
Yaaaaaawn.
Here's a quick taste of the kind of reality disconnect we've come to expect from these enlightened "progressive" types:
Murder in Boston takes place at a slower, but equally relentless pace. Week by week, multiple gunmen shoot and kill their neighbors at an alarming rate.
[...]
The good news is that Massachusetts has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country.
You don't say.
And, whatever you do, don't bother trying to explain to them what the Second Amendment is all about, or how free people have the right to defend themselves. That's all a bunch of "zany lies and ignorant rhetoric".
The zany defense rests.
But, that's not even the reason I chose to resurrect this piece from its well-earned, archival grave. It was because of this priceless nugget from their itemized list of Massachusetts' fabulous gun laws and regulations.
...the attorney general maintains an exhaustive list of banned high-power models...
Sorry.
Wrong.
The Attorney General maintains a list of firearms approved for sale in Massachusetts by federally-licensed firearms dealers. And, it has nothing to do with the "power level" of the guns in question.
Facts? We don't need no stinkin' facts! We're the Boston Freakin' Phoenix, man! We know everything!!!
Let's review, shall we?
From the MA
(click image to enlarge)Keep in mind, the Phoenix is part of the liberal news media in Boston that has brought us such pearls of wisdom as...
On July 12, police seized a sawed-off Crossman (sic) high-powered 66 Powermaster .177 caliber rifle...
~ Allston/Brighton TAB - July 2006
and...
The guns, commonly called "airsoft" guns, are high powered, often semi- or fully automatic, and fire plastic or metal pellets that can cause serious harm.
~ WBZ TV, Boston - May 2006
Any questions?
Didn't think so.
UPDATE: Reader Jeff points out in the comments that the firearms experts at the Phoenix actually made three factual errors, not two, in that short, 12-word excerpt above.
Minor nit: The Approved Firearms Roster is maintained by the Executive Office of Public Safety, not the Attorney General. The AG's bogus "Consumer Protection Regulations" are a whole separate issue. There's no list, just enforcement letters when the AG decides they don't like something. Arbitrary and capricious doesn't begin to describe it.
I hand my head in shame for not catching that one. It's all this annoying fresh air up here that must be affecting my memory. Thanks much, Jeff.
