Another overused catch phrase.

K

KMAX

New member
Watching Fox News with Chris Wallace. Several times I have heard him refer to guns used by the CT school shooter (a Glock, A Sig Sauer, and a Bushmaster AR15) as "weapons of mass destruction". He lost all credibility with me when he did this. Since when did these guns become WMD? Makes more spectacular reporting regardless of facts. Lots of talk for gun control on this show. Also there is lots of talk demonizing semiautomatic guns. Semiautomatic seems to be an evil adjective.

This is not an attempt to discuss the shooting, but a discussion about spectacular and inaccurate reporting. Let's not get into adiscussion about the shooting itself. What overused phrases annoy you?
 
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Don't ever expect anyone in the media, regardless of how conservative or liberal they are, to be able to discuss firearms in a reasonable and informed manner. I heard conservative radio talk show host Mark Levin talking about the "M4" that was used in Newtown (I thought it was a Bushmaster AR15) and he wanted to know why the shooter had a gun that was already illegal for civilians to own.
 
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one announcer claimed He had a hundred round magazine on ABC (I e-mailed them) and another said He had a Henry rifle and showed a picture of an M-16
 
KMAX said:
I have heard him refer to guns used by the CT school shooter (a Glock, A Sig Sauer, and a Bushmaster AR15) as "weapons of mass destruction".
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That's very strange. I have Fox News on in my pizzeria about 10 hours a day, every day except Mondays. I have never heard ANYONE, even the anti-gun propagandists, refer to firearms as "weapons of mass destruction".
 
but a discussion about spectacular and inaccurate reporting.
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It's the news, "spectacular and inaccurate reporting" is practically their job description. I love the description of any crime-related firearms being referred to as "extremely lethal" or how the perpetrators acted with "lethal efficiency". If all they did was report the FACTS, they wouldn't stay in business, and the news-media giant IS business.
 
Brian: The show was still on as I was posting my original post. I was astounded. I understand your sarcasm, but WMD?

12Guage: Please enlighten me as to the degrees of lethality. I lost my chart.:D

If these guns are weapons of mass destruction, what do we call nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons now?
 
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I read an account by an LEO senior officer stating that the shooter had multiple "clips". You'd think he would know the difference between a clip and a magazine. I also heard at least one commentator say that the shooter had semi-automatic pistols and then asked "why would any civilian need a semi-automatic weapon?" which clearly shows he thinks semi-automatic means machine gun. The only trite comment I have not heard yet would be in referring to the amount of ammunition the shooter had, referring to it as "an arsenal" or similar phrase. I probably keep less ammo at home, in a locked container, than most readers of this forum. I keep 300-400 rounds of several handgun calibers that I shoot, plus probably 1,000 22's. I probably would be described by the press has having "an arsenal". Don't look for knowledge with the typical news media individual, especially if they are from one of the northeastern states where guns are very restricted. In the hysteria that is already growing following this horrible tragedy, I just wish one mainline media organization would show the video, available on Youtube, where the young lady who lost her parents in the shooting in a cafeteria in Kileen, TX speaks to a panel of legislators. I have been told that that incident, and the testimony of this woman had a major impact upon the passage of concealed carry in Texas.
 
It was clearly communicated as such.

I have never heard ANYONE, even the anti-gun propagandists, refer to firearms as "weapons of mass destruction".
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Well, it was said but not in that string of conversation, only later in the conversation the point was clearly directed at not only the Bushmaster but at the handguns. ..... ;)

Also keep in mind where our sensitivities are and what we take away from conversations like this. ... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
There are several states that define certain weapons with wording like that.

North Carolina, for example, classifies machine guns, suppressors, destructive devices, anything over .50 caliber, and several other items under "Weapon of Mass Death and Destruction".

At one point in time, "assault weapons" nearly fell under that definition, as well.
 
Keep in mind that Connecticut still has an "assault" weapons ban in effect (closely mirroring the old, Federal AWB). The Bushmaster (if that's what it was) was reportedly owned and legally purchased by the shooter's mother. So ... CT has AWB, firearm was purchased legally, ergo firearm by legal definition could not have been an "assault" weapon.

Let's not forget that another catchword for the media is that ANY rifle is a "high-powered" rifle. It always makes me wonder what they think constitutes a low-powered rifle. There MUST be one, otherwise "high-powered" would not have any significance as a descriptive term ...

... Oh.
 
overused catch phrases = baloney

Well, sometimes media people simply arent gun savvy. I recall a few years ago on a newspaper cover page there was a pic of a cop with an M-16 rifle and the caption called it "An officer stands guard with an F16" lol F16 without a hyphen at least.

Even if the newsguy called a GLOCK and AR-15 as WMD's, still, it doesnt change anything. He isnt a gun guy obviously and used the wrong terms. He could have called them 'toasters' or 'crocodile pajamas'. These guns were still used to kill almost 30 people, so the idea of poor terminology being used really pales in comparison to the larger picture.
 
I have never heard ANYONE, even the anti-gun propagandists, refer to firearms as "weapons of mass destruction".
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I've heard the comparison bandied around in the past. Thankfully, I've been too busy at work the last couple of days to keep up with the media coverage.
 
I did an interview with a local news station about church carry.

I was mortified to discover the newscaster referred to my 45 as a "Big Bower B220".
 
If media types, politicians and the anti-gun crowd continue to make untrue statements many will begin to believe them. While much of the gun control debate involves differences of opinion on how best to address criminal behavior those debates should be about the facts. When our so called leaders interject their “opinions” or outright falsehoods in place of facts we can never have a genuine debate.
 
Bill Hemmer of FoxNews called the Bushmaster quote '' one of the most powerful rifles ever made'' today doing his broadcast live from CT. I was flabbergasted for about 2 seconds then I realized he is about as ignorant and misinformed as most other news people.
 
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