Law & Order goes to a "Gunshow"

K

Karanas

New member
For those of you who enjoy a good jolt of hypertension just before you go to bed tonight, those nice folks at NBC are providing you with an episode of Law & Order (season premiere?) entitled "Gunshow".
Our valiant DA McCoy not only goes after the suspect, but the gun industry as well, following a shooting spree in Central Park that leaves 15 dead.
Now,... I could be wrong, but I suspect that this is going to be one of those shows that will upset some of our more sensitive members.
So take your medication of choice prior to viewing, lay off the spicy food for dinner tonight or find something else to do.
Personally, I'm going out tonight and I don't even plan on wasting a videotape on it.


[This message has been edited by Karanas (edited September 22, 1999).]
 
I'll watch; I'm sick and twisted that way. Last month when Dan Rather gave us the "Reality Check" on the Second Amendment, I watched CBS News every night for a week to make sure I caught it (original broadcast was delayed). I know what they're going to say, and how far they're going to distort reality, but I gotta see it for myself for some reason.

I hope for authenticity sake they have victims running around and screaming "a gun, does anyone have a gun! For God's sake, someone please shoot this crazy bastard!"

For full authenticity, the surviving victims should lament, "I wish I had had a gun, I wish I had had a gun" over and over. That's not too likely to happen on NBC though.

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"Put a rifle in the hands of a Subject, and he immediately becomes a Citizen." -- Jeff Cooper
 
I'm frigging ill already. Halfway through the show and they've thrown common sense out the window.

First they portray an firearm being easily converted, which I'll hand them.

But the "Internet" dealer who's oh so willing to forgo his license requirements by shipping to a customer who's "bedridden" and can't get to an FFL was really too much. Yeah, right, isn't this a standard ATF tactic?

Then there's the "conversion kit" guy, the dealers, and everyone else, gag.

At least the female prosecutor gave our side accurately, even if it was only for 5 seconds.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like advertising to gang members, easily converted firearms and irresponsible manufacturing, but the way this was portrayed really pissed me off.

Suprise, Suprise!!!!!!! Amazing, the judge actually showed common sense and made the right choice! Wooha!

Regardless, we still got slammed and slammed hard. No mistake what the public opinion will be after this show. But, I'm glad that common sense was represented.

Spark

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Kevin Jon Schlossberg
SysOp and Administrator for BladeForums.com
www.bladeforums.com



[This message has been edited by Spark (edited September 22, 1999).]
 
Spark:

My time zone is a couple of hours behind you. Thanks for saving me the aggravation. Think I'll surf TFL then maybe over to Glock Talk...NBC can, never mind, gotta be polite and tolerant...argh.
 
Because of the media and the tall tales about criminals getting guns at gun shows, guess what happened in Austin, Tx last weekend. I have been going to the show every month for a couple of years and never saw gang bangers hanging out. Not this weekend. A group or them were walking the show trying to buy a UZI machine gun. Full auto. They were disappointed that nobody would sell them a gun. They heard on the news you could go to a guns show and buy anything including grenades and rocket launchers. We now know that there are people out there stupid enough to believe that crap.
 
Hee hee--stupid gangbangers and TV news execs--sharing the same brains . . .

I only watched the second half after the initial shooting. Did you notice how they said something like 80% of the crimes in NY were done with guns converted to full auto? I was under the impression that crime with full auto was awfully rare--are they stupid or am I?
 
I watched it - and got heated every minute.
Here is the outline:

1. Guy shoots 15 girls.
2. Guy get off light sentance.
3. Instead of appealing the DA Guy goes after the gun company.
4. During the Gun Company guy trial they bring the shooter to the stand and he demonstrates how he turned his Skorpion into a machine pistol - they take the convicted felon and put the murder weapon in his hand and use him as an expert witness.
5. By huge leaps of illogic the Gun Company owner is found guilty - but the judge overturns the jury vote.

I was outraged... They showed the father of one of the slain girls yelling that the SHOOTER got off so light - but the DA Guy decides to go after the Gun Company.
Law and Order is off my list of viewable shows...


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"There is no limit to stupidity. Space itself is said to be bounded by its own curvature, but stupidity continues beyond infinity."
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
The Critic formerly known as Kodiac
 
Okay, folks, it's time to let them know that when they mix social commentary with entertainment in an manner intended to misinform they will be held accountable.

You KNOW HCI will congratulate them on their even-handed, level-headed reporting. Shall we just sit here typing to each other? Or shall we even the scales a touch? ;)

Forget the director - his opinions are clear.

Let's hit the network and the sponsors with as many calm, rational letters of disapproval that we on TFL can muster.

Wait a minute... Some TFLers are also on other BBSs. Let's spread the fire!

The internet. Is it only for fun? Or shall we use it to unify our efforts? It's up to us.

