HCI "squirming", must have been interesting

alan

New member
ALERT: IT WORKED! JPFO RATTLES HCI
Date:
Tue, 14 Mar 2000 20:12:59 -0800
From:
JPFO Alerts <webmaster@jpfo.org>
To:
jpfo_alerts@topica.com


----Public Service Announcement ----------------------------
A successful career begins with math.
Math is Power. http://click.topica.com/aaaaelclvXGcclBvLZa/www.nacme.org
------------------------------------------------------------

ALERT FROM JEWS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF FIREARMS OWNERSHIP
America's Aggressive Civil Rights Organization

March 14, 2000

IT WORKED! JPFO RATTLES HCI

JPFO’s March 6 national press release (archived on the web at http://www.jpfo.org/alert20000306.htm) showed that HCI provided
misleading data to President Clinton to the effect that "13 kids
die each day by gun violence." What resulted? HCI has gone into
a tizzy. Facing HCI with the facts drives them nuts.

Leftish Colorado Radio Station KWAB talk host Gary Tessler
contacted JPFO on March 14 to explain this charge and he brought
on the research director of HCI to defend the statistic. Richard
Stevens, JPFO Firearms Sentinel Editor, appeared for JPFO.

That was the first major accomplishment: putting HCI into a
position of having to explain its misleading numbers. The March
6 press release succeeded in forcing HCI into the arena.

During the interview the host, Mr. Tessler, showed his strong
hostility to firearms ownership and practically handed the air
time over to the HCI rep. Based on the rep’s near monologue, we
can see that HCI was upset by being questioned. Here is how HCI
argues to escape the charge of misleading figures:

1. "The true figure for deaths is not 13 kids per day, but
11.56 youths per day."

Newer figures account for the lower number. Next, HCI argues that
JPFO is quibbling about the difference between 11.5 and 13. VERY
CLEVER ARGUMENT AND MISLEADING IN ITSELF, BECAUSE THE NUMBER IS
NOT THE ISSUE -- the deceptive use of the number is the issue.
Then, too, the "13 kids" number is posted on the HCI website.
The President apparently has switched to the 11.5 figure in
recent days, after the JPFO news release, presumably being
advised by HCI to use the newer lower but still deceptive
number.

2. "The term 'kids' includes people from age 0 to 19.
Eighteen and nineteen year olds are typically considered
'kids.'"

Now the HCI rep has to sound like a Washington spinmeister,
stretching the meaning of the word "kid." These so-called
"kids" are voting age adults. They could be in the military,
they could be repeat offenders serving time in an adult prison,
they could be drug kingpins. HCI chooses to use its agenda-driven
definition of "kids."

3. When confronted with their disingenuous use of the term
"kids," the HCI rep turns it around to say "oh, so you don't
care about the deaths of youths age 18-19." THIS IS ANOTHER
RHETORICAL TRICK ... when nobody has mentioned anything about
"caring" about deaths. Slick, inside the Beltway, lobbyist
talk designed to help HCI squirm out and escape the spotlight.

4. "HCI does not favor disarmament." This statement is standard
HCI propaganda. When challenged that Josh Sugarman, head of
the Violence Policy Center, had stated in the New York Times
last November that banning all handguns is the only "solution,"
the HCI rep changes the subject again to ...

5. "Nobody is talking about disarmament. That is not the
debate. No legislation is pending before Congress that would
disarm anybody. I don't know where you get this idea that we
are for disarming people." Of course, the HCI rep changes the
subject to what HCI wants people think is the "true debate."
As if we cannot discuss things unless they are pending before
Congress.

6. When faced with the statistic of 5,500 defensive gun uses
per day, the HCI rep jumps in without allowing you to finish
your thought. HCI claims that the figure comes from Gary
Kleck's research on defensive gun use and that it has been
discredited. The HCI rep claiming that because he is HCI's
research director he knows the facts cold. The fact that
Kleck's analysis won a national award for criminology
research means nothing to HCI. When, if ever, did HCI
research win a credible award?

And so on it goes. Even on an anti-self defense radio program,
HCI was forced to defend its statistics, and did so by trying
desperately to change the subject and turn the tables again.

The fact remains: HCI gave the President a figure of 13 kids per
day, then when challenged, HCI revised the figure downward
slightly. To make the figures more shocking, HCI had to define
"kids" to include full voting age adults ... and thus include
in their statistics the violent youth and young adults who make
up the nation's drug peddlers and gangs.

HCI needs death statistics to stay alive. The more dead people,
especially young people, the better it is for HCI's fund raising
efforts and propaganda campaign.

JPFO supporters can help keep pressuring HCI and the other gun
prohibitionists by getting the March 6 press release into the
hands of media people. Keep in mind just two points:

A. The "13 kids per day" statistic given by President Clinton
misleads people by failing to state that "kids" include young
adults.

B. The term "kids" has to be stretched to the breaking point
to include 18 and 19 year old voting age people -- and HCI
shamelessly stretches the term to maximize its death counts
for political purposes.

No other point needs to be made. We caught HCI misleading America,
and they have their excuse and they're sticking to it. If someone
brings up other HCI sourced statistics, then you must challenge
them to produce the studies and the articles, because HCI has
its agenda-driven way of defining terms. PEOPLE HAVE TO GO DO
THEIR OWN RESEARCH JUST TO FIND OUT WHAT HCI DOESN'T TELL THEM.
Don't be distracted by other quoted research -- the fact is simple.
HCI played fast and loose with the facts to stampede people into
"gun control" schemes. Don't lose track of that single key point.

This radio interview story and the insights from it show how
important it is to actually use the information JPFO produces.
The more people who see the information, the more people will
question the victim disarmament rhetoric. You can get everything
you need in JPFO Alerts (which you will find archived on the web
at http://www.jpfo.org/alerts.htm), The Firearms Sentinel (more
information at http://www.jpfo.org/jpfolist.htm), Gran'pa Jack
booklets (see http://www.jpfo.org/books.htm), and Dial 911 and
Die books and videos (see http://www.jpfo.org/alert20000312.htm
and http://www.jpfo.org/dial911anddie.htm).

The one March 6 press release generated national interest. It
was reprinted on the Boston Globe internet site. It stimulated
both nationally-syndicated Catholic Family Radio and another
local talk station to interview JPFO about the HCI fact bending.
No telling how many other people were influenced to doubt HCI
statements and stats.

You can still use the March 6 press release to spread further
the seeds of doubt. It takes more than the JPFO Liberty Crew
to do the job. You can send the press release to local media
people. Even one well-placed letter or fax to a media person
can really make a difference. Act today!

--From The Liberty Crew

This Alert archived at http://www.jpfo.org/alert20000314.htm
 
JPFO does a lot of good work. With all due respect, I think the additional points I often see made are also important, such as:

1. Even if you just look at kids from 0 - 17, most of the deaths are from 14 - 17. Still a tragedy, but,
2. Many of those deaths are a result of gang violence, including 'kids' involved in gang / drug activity that are shot by LEO's. And,
3. Actual firearms 'accidents' (which is what most people think this whole conversation is about) have actually declined significantly over the years.

I'm not going to do it now, but I know I've seen a step by step breakdown of the numbers. Perhaps someone else will oblige.

Regards from AZ
 
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