Whom do we write and call? Names, addresses, phone numbers, please.

I would think that letters and calls from ladies would be especially effective - considering the content of the show.

Let's stick it to 'em! RKBA!


[This message has been edited by Dennis (edited September 23, 1999).]
 
On the show, in McCoys closing remarks, he said that the American tradition of owning firearms was a "myth". He said that throughout American history, most Americans didn't own or even know how to use firearms. Is this not a TOTAL, BLATANT, BS LIE or am I sorely ignorant of American history? Weren't the majority of weapons used (by us) in the Revolutionary War privately owned? CJ
 
Probably the worst Law and Order I've ever seen. The "facts" and "stats" about crime, guns used in crime, etc., sounded totally bogus to me.
 
Actually, I found it rather balanced.

The pro-gun view was clearly and concisely presented: the lady lawyer clearly stated that guns are necessary for defense; and the final judge made it clear that despite flailing emotional rhetoric, the manufacturer had nothing to do with the unauthorized modification and criminal misuse. The pro screen time was short because the case is simple: the perp did it, the manufacturer did not.

The anti-gun view was obviously thoroughly presented: the guy lawyer saw a tenuous connection and used all his considerable might to bash the manufacturer because he didn't like what they made; this despite getting the perp a light sentence out of expediency. Notice that the guy lawyer showed little emotion toward the perp, but was seething against the least involved party. The anti screen time was long because it takes a long time to attempt to justify an irrational point of view.

The pro-gun views were simple, strong and clear, as we all understand they are. The anti-gun views were based on hysteria, finger-pointing, and going after the deepest pockets instead of the perpetrator.

Just because it's balanced doesn't mean it won't have a negative effect on millions of viewers. Unfortunately, it will likely leave a mental connection of "murder...easily obtained machinegun...gun show...internet sales...manufacturer is liable." Hopefully many will remember the last judge's final remarks that the manufacturer made a legal product, and it was the perp that modified it and killed people.
 
I have be a L&O fan for years but this episode was at best poor. just for grins lets look at some of the problems with the show.

1. The gun had a file placed in the barrel to render the rifling unmatchable. Even if this was true what about the cases and ejector marks ?

2. The gun hade "fingerprint resistive grips"
wow that is a new one on me, but even if true
where there any prints on the Mag,Stock,Barrel,File,cases,the bag it was in
wow the mind boggles.

3. The gun was easy to convert, OK it is true that most semis can be made to fire in UNREGLUATED Full auto, BUT when they do fire in such a manner they are notoriously hard to aim and tend to jam.

4. The mfg "knew" that was the reason for it s sales. Yea right gang bangers routinly buy $900 pistols and then convert them for full auto, IF this gun was proven to be the punk shooter then WHY are the BATF NOT envolved, you know FULL AUTO is a FED violation.

5. The very idea of 87 FULL auto shooting isn NYC last year is LAFFABLE if it were true the national guard would be out in force, from what I have read the only people going with the Spray and Pray therory are the Police 41shots 19 hits rember.

It is obious this was a liberal fantasy, seemed to be a written by HCI had every hoke plotdevice. Dirty FFL,GUN Show,Law Suit.

But there was a grain of truth there a califorinal judge did just throw out a case aginst HK on the grounds that CA law bans product labality actions aginst gun mfg's for injuries sustained when a criminal misuses a gun in a crime.

.
 
I agree that the show was more balanced than not. It was not an outright slam on guns and gun owners but it certainly had its outrageous moments. I also agree with Nestor that there were a lot of holes in the script/plot. This was not written by their usual writers. The DA and ADA never have caved in for a deal so quickly in prior shows, especially when there was so much evidence against the perp.

I thought one very positive scene was the ending scene. After the judge had overturned the jury's verdict, the ADA turned to each of his cohorts and each, in turn, turned away and left, leaving him alone in the courtroom.
 
What cracked me up was the shooting itself. Two cops standing in the park, hear b-r-r-rap, b-r-r-r-rap, run toward the firing with guns drawn, arriving within 15 seconds of the first shot, and there's 15 dead folk and a bunch of wounded, no perp to be seen. Later we find out that the perp stuck a file down the barrel, wiped off all prints from everything, put the gun away in a bag, and hid the bag before leaving.

That boy works FAST, see what I mean? Now, considering that most shoot-'em-ups we've heard of in real life take a LONG time to play out, that rendition in and of itself is a cleverly disguised blow to the head for those who advocate armed citizens. I, for example, will never be quick-draw McGurk, if mass murders really started and ended that quickly I would be useless even if there and armed. But they don't. From Charles Whitman on the UT tower 25+ years ago to recent school and office shootings, we're talking about hours and hours. Not 15 seconds.
 
